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Transfermarkt.com.tr has updated all market values in the Süper Lig: One of the biggest winners among the nearly 600 players is Fenerbahce’s Hungarian Attila Szalai, one of the biggest devaluations is received by Besiktas’ Barça loanee Miralem Pjanic, and the rapid rise of Galatasaray’s Kerem Aktürkoglu, who was still playing in the Turkish fourth division in 2020, continues.
Kim & Co. – Check out all Süper Lig updates here
In just over a year, Aktürkoglu went from the promotion playoffs of the 4th division with 24 Erzincanspor to the Europa League and the starting eleven of the national team – now there is the fifth market value plus in a row, this time from €3.5 million to €6 million.
Gökhan Yagmur, Area Manager Turkey, says: “The youngster is now a seasoned international who knows how to attract attention with his thoughtful play. He still lacks a bit of precision and physical strength here and there, but the 22-year-old is overall a very positive phenomenon in Turkish football.”
11x over €10m
Süper Lig players ranked by market value
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There are even bigger upgrades for Fenerbahce’s Hungarian-South Korean centre-back duo of Szalai and Min-jae Kim. While summer signing Kim, who arrived from Chinese club Beijing Guoan for €3 million, is upgraded from €2 million to €6.5 million, Szalai advances to become the most valuable defender in the Süper Lig.
Yagmur on the jump in market value from €7 million to €11 million: “The Hungarian has developed into a star player in Turkey within a year. In 2020/21, he showed what he was capable of right away at Fener, convinced at the European Championship, and this season he is a key player together with Kim in head coach Vítor Pereira’s back-three.”
After the update: The 20 most valuable Süper Lig players
Minus for the most valuable Süper Lig players Cakir and Pjanic
Ugurcan Cakir of Trabzonspor remains the league’s most valuable goalkeeper despite a devaluation from €19 million to €17 million. “Contrary to many experts’ opinions, the Turkish number one did not switch clubs in the summer after all and is now aiming to win the championship. Since Trabzon are not involved in Europe and Cakir can only put himself in the shop window nationally, the market value drops slightly. In the summer, there was an offer from Valencia with a loan fee of €5 million and a subsequent option to buy for €12 million,” Yagmur explains.
Cakir was the most valuable footballer in Turkey until September 1, before Pjanic replaced him following his move from FC Barcelona to Besiktas. Over €110 million in transfer fees have already been paid for the midfielder, and his loan to Istanbul was his first free transfer – now, due to age and status, the sixth devaluation since 2019 follows, this time from €20 million to €18 million.
There is also a minus of over €1 million for Fenerbahce signing Diego Rossi (-2 to €16 million) and his teammate Irfan Can Kahveci (-2 to €9 million), Galatasaray’s defender Marcão (-1.5 to €10.5 million), and – once arguably Turkey’s greatest football hope – Abdülkadir Ömür of Trabzonspor.
Yagmur on Ömür’s devaluation from €8.5 million to €6 million: “He was considered the ‘Turkish Messi’, but was held back by quite a few injuries – currently he is a shadow of the glory days of 2019. Now the midfield all-rounder is playing again and has to prove that he can reach his former level. We can only hope that he will be spared from injuries.” Since the summer of 2019, Trabzonspor’s homegrown talent has missed 58 competitive matches due to injury.
How Transfermarkt market values work
The Transfermarkt market values are calculated taking into account various pricing models. A major factor is the Transfermarkt community, whose members discuss and evaluate player market values in detail. In general, the Transfermarkt market values are not to be equated with transfer fees.
The goal is not to predict a price but an expected value of a player in a free market. Both individual transfer modalities and situational conditions are relevant in determining market values. Examples of this are listed below. Transfermarkt does not use an algorithm (you can find the detailed market value definition here).
