211 players updated
With the playoffs just around the corner, Transfermarkt has updated the market values of 211 Canadian Premier League players. The top strikers in the league, in particular, benefitted. After winning the Golden Boot, HFX Wanderers forward João Morelli also becomes the most valuable player in the league. Easton Ongaro (FC Edmonton), Terran Campbell, and Alejandro Díaz (both Pacific FC) also saw their values increase.
Canadian Premier League – All new market values at a glance
Morelli’s rise to the top, however, was the most spectacular. The 25-year-old Brazilian attacking midfielder joined HFX Wanderers from the Estonian side FCI Levadia ahead of the 2020 season. After scoring four goals and one assist in nine games last season, Morelli burst onto the scene this season, scoring 15 goals in 23 games across all competitions. Morelli’s performances have been noticed in Europe and Major League Soccer, and the in-demand striker sees his market value improve by 125% from $220,000 to $495,000, which makes him the most valuable player in the league.
Another player with a big improvement this season is Campbell. After scoring 11 goals in 28 CPL games in 2019, Campbell had an off-year in 2020 (1 goal and 1 assist in 10 games). Without a goal in the first seven games of the season, Campbell exploded in the second half of the campaign, scoring 10 goals in the last 21 games of the season, helping his side to a third-place finish in the regular season. Campbell sees his market value improve from $138,000 to now $330,000.
Pacific FC with five players in the top 10 – Talent in the spotlight
Campbell, therefore, becomes one of five Pacific FC players in the top 10 of the most valuable CPL players. Marco Bustos (+$165,000 to $440,000), Lukas MacNaughton (+$165,000 to $385,000), Ollie Bassett and Alejandro Díaz (both +110,000 to $330,000) are the other four Pacific FC players in the top 10. Although Pacific FC failed to secure a top-two finish down the stretch, Transfermarkt acknowledges the deep run in the Canadian Championship and a focus on young talent.
Young talent was also in the spotlight elsewhere in the league. Talented York United forward Lowell Wright saw his market value improve by 133.3%, from $83,000 to $198,000. The 18-year-old York United forward scored six goals and three assists in 28 games across all competitions. Another player is Woobens Pacius. The 20-year-old Forge FC forward was a big part of his club’s run in the Concacaf League and is one of the most interesting players in the league. Pacius receives his first-ever market value ($165,000). Pacius’ teammate Garven-Michee Metusala is the biggest winner of the update; the Forge FC defender sees his market value improve by 1900% from $11,000 to now $220,000.
Metusala, Baskett, Akio & Co.: The biggest winners of the Canadian Premier League update (Nov. 2021)
At FC Edmonton, two strikers also benefitted. Tobias Warschewski saw his market value improve by 233% to now $275,000. “There is so much potential throughout the league, and it is a good place to grow as a footballer,” Warschewski said in an interview with Transfermarkt earlier this week. Despite Edmonton’s difficult season, Warschewski managed to form a dangerous partnership with Ongaro. “He is a complete box striker,” Warschewski said about his teammate. Ongaro scored 12 goals and two assists in 28 games this season and sees his market value improve from $165,000 to $220,000.
Joe Mason no longer 1st – Cavalry FC forward sees market value adjusted to CPL standards
No longer first is Cavalry FC forward Joe Mason. The 30-year-old became the first player with a market value of more than $1 million when he joined Cavalry FC from MK Dons in May 2021. The striker scored eight goals and one assist in 15 games across all competitions. But his age and moving from League One to the CPL means his value had to be adjusted. But despite a drop of 60% from $1.1 million to $440,000, the former Ireland U21 national team player is still the second most valuable player in the league.
Morelli, Mason, Bustos & Co.: The most valuable Canadian Premier League players
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).
