Mixed results for Juventus
Transfermarkt has updated the market values of 80 players in Serie A, giving some new stars and one notable veteran an upgrade in their value, while some players will unfortunately have to make do with decreases. These new figures now confirm one thing above all others: no single player in the Italian top-flight has been deemed good enough to break into the €100 million club. Juventus striker Dušan Vlahović is still the most valuable player in the division, but can only muster a value of €85m, despite costing the club €81.6m in January.
Among the notable winners from this update, one player that undoubtedly stands out is Napoli left winger Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, who more than doubled his market value from €15m to €35m. Jatin Dietl, Area Manager for Italy at Transfermarkt, explained why the forward was one of the main stand-outs from the opening rounds of the season and how he has quickly replaced a former fan favourite. “Lorenzo Insigne, who moved to Toronto FC, has practically been forgotten,” notes Dietl. “Kvaratskhelia is being hailed across Italy as one of the biggest transfer coups of recent years. If he continues like this, then the current market value increase will only be a small intermediate step.” Kvaratskhelia joined from Dinamo Batumi for €10m this summer and has fitted in well with seven goals in nine games in all competitions.
Another player that has gained a similar amount of praise is none other than Fabio Miretti, who recently celebrated his 19th birthday in August alongside a strong start with Juventus. According to Dietl, Miretti is the biggest surprise at Juventus this season. “He is one of the few rays of hope after the horror start of the season,” notes the Transfermarkt Serie A expert. “While it remains to be seen how much space he will have when Paul Pogba & Co. recover from injury, Miretti has been one of the better players so far and has consistently impressed. Even Massimiliano Allegri, who otherwise relies more on experience, has preferred him to the likes of Denis Zakaria (who was moved on loan to Chelsea) and Weston McKennie so far.” As a result, the player’s market value has tripled from €5m to €15m.
Four with over €10m upgrade: The biggest winners of the Series A update
Serie A upgrades: Youngster Höjlund and veteran Arnautovic convince
Other youngsters who have earned an increase in market value with their performances and increased status were: Danish centre-forward Rasmus Höjlund, who was signed from Sturm Graz for €17m, but sees a 233% increase from €4.5m to €15m at Atalanta, while Sassuolo’s newcomer Agustín Álvarez made a jump from €4m to €8.5m, after joining from Uruguayan club Peñarol.
Marko Arnautovic, meanwhile, played his way back into the spotlight despite his old age. The 33-year-old attacking midfielder defies the unwritten law that a market value increase for professionals well over the age of 30 is only possible in exceptional cases. However, the same applies to Arnautovic, who has been lacing up his boots for Bologna since August 2021. The Austrian is now worth €9m instead of €6m, which is an increase of 50%. “In the summer there was an offer from Manchester United of around €10m, which Bologna rejected,” explains Dietl. “Juve were also interested, but could not meet the transfer demands – around €13m. This circumstance combined with the outstanding start to the season led to the somewhat unusual upgrade.” Arnautovic has so far bagged six goals and one assist in eight matches this season.
Also worth mentioning are the increases of, among others, Napoli’s new central defender Min-jae Kim (€14m to €25m), Atalanta’s midfield signing Éderson (from €13m to €20m) and Juve’s defender Bremer (from €35m to €40m).
Serie A devaluations: Gosens loses again – de Vrij experiences disaster start
Meanwhile, things once again went in the opposite direction for German international Robin Gosens, who was recently courted by Bayer Leverkusen. The 28-year-old wing-back’s market value dropped for the second year in a row, this time from €28m to €22m – it was €35m at the end of 2021. “Even after the departure of Ivan Perisic, Gosens has not yet managed to earn a regular place on Inter Milan’s left side,” adds Dietl. “After the injury, he is not yet the player we know from his time at Atalanta, and at Inter there is already speculation whether they will have to go shopping again for a left wing-back in January.”
The most valuable players in the Serie A
His teammate Stefan de Vrij was hit even harder. According to Italy expert Dietl, the 30-year-old centre-back experienced a “very weak start to the season” at Inter. As if that wasn’t enough. “In the last few games he also lost his regular place, both at the Milan club and with the Dutch national team. There were no real offers in the summer either, although Inter would have been willing to let him go.” So de Vrij is fighting for his place at the Nerazzurri, after a market value drop from €28m to €20m.
Lazio star midfielder Sergej Milinković-Savić (€70m to €60m), Sassuolo’s injured right winger Domenico Berardi (€35m to €25m) and Roma newcomer Georginio Wijnaldum, among others, all suffered significant losses in this update. The former Liverpool star, who arrived on loan from Paris Saint-Germain in early August, broke his right tibia in training a month ago and is likely to miss the World Cup in Qatar. Wijnaldum’s market value therefore dropped from €18m to €12m in this Serie A update – the last time the midfielder’s market value was this low was at the beginning of 2015.
Milinković-Savić would have been sold by Lazio, but a suitable offer never materialised in the summer. “Despite his consistently outstanding performances and his strong start to the season, the market has shown that he cannot generate more than €70m,” says Dietl. Berardi wanted to move at all costs, but his plan fell through due to a lack of offers.
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).
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