Red Bulls dominate
RB Salzburg continue to be the measure of all things in the Austrian Bundesliga. For years, the majority of the serial champions’ players have been upgraded in the market value updates, and they rarely go down due to expensive transfers to foreign clubs that often follow. This was also the case in the latest complete update: centre-back Strahinja Pavlovic alone recorded an increase of €12 million, a sum that is higher than the total squad value of six Bundesliga clubs.
Pavlovic had arrived for €7m from AS Monaco in the summer and is now showing his quality in Austria after he has already been expected to shine in France. In January 2020, the Serbian had joined Monaco for €10m from Partizan Belgrade as an 18-year-old, but could not establish himself in the first team there. Things are now going better at Salzburg. “Pavlovic showed outstanding performances, especially in the Champions League, and held his own against strong competition in his own squad such as Oumar Solet, Maximilian Wöber or Kamil Piatkowski,” market value admin Saviola92 said. “After half a year at Red Bull there are rumours about the next transfer already: Juventus are said to be interested for transfer fee of around €25m.”
From €8m, it therefore goes up significantly to €20m in terms of market value. This puts Pavlovic on a par with teammates Nicolas Seiwald, Luka Sucic and soon-to-be Leipzig forward Benjamin Sesko. The trio, which previously topped the market value ranking together, remains unchanged and slips to a joint second place. The new leader is Noah Okafor, who makes a jump from €18m to €25m.
Okafor at the top now – The most valubale players in the Austrian Bundesliga
Bundesliga update: Okafor becomes third most valuable Swiss footballer
“Okafor has taken the next step in his development this season,” Dorian Schuster, Transfermarkt’s area manager in Austria, said. “Thanks to three Champions League goals from the Swiss striker, Salzburg will compete in the Europa League in the new year. He was also directly involved in eight goals in the Bundesliga. If the 22-year-old continues like this, a move to a top club should only be a matter of time.” In the ranking of the most valuable Swiss footballers, the World Cup participant jumps to third place behind Premier League players Manuel Akanji (€30m) and Granit Xhaka (€28m).
Other upgrades to the Salzburg squad include Maurits Kjaergaard (+€5m to €15m), Solet (+€3m to €15m), Amar Dedic (+€3m to €10m), Lucas Gourna-Douath (+€2m to €12m) and Junior Adamu (+€2m to €8m). Goalkeeper Philipp Köhn, whose market value rises to €4m, is also among the winners. “The example of Patrick Pentz shows that ÖBL goalkeepers hardly have a market in Europe,” Schuster said, justifying the rather small market value plus in view of his performances. “To set a market value for Köhn is therefore difficult, also because there has been no comparable case at Salzburg so far.”
Away from the league leaders, who provide the 17 most valuable players and in Sekou Koita (-€2m to €6m) the biggest devaluation in the league, the changes at SK Sturm Graz stand out. Alexander Prass (+€1m) and Jon Gorenc Stankovic (+€0.5m), along with LASK winger Keito Nakamura (+€0.5m), are now the most valuable non-Salzburg players. In addition, 19-year-old William Böving, who arrived at Sturm Graz for a fee of for €2.2m from FC Copenhagen in the summer, makes a jump from €2.5m to €3m. “In the case of the young Dane you can see the massive potential, but he is not yet a regular starter, which is why a more significant upgrade has to wait,” Schuster said. The number of only four goal contributions in 17 games can also be improved.
It is no longer possible to imagine Austria Vienna without Dominik Fitz in the starting eleven. “Together with Matthias Braunöder, the 23-year-old is the best player in an otherwise disappointing season,” Schuster said. “The duo could not prevent the club dropping out of the Conference League, but in Austria, they still rank seventh thanks to the two midfielders.” Fitz’s market value has risen by €1.2m to €2m, while Braunöder is up by €0.5m to €3.5m.
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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