Scottish Premiership market values: Jota hits new heights, Ryan Kent continues to fall

Full Premiership update 

Transfermarkt have now updated the market values in the Scottish Premiership for every player not taking part in the 2022 World Cup in Qatar and the new numbers underline the struggles Rangers have had in keeping up with an impressive Celtic side under manager Ange Postecoglou this season. However, the Ibrox club can still lay claim to some of the most valuable players in the Scottish top-flight. 

To no great surprise, Celtic and Rangers dominate when it comes to the most valuable players in the Premiership. However, the makeup of that top 15 most valuable players has changed slightly, due to the form of both teams in the league this season. And in many ways, Celtic have taken a step ahead of their Glasgow rivals. 

For example, five of the six players with the biggest increases in market value play for Celtic. Moritz Jenz (+€1.5 million), Greg Taylor (+€1.5m), Reo Hatate (+€1.8m) and Matt O’Riley (+€2.7m) have all been rewarded for impressive runs in Postecoglou’s side and there’s no doubt that other stars in the Celtic starting XI that were playing in the World Cup will see their market values increase once the competition comes to a conclusion. 

However, the player that has seen the biggest increase in this update is none other than Celtic’s Portuguese forward Jota. “The Portuguese forward was one of Celtic’s better players in a dismal Champions League campaign, scoring twice and creating numerous chances,” said Transfermarkt market value admin Julian Gieseke. “Ever since the Hoops first signed him, he has been a focal point in attack and since he has backed up last season’s performances so far, the only way for his market value is up.” With an increase of €3.5 million, Jota now has a market value of €11m and is the second most valuable player in the Scottish Premiership. 

In total, Celtic’s overall squad market value increased by €6.45m since the last Transfermarkt update. Not only is that the most impressive in the Scottish Premiership, but it is more than the next five best clubs combined. And, crucially, means that Celtic’s squad value is just €8.18m less than Rangers’ – which means Postecoglou’s side have closed the gap to their cross-city rivals by around €12m over the course of the first half of the season. 

Kent and Morelos exemplify poor start for Rangers 

Indeed, while Rangers can still lay claim to the most valuable squad in Scottish football, the current trends in the Ibrox squad should make for concerning reading for any fan of the club. Since the start of the season, the Rangers squad has lost €5.3m in overall market value and new manager Michael Beale will have his work cut out for him to turn around downward trends for some of the club’s most high-profile players. 

Ryan Kent is perhaps the most obvious example of this. Although the former Liverpool youth player is still the most valuable player in the Premiership with a market value of €14m, that value has dropped by no less than €3.5m since the start of the season. “Ryan Kent, who was vital for the Light Blues in their Europa League adventures last season, has been very inconsistent this season and failed to live up to high expectations in the Champions League,” notes Gieseke. “His contract is running out at the end of the season and it is reported that Rangers are considering to accept a low offer for him in January.”

Alfredo Morelos is another Rangers player that seems to have passed his peak. “The days when half of Europe seemed to be chasing Alfredo Morelos is over: nowadays, he often warms the bench while Antonio Colak spearheads the Rangers attack,” adds Gieseke. “Morelos has been a valuable joker so far this season, but needs to fight for his place in the team.” As such, the Colombian striker’s market value has dropped from €13m at the start of the season to just €10m now. Which is a considerable fall from a career high of €15m in mid 2020. 

Aberdeen impress with smart signings – Arabs struggle at bottom of the table

Aside from the Old Firm, two of the biggest winners are Aberdeen’s forwards Bojan Miovski (increase from €700k to €1m) and Duk (€200k to €500k), who have so far scored 21 goals between them and revived Aberdeen’s faltering attack. And not only have the Dons found not one but two dangerous strikers, but have also unearthed Ylber Ramadani (€450k to €650k) as an equally astute signing.

The biggest losers of the market value update are Aberdeen’s local rivals Dundee United. The Tangerines are firmly rooted to the bottom of the Premiership table and, accordingly, several players have been downgraded: Jamie McGrath (€800k to €600k) has failed to find the form he showed back at St Mirren, Carljohan Eriksson (€700k to €500k) and Mark Birighitti (€500k to €400k) have been unable to replace the departed Benjamin Siegrist in goal. And the skipper, Ryan Edwards (€500k to €375k), had to take responsibility for many a goal United have conceded this season. 

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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