Guardiola’s no.1 star
Phil Foden has been confirmed as the most valuable player in the Premier League, following Transfermarkt’s recent market value update for the English top flight. The Manchester City midfielder is worth €90 million, having moved into top spot due to his age and following a dip in value for Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur stars Mohamed Salah and Harry Kane.
Not only is Foden now undoubtedly the most valuable midfielder in English football, but he’s also retained his spot as the most valuable central midfielder in European football, with Pedri, Jude Bellingham and then Federico Valverde sitting just below the England international. And when we consider the path Foden has taken since breaking into Pep Guardiola’s first team at Man City, it certainly does seem to make perfect sense.
Díaz, Foden & Co. – The most valuable Premier League players
Indeed, perhaps more than any other player at Man City, Foden has come to represent the consistent, all-conquering nature of Guardiola’s side in the Premier League and what’s so remarkable about the 22-year-old midfielder is that he’s already established himself as one of the club’s most reliable performers. For example, in the 2021/22 season Foden bagged no less than 14 goals and 11 assists in all competitions for Man City. When we break that down into goals and assists per 90 minutes, it works out at an average of 0.71. Which is not only a slight improvement on last season’s impressive haul but also a 9 percent increase in his average seasonal return since making the step up to senior football.
Behind only Mbappe, Haaland and Vinicius Jr – Foden’s remarkable potential
As we can see from the graphic above, Foden hit a remarkable peak last season with 26 goals and assists in all competitions and all but maintained that impressive standard this season. In fact, over the course of the past two seasons, no player under the age of 23 has managed more goals and assists in the Premier League than the young Man City star, which goes some way to showcasing not only his talent right now but the remarkable potential he may still have to show in the future.
Can anyone keep up with Kylian Mbappe? pic.twitter.com/fWrmZ4499o
— Transfermarkt.co.uk (@TMuk_news) June 11, 2022
For example, when we consider the remarkable talent of young players under the age of 23 in European football today, Foden stacks up alongside the very best and continues to look like one of Europe’s most promising players. With a value of €90m, Foden remains the fourth most valuable player in the world, with only Kylian Mbappé, Erling Haaland and Champions League winning Vinicius Jr ahead of him. Whether Foden can go onto eclipse these three players over the course of his career remains to be seen, but for now the England international may settle for being the most valuable player in the Premier League long before he’s even begun to consider whether he’s reached the peak of his powers.
Homepage
