Market values England: Grealish surpasses Sancho - Werner at lowest point since 2017

Transfermarkt.co.uk has updated the market values of 77 Premier League players and Manchester City’s Jack Grealish has broken the €100 million mark thanks to a big upgrade – this group currently includes only eight footballers worldwide. Man United’s Jadon Sancho is no longer part of this club, Antonio Rüdiger secures a big plus, while Timo Werner, Roberto Firmino, Alexandre Lacazette and Anthony Martial are all down significantly.

Man City made Grealish the most expensive transfer of the summer with a fee of €117 million – the winger’s market value is adjusted from €65 million to €100 million. Daniel Busch, Area Manager Transfermarkt UK, says: “After his transfer, which broke several records, Grealish immediately became a regular starter under Guardiola and quickly adapted to the new system. Still the lynchpin of the side at Aston Villa, the most expensive Englishman in history is now one of several stars and takes this role very well. Consequently, his market value significantly approached the transfer fee.”

The latter also applies to Sancho. The most valuable player in Bundesliga history (career-high: €130 million), for whom BVB received €85 million, is devalued from €100 million to €90 million this time. “Sancho is still struggling with early problems at Man United and has only been in the starting eleven twice in the league. The young Englishman should settle in more and more over the next few months, but in the current update, things are going downhill – also due to the comparatively lower initial fee,” Busch said. England coach Gareth Southgate nominated Sancho, although in the current form he “may not deserve it.”

Premier League market values: Plus for Chelsea’s Rüdiger, minus for Werner

Meanwhile, Chelsea defender Rüdiger, who developed into one of the most sought-after centre-backs in 2021 is in absolute top form. “Since Tuchel took over, Rüdiger has improved immensely and is a crucial factor for Chelsea’s defensive stability. He is once again taking on a leadership role, plays very consistently and convinces with his strong mentality,” Busch said, explaining the €7 million upgrade to now €35 million. Rüdiger and the Blues are in contract negotiations – thanks to his form, the international is in a good position to demand a higher salary.

Things are going a little less smoothly for Rüdiger’s teammate Werner, who had to make way for record signing Romelu Lukaku up front. Since the Belgian’s €115 million return, Werner has been in the starting eleven in just two of six Premier League games and has yet to feature in the Champions League. The €10 million drop means a new market value of €55 million – the lowest for the Stuttgart native since 2017, when he made his breakthrough at RB Leipzig.

Arsenal goalkeeper Bernd Leno, who like Werner has mostly been on the bench recently, has new competition in Aaron Ramsdale and lost his spot after a difficult start to the season – which was the fault of the entire team. Since the swap, the Gunners have only conceded a single goal and the Germany international is said to be considering a move. While it goes from €12 million to €20 million for Ramsdale in terms of market value, Leno is downgraded from €22 million to €18 million.

EPL update: Devaluations for attacking trio Firmino, Martial & Lacazette

Among the losers of the Premier League update are many well-known strikers who continue their downward trend in terms of market value: Firmino (-10 to €40 million) is no longer first choice at Liverpool and often comes on as a substitute, Martial (-10 to €35 million) will have to fight for every minute at Man United following the arrival of Cristiano Ronaldo, while Lacazette (-6 to €22 million) is out of favour at Arsenal.

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).