Ex-Liverpool star falls to €9m 

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This Tuesday December 17, Transfermarkt has updated the market values of 343 players in the Austrian Bundesliga. RB Salzburg, who sacked former Liverpool coach Pep Lijnders as their manager this Monday, received the biggest drop in squad market value (-€24m), but their attacking midfielder Oscar Gloukh (€22m) remains the most valuable player in the league despite receiving a -€3m downgrade himself. RB Salzburg do however still remain the most valuable club in the division (€178.4m). Dorian Schuster is Transfermarkt’s Area Manager in Austria and explains the fall in value for Gloukh: “Gloukh had some problems this season with his discipline, but he is still the best player of the currently horrendous Salzburg squad. So he got a minor downgrade.”

Sturm Graz were the biggest winners, gaining €18.07m in squad market value. Their exciting winger Malick Yalcouyé, who is on loan from Brighton, gained the most market value as a player in the league, rising from €5m to €13m. “Yalcouye came as a no-name from Brighton and is easily one of the best players of the Bundesliga. He has to take the next step next season, either at Brighton or as a loanee at another club,” explained Schuster. Another Sturm Graz player with Premier League links received an upgrade in former Arsenal striker Mika Biereth. Schuster revealed why the Finnish striker also went up: “Biereth was bought for €4.7m from Arsenal, which made him the most expensive ever player from the Bundesliga excluding Salzburg. He has got even better than last season and scored 11 times in the league and twice in the Champions League.”

As aforementioned, RB Salzburg were the biggest losers after enduring a torrid season to date under Lijnders. In the summer, the Austrian club opted to sign two players Lijnders had worked with at Liverpool: Stefan Bajcetic and Bobby Clark. Both have struggled to make an impact in the Bundesliga, and in this latest update Clark remained at €8m, whilst Bajcetic fell from €11m to €9m. “Bajcetic couldn’t fit in in the Salzburg squad at all and only gained playing time because of his relationship with the now sacked Lijnders.” explained Schuster. 

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).