Ligue 1 market values: Zaïre-Emery continues to rise - Kolo Muani biggest loser

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First in Ligue 1, but in the Champions League on the verge of elimination, Paris Saint-Germain only advanced thanks to a favorable result in the parallel game. This season has been one about light and shadow, and that is reflected in the new market values. The biggest market value winners of the Ligue 1 update come from the Parisian star ensemble, but standing in contrast to the two upgrades are 13 downgrades. As a result, no other team in the French first division had a bigger drop in market value than PSG. 

The player with the biggest increase in market value is once again super talent Warren Zaïre-Emery, who saw his market value increase by €10m to €60m. A remarkable development, the central midfielder started 2023 with a market value of just €6m—that is an increase of 900%. The top talent remains the most valuable U17 player on the planet, but Barcelona’s Lamine Yamal can draw even on Friday as part of the LaLiga update. 

“Since his big raise in October (+€30m), Zaïre-Emery continued to impress and was nominated to the French national team in November, where he suffered an ankle injury,” Area Manager Transfermarkt France, Ronan Caroff said. “But after a three-week break, he was back in action without complications. With that in mind, another plus in his market value is only consequential to meet his growing level and the international attention.” 

While Zaïre-Emery saw his market value grow, several of his teammates have seen their market value drop, including top transfer Randal Kolo Muani. The striker, who was signed this summer for €95m from Eintracht Frankfurt, saw his market value drop by €10m to €70m. “He never managed to fulfill the high expectations that came with his transfer fee,” Caroff said. “He has only scored three goals since the October update, and that period also included an entire month from the end of October through November when he didn’t score at all. Furthermore, he has started just three times in 16 league games.” Despite the drop in market value, Kolo Muani remains the second most valuable player in Ligue 1. 

Stats

R. Kolo Muani Centre-Forward

Paris Saint-Germain

Season 23/24–
Ligue 1

Games

24

Goals

6

Assists

5

Other players at PSG that saw their market value drop include Marquinhos and Nuno Mendes (both down to €60m), Milan Skriniar (down to €45m), Gianluigi Donnarumma (down to €40m), Bradley Barcola (down to €30m) as well as Marco Asensio (down to €20m). All those players dropped by €5m. Overall, PSG saw the club’s squad value drop by €32.5m—the biggest drop among all clubs in this update. PSG, however, remain above the billion euro benchmark with a squad value of €1.03bn—€180m alone occupied by the most valuable player on the planet, Kylian Mbappé. 

“You could think that it has become an endless cycle at PSG: players are signed for extraordinary figures, which are probably too high, the player then doesn’t fulfill the expectations, and then the market value drops,” Caroff said. “A good example this time is Kolo Muani and Barcola. When it comes to Marquinhos, Skriniar, or Donnarumma, other factors play a role. They are all playing a good season, but good is not good enough when it comes to players of that caliber, especially when the international competition playing in the same position is showing extraordinary performances.” As for Mendes, Caroff points out his continued fitness problems. 

Market value update Ligue: Lille’s Jonathan David drops significantly 

Alongside Kolo Muani, Jonathan David is among the players with the biggest decrease in market value. The Canadian striker saw his market value drop by €10m. “Every transfer window, the center-forward is being linked to many different clubs, but a deal never happened,” Caroff said. “Now it appears that the chance for a big move has gone. While Lille are playing a fantastic first half of the season, David’s magic has gone, including a three-month period without a goal in league play. Without a doubt, clubs might still be interested in his sort of profile, but Lille are unlikely to generate a significant transfer fee as it was previously the case.” The €50m market value of the CanMNT star still represents the highest market value of any player not playing at PSG. Following David are Nice’s Khéphren Thuram and RC Lens’ Elye Wahi; both remain stable at €40m.  

Market Value

J. David Centre-Forward

€50.00m

Despite David’s decrease in market value, Lille’s squad value actually increased by €9.9m thanks to talents Lucas Chevalier, Leny Yoro, and Ayyoub Bouaddi. Goalkeeper Chevalier has been in top form and his market value increased by €8m to €18m after he managed 11 clean sheets in 22 league games. Yoro is up by €7m to €25m, and Bouaddi,  who at the age of 16 and 20 days is the youngest ever player to play in Ligue 1 received a starting market value of €5m. 

Stats

L. Chevalier Goalkeeper

LOSC Lille

Season 23/24–
Ligue 1

Games

30

Goals against

26

Clean sheets

15

Like Chevalier, Nice’s goalkeeper Marcin Bulka has also been excellent. As a consequence, Bulka received the same increase in market value as Chevalier and is up to €15m. Another player with a significant increase is teammate Jean-Clair Todibo, who, with a new market value of €35m, has achieved a new personal record.

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).