Market values Eredivisie: Ajax youngsters outshine rest of league - Sinisterra on the up

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Transfermarkt.nl has completely revised the market values in the Eredivisie and once again picked Ajax’s pool of talents as the main winners. The three biggest upgrades go to the account of the serial title winners, who sit one point behind league leaders PSV Eindhoven, but were particularly convincing in the Champions League with six wins from six matches. Overall, Ajax’s squad value increases by €32.5 million and, at €371.8 million, is more than double that of PSV (-€1.2 million to €153.2 million).

A large part of this increase is due to centre-back Jurrien Timber. The 20-year-old was already given an upgrade of €6 million to €17 million in the interim update at the beginning of October and now almost doubles that figure to €30 million. “Timber has played very convincingly in the Champions League, has gained experience at the European Championship and is one reason why Ajax have conceded only four goals in 18 matches in the Eredivisie. With a market value of €30 million, he is now on par with other talented European defenders like Lille’s Sven Botman,” Voetbalimpact, market value coordinator Transfermarkt.nl, explains.

In addition to Timber, Ajax’s attacking all-rounder Antony (+€10 million to €35 million) and fellow centre-back Lisandro Martínez (+€7 million to €32 million) also boast the second and third biggest upgrades in the league. The 21-year-old Antony “has taken another step this season and has a very good output with eight goals and five assists in nineteen games across all competitions,” Voetbalimpact says. “Especially his performances in the Champions League have been good and, in the case of Eredivisie players in the past, largely responsible for the selling price.” Together with teammate Ryan Gravenberch, who slightly rises by €2 million, the Brazilian is now the most valuable player in the league.

Market Value

Antony Right Winger

€28.00m

Other updates in Ajax’s squad include top scorer Sébastien Haller (+€3 million to €30 million), midfielder Edson Álvarez (+€3 million to €20 million) and right-back Noussair Mazraoui (+€2 million to €20 million) and, in the opposite direction, left-back Nicolás Tagliafico (-€2 million to €16 million), right-winger David Neres (-€2 million to €20 million) and goalkeeper André Onana (-€2 million to €15 million), who will leave the club in the summer.

PSV down despite leading the table - Götze now the sole most valuable German

At leaders PSV, the increases in value expected for Cody Gakpo and Noni Madueke a few months ago have not materialised. Both attackers were poised to take the next step this season, but were set back by injuries. “Therefore, we will not update their market values until further notice,” Voetbalimpact explains.

Market Value

C. Gakpo Left Winger

€50.00m

The big winner at the Eindhoven club is Ibrahim Sangaré. The defensive midfielder has proven to be very valuable for PSV this season and seems to finally pay back his transfer fee now (arrived for €7 million from Toulouse in the summer of 2020). “It will be a tough month for PSV without him,” Voetbalimpact says about the 24-year-old who competes at the Africa Cup. “In addition to his good positional play, with which he wins many balls in midfield, he also brings more and more attacking value to his team.” The Ivorian jumps from €10 million to €14 million.

The fact that it still goes down for the league leaders in terms of squad value is partly due to the most valuable German in the Eredivisie so far. Philipp Max lost his regular spot on the left defensive side to Mauro Júnior (remains at €3 million) following a Covid-19 infection in November and is devalued from €12 million to €8 million – the second-largest drop in the league. Mario Götze is now the sole leader among Germans in the Netherlands with a market value of €12 million.

Market Value

M. Götze Attacking Midfield

€7.00m

Only Marcos Senesi (-€6 million to €12 million) of Feyenoord has dropped even more than Max. The 24-year-old Argentine loses his status as the most valuable player in the squad to Luis Sinisterra, who in turn climbs from €11 million to €16 million. “Senesi has made a number of mistakes this season and has yet to be called up to the Argentinian national team. Also, the alleged interest from top European clubs does not seem to be true for the time being,” Voetbalimpact explains. Thanks to Sinisterra (14 goals and seven assists in all competitions) and Norwegian duo Fredrik Aursnes (+€3 million to €5 million) and Marcus Holmgren Pedersen (+€2.5 million to €4.5 million), the squad value of the third-placed team still goes up by €5.5 million – the only seven-figure plus in the league apart from Ajax.

Market Value

L. Sinisterra Left Winger

€17.00m

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).