This list probably raises more questions than it delivers answers, but with two weeks to wait until Liverpool play again, it’s still mildly interesting!
CIES Football Observatory calculate the value of every player in Europe’s top five leagues and they yesterday published a list of the 100 players whose value has increased most since the summer.
Eight Liverpool players make their top 100, with Mo Salah our highest valued player at €98m – suggesting that buying him at €40m was an absolute steal – and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain the player whose value has increased the most.
(This is because his contract now has six years to run, rather than one; not because he’s impressed on the pitch.)
5th) Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain + €31.7m to €58.7m
9th) Mo Salah + €25.2m to €98m
17th) Gini Wijnaldum + €23.2m to €82m
26th) Sadio Mane +€18.8m to €82.8m
45th) Coutinho +€14.2m to €82.9m
59th) Roberto Firmino +€12.3m to €96.5m
81st) Emre Can +€9.7m to €41.5m
89th) Dejan Lovren + €9.1m to €33.2m
We’re not quite sure how CIES can value at Coutinho at €82.9m when Liverpool were rejecting bids of €130m from Barcelona for his services in August!
What’s more, valuing Sadio Mane the same as Gini Wijnaldum seems a little nonsensical considering the gulf in quality between the two and the fact Mane is also the younger man.
The majority of this list is expected to remain at Anfield for a long time, although Coutinho could be on his way next summer (for a gargantuan transfer fee) and Emre Can for nothing, unfortunately…
The German is running his contract down and at the moment, doesn’t look like agreeing to an extension. In real terms, according to this report, we’ll be missing out on about €40m should Juventus secure him.