De Bruyne 6th
©TM/IMAGO
While many fans up and down England will be celebrating a successful season in the Premier League when it draws to a conclusion in the next few months, there will be even more cursing the luck and form of their clubs. Football can be a cruel and often heartless sport and nowhere is that more apparent than in the fortunes of the players that play it. Whether through poor performances, injuries or the simple act of ageing, a number of the Premier League’s biggest stars lost a significant amount of market value this season. In total, no less than 180 players saw their market values fall in this league campaign. Here’s a list of the top 10 biggest drops since last July.
The top 10 biggest drops in market value in the Premier League
At the bottom of our list of the players with the biggest drops in market value this season we have no less than four Premier League stars that have all lost €20m. When it comes to Chelsea forward Christopher Nkunku or Liverpool forward Darwin Núñez, the drop in market value can easily be explained as being largely due to their lack of game time this season with both players struggling to nail down starting spots for their respective clubs. But when it comes to the two other players that have lost €20m in market value, in Tottenham and Manchester City playmakers James Maddison and Phil Foden, there’s little doubt that while both creative players have played plenty of football this season, they’ve also struggled to live up to expectation and in many ways regressed in this league campaign.
Another creative player that has also struggled to live up to the very high standard that he set in previous seasons is Kevin De Bruyne. The Man City star has spent much of this season sitting on the bench for Pep Guardiola’s team and has so far managed just two goals and six assists in the Premier League campaign. That’s a far cry from the double figures the Belgian star used to rack up in the English top-flight and as such his market value has dropped by €23m this season to just €27m. However, De Bruyne remains the second most valuable player born in 1991 and the ninth most valuable Belgian player in the world.
Above the troubled Man City playmaker are four established Premier League stars that have all lost €25m in market value this season. Two are fellow teammates of De Bruyne in Bernardo Silva (-€25m down to €45m) and Jack Grealish (-€25m down to €35m), who have equally struggled in Guardiola’s team this season and remain heavily linked with an exit from the Etihad club in the summer. They’re joined by Manchester United defender Matthijs De Ligt and Arsenal forward Gabriel Jesus, who’ve both seen their market values drop due to poor performances on De Ligt’s part and persistent injuries from Jesus. But there’s every chance that the out-of-luck pair could turn things around next season.
In first place and to no great surprise is none other than West Ham playmaker Lucas Paquetá. Not only is the Brazilian talent currently under investigation for allegedly breaching betting rules and could face a lifetime ban from the English FA if found guilty, but he’s also struggled to perform in a poor West Ham side in the Premier League this season, with just four goals and no assists in 25 league games. As such, the 27-year-old’s market value has fallen from €65m to just €35m over the course of this season and will naturally change in the future when the hearing into his alleged misconduct reaches its conclusion.
