First Werner plus since 2020
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Shortly before the start of the World Cup, Transfermarkt updated the market values in the North American Major League Soccer. Among the biggest losers are Josh Sargent (-2 million to 16 million euros) and Heung-min Son (-2 million to 15 million euros), two former Bundesliga professionals. Due to the devaluation of former Werder striker Sargent from Toronto FC, he will now share the top spot in the MLS market value ranking with Brazilian midfielder Evander from FC Cincinnati.
While the market value of superstar Lionel Messi from Inter Miami remains unchanged at 15 million euros, Thomas Müller from the Vancouver Whitecaps is the biggest loser among the German legionnaires (-1 to 4 million euros).
“A year ago, Sargent could have moved to one of the five best leagues through a transfer to Bundesliga club VfL Wolfsburg, but this fell through and instead he pushed for a move to Major League Soccer,” sums up Manuel Veth, Area Manager North America at Transfermarkt. The expert explains: “His desire to return to the domestic league and play for Canadian club Toronto FC was a decision that surprised many at the time. Although there was hope that he would make the USA World Cup squad, Sargent was not considered by Mauricio Pochettino. Three goals and two assists in eight MLS games are also disappointing, all of these factors resulting in a downgrade in his market value.”
There is also a minus for South Korea’s World Cup driver Son from LAFC. The 33-year-old is now on the same level as Messi in terms of market value. “Son’s demotion is due to his age,” explains Veth. “Sure, on the face of it, his numbers this season aren’t impressive given that he hasn’t scored a goal in a league game yet. But two goals and 16 assists in 22 games across all competitions is still a pretty good record. Plus, his star power is on par with Messi’s. Wherever Son plays, the stadiums are packed. Plus, he’s heading to the World Cup, where he’ll be one of the biggest poster boys for MLS.”
MLS market values: Musa, Hall and Berhalter biggest winners
Another player heading to the World Cup is Petar Musa of FC Dallas. The striker is one of two MLS players in Croatia’s squad alongside Orlando’s Marco Pašalić and is the biggest winner of the update with a market value increase of 4 to 12 million euros. “Musa has shown an outstanding performance this season and has earned his appointment,” attests Veth. “The 28-year-old has scored 12 goals in 13 MLS games this season, the same as Messi and just one less than leading scorer Hugo Cuypers (+1 to €10m) of Chicago Fire. There are rumors that Dallas could sell the player after this season and given his current form, a move back to Europe is not unrealistic.”
Sebastian Berhalter, Müller’s teammate at the Whitecaps, recorded the second largest increase. “He was one of the best midfielders in MLS over the last two seasons,” emphasizes Veth. “You could even argue that Berhalter is the main reason why the Whitecaps have become one of the best clubs not only in the MLS, but in the entire Concacaf region. Berhalter is always consistent, has strong playmaking qualities, is fantastic at set pieces and has an excellent tactical understanding. There is a chance that he could also be a key player for Pochettino at the World Cup, and if he plays well there, a move to one of the top five leagues in Europe is a possibility just a matter of time.” Berhalter’s market value increased by 60 percent from 5 to 8 million euros.
Julian Hall from Red Bull New York will also receive a plus of 3 million euros, which will henceforth be valued at 8 million euros. “Hall scored twelve goals and provided four assists in 18 games across all competitions this season as an 18-year-old,” said Veth. “Perhaps one could have argued that he should have been included in the World Cup squad, especially since Poland, who he can also play for, have shown interest. But without a doubt his time will come after the World Cup.”
MLS market values: devaluations at Atlanta – Müller loses
Atlanta United had three stars downgraded: Miguel Almirón (-2 to 7 million), Aleksey Miranchuk (-500,000 to 7.5 million) and Emmanuel Latte Lath (-5 to 10 million). The latter recorded the biggest minus of the update. “At this rate, he could go down as the weakest signing in the history of the MLS,” says Veth, adding: “Atlanta paid 21.25 million euros for him back then, and he only scored 11 goals and four assists in 47 games in all competitions. That’s very disappointing.”
German professional Müller was also demoted. “His transfer was a huge success for the Whitecaps on and off the pitch,” says Veth. “Unlike Messi and Son, Müller is actually an important part of the community and communicates well with the local press. He will also be part of the World Cup coverage on German television, which will also benefit the Whitecaps’ brand. This season he has four goals and two assists in twelve MLS games. That’s not bad, but injuries are starting to slow him down a bit. He will also be 37 this season – a demotion was inevitable at this point.”
In addition to Müller, nine other professionals with German passports received a new market value. For San Jose’s new signing Timo Werner, the market value is going up again for the first time since March 2020. The ex-Leipzig, Chelsea and Tottenham professional had seven scorers in seven league appearances before a muscle injury put him out of action for the time being. For the 30-year-old, it goes up by 500,000 to 3.5 million euros.
Salt Lake’s Noel Caliskan, whose market value is 1.8 million euros, will receive double the amount. Minnesota’s Morris Duggan (+600,000 to 1.8 million euros) and St. Louis’ Timo Baumgartl (+200,000 to 800,000 euros) also rise. His teammate Cedric Teuchert, who recently spoke in detail about his planned return to Europe in the Transfermarkt interview, is down by 500,000 to 2 million euros, as is Marcel Hartel (from 4.5 to 4 million euros), Vancouver’s ex-Hamburg player Sebastian Schonlau (-100,000 to 500,000 euros), Montréal’s Fabian Herbers (-100,000 to 400,000 euros) and Los Angeles professional Marco Reus (-300,000 to 1.5 million euros).
This is how transfer market market values work
The transfer market market values are created taking into account various pricing models as well as a strong involvement of the transfer market community, which deals with the values in detailed discussions. The transfer market market values cannot generally be equated with the transfer fees actually paid.
The goal is not to predict a price, but rather an expected value. When determining the market value, both individual transfer modalities and situational conditions are relevant to a certain extent. Examples of this are listed here. Transfermarkt does not use an algorithm (for detailed market value definition).