Ligue 1 market values: Jonathan David drops - Angel Gomes up and Bradley Barcola new MVP

After the Premier League, Ligue 1 becomes the next top-five league, updated by Transfermarkt. Overall, 126 players in the French first division received new market values. With Kylian Mbappé now playing for Real Madrid, Transfermarkt has crowned Paris Saint-Germain star Bradley Barcola the most valuable player in Ligue 1. The 22-year-old winger saw his market value upgraded by €15m to now €65m, enough to leapfrog teammates Ousmane Dembélé, Achraf Hakimi and Warren Zaïre-Emery (all unchanged at €60m) to take first. 

“Since the departure of Mbappé this summer, Barcola has been seen as the new sensation at PSG, and more widely in Ligue 1,” Transfermarkt Content Manager France Joachim Durand said. “Although he was unconvincing in his first two Champions League games, against Girona and Arsenal, he is off to a flying start in the league. He has already scored as many goals this season as he did all of last season.” Barcola started the season with six goals in six league games and earned a place in France’s national team. With all that in mind, it is only logical that he is now the most valuable player in France.  

Another player recently called up by his national team is Englishman Angel Gomes. “Despite his frightening head injury in the opening game in August, Gomes got back on the field pretty fast, culminating in his first-ever England national team call in September,” Transfermarkt Area Manager France Ronan Caroff said about the Lille midfielder. “This milestone is just another step in his constant progression since 22/23 which was his first season as a Lille starter. Now he enters his final contract year, so he will likely attract a lot of interest from other European clubs, either at a lower price this winter or for free next summer if no extension happens by then.” The increased spotlight also comes with a slight increase in market value from €25m to €28m. 

Ligue 1 market values: Zaha downgraded - ups and downs for Canadian colony

While Gomes saw his market value increase, his teammate Jonathan David received a small downgrade from €50m to now €45m. “Statistically, this is a great season start for David, but that doesn't erase the fact this summer was yet another transfer window that didn't see him leave the Dogues for a higher-rated club,” Caroff said. Always engulfed in transfer rumors, the fact remains that David never moved on from Lille and now enters the final year of his contract. Perhaps there will be a more robust market for the Canadian striker once he becomes a free agent. Despite the downgrade, David remains the most valuable Ligue 1 player not playing for giants PSG.

The news was better for other players of the ever-growing Canadian colony in Ligue 1. New Olympique Marseille signing Ismaël Koné saw his market value increase by 9.1% from €11m to now €12m. “His season start was a bit delayed by an ankle injury, but since his comeback, he's quickly made his way into the starting XI, despite the many other quality options Robert De Zerbi has at his disposal,” Caroff said. “Therefore, it was only logical to see his value match now with the fee that was spent by OM this summer to get him from Watford.” Over at OGC Nice, newly arrived Canadian center-back Moïse Bombito saw his market value increase from €4.5m to €7m. It is the second update within months, as Bombito also received an increase after the Copa América (from €1.8m to €4.5m). “It matches the transfer fee,” Caroff said. He was immediately given a starter position and has quickly adapted to French football.”

At Olympique Lyon, last summer’s surprise arrival, Wilfried Zaha received a slight market value downgrade from €11m to €10m. “Zaha's arrival on French deadline day was really surprising,” Caroff said. “After all, OL’s attack was already stacked. With Benrahma and Fofana on the left wing, Lacazette and Mikataudze as center-forwards, and Nuamah on the right wing, Zaha will struggle to make room for himself.”  Indeed, Zaha struggled for playing time early on this season. As a result, Zaha has now dropped to his lowest market value since August 2016.

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).