Ligue 1 market values: Zaïre-Emery gets €30m increase - Tolisso drops after poor form at Lyon

©Imago/Content stadium

Following the latest Transfermarkt market value update of Ligue 1, Paris Saint-Germain can lay claim to not nine but 10 players in the top 100 most valuable players in the world. The latest addition is none other than 17-year-old star Warren Zaïre-Emery, who has earned the highest market value increase in the French top-flight. This now means that the capital club’s overall squad value has risen to €1.03 billion - keeping the Ligue 1 giants in third place but now much closer to second-placed Arsenal with a squad market value of €1.1b. 

PSG young stars step up, Kroupi making waves at Lorient 

Indeed, Zaïre-Emery’s market value has increased by €30m to a new value of €50m, making the PSG central midfielder the eighth most valuable player in Ligue 1 and the twelfth most valuable in his position across the sport. Despite having a market value of just €5m last year, the young talent has been all but ever-present in Luis Enrique’s team, starting nine out of a possible 10 games so far this season. “His development is remarkable,” said Ronan Caroff, Transfermarkt Area Manager for France. “He was already a good squad player last season, but now he has made another leap forward. Although the pressure at this level is certainly high for a 17-year-old, Zaïre-Emery handles it very well. Luis Enrique trusts him and he has repaid it with good performances. He also already has three assists to his name.”

Alongside Zaïre-Emery, Bradley Barcola is also one of six PSG players to gain an increase in market value in this update. The forward saw an increase from €18m to €35m, following a €45m transfer from Lyon in the summer and a decent amount of game time in Enrique’s squad. So far this season Barcola has made nine appearances for PSG, five of which have been starts. However, the 21-year-old talent is still waiting for his first goal for his new club. 

The biggest increase in market value in terms of sheer percentages goes to 17-year-old high-flyer Eli Junior Kroupi. The Lorient attacking midfielder made the move up to the senior squad this season and already has three goals and two assists in seven appearances. As such, his market value has increased from just €400k to €8m - which makes for a staggering 1900% increase. That now means that the midfielder is the seventh most valuable player under the age of 17 in the world. “Kroupi has been under observation in France for a long time because he signed a professional contract in June 2022 before his 16th birthday,” noted Caroff. “His development in the reserves went well last season, scoring nine goals and one assist in 18 games, but he has really blossomed in recent months and made an immediate impact in his first professional games. He will most likely get further appearances in the first team.”

Marseille suffer biggest drop in market value - Tolisso far from his best 

Crisis-hit club Marseille are the market value loser among the Ligue 1 clubs in this update, with a loss of around €9m to their squad market value to €249m. Chancel Mbemba suffered the largest of four decreases in market value in the Marseille squad with a €5m drop to €15m. Alongside Valentin Rongier (-€2m to €20m), he will share the status of the most valuable player in the team with Ismaïla Sarr and Renan Lodi. Some of PSG’s stars also suffered losses in value, with a €6m drop to €22m for Presnel Kimpembe representing the biggest single market value loss in the update. The defender has been out of action for several months with an injury and has not yet featured this season. 

The only other player to suffer a similar drop in value was Lyon midfielder Corentin Tolisso, who now has a market value of €8m. This now constitutes the lowest market value for the player since the beginning of 2016, when he was first coming through at the club as a youth prospect. “Lyon got off to a very bad start to the season,” noted Caroff. “After eight games they had three draws and five defeats. The head coach was also replaced. Tolisso returned to the bench for the first time under Fabio Grosso, replacing him with 18-year-old debutant Mahamadou Diawara. Tolisso is no longer what he used to be, he is a long way from his top form from his first time in Lyon. Much more had been hoped for from his return, but so far it hasn't paid off. Quite the opposite." 

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).