The Premier League player of the year - which star gained the most market value in 2023?

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Few European top-flights change as drastically and as often as the English Premier League. Such is the remarkable sums of money that now flow through the league, that players seemingly come and go in the flash of an eye. As such, the market values of the league’s biggest players can rise and fall as quickly as the young stars that are vying for their spot in the limelight. And 2023 was no exception. 

Indeed, the past 12 months have seen some of England’s biggest clubs spend fortunes on new players, with no less than five of the top 10 biggest upgrades in market values for individual players in the Premier League going to new signings. However, that doesn’t rule out exciting new players that have also risen through the ranks based on their own merit on the pitch. So which players gained the most market in the last 12 months?

Doku, Højlund and Caicedo - new arrivals claim top spots

To no great surprise, a number of the 10 biggest winners of 2023 in the Premier League were players that either moved from one English club to another or earned a big-money move to the top-flight from elsewhere. For example, new Tottenham central defender Micky van de Ven saw his market value rise by an astonishing €37 million, following a €40m move to North London. Similarly, new Liverpool attacking midfielder Dominik Szoboszlai saw his market value rise by €40m after Liverpool decided to make the Hungary international their third most expensive signing ever by bringing him to Anfield in a deal worth a reported €70m. 

However, despite such impressive rises in fortune, both players were notably outdone by even bigger Premier League signings in 2023. In fourth place on our list is none other than Manchester City winger Jérémy Doku, who saw his market value increase by €47m to where it now stands at €65m, following his €60m move from Stade Rennais. This was only beaten by two players: Rasmus Højlund, who moved to Manchester United for a fee in the region of €74m and saw his market value rise by €50m, and Moisés Caicedo, whose €116m move to Chelsea in 2023 saw his market value rise by €64m.

Álvarez, Colwill and Ferguson - young players rising through the ranks

Of course, the top 10 list of 2023 wasn’t entirely defined by big transfers and across the English top-flight there were a number of players that saw their market values soar because of their impressive form over the course of the year. For example, in tenth place in our list is none other than Man City full-back Rico Lewis, who made the step up to Pep Guardiola’s first team and as a result saw his market value increase from €1m to €38m. Just ahead of him was team mate Julián Álvarez, who continues to go from strength to strength after joining the club last season and saw his market value increase by €40m. 

Ahead of the Man City pair was none other than Kaoru Mitoma, who finished last season with an impressive 13 goals and assists in 33 league games and has done even better this time around with eight goals and assists in 17 league games. As such, his market value increased by €42m in 2023. Just ahead of the Japanese international is Chelsea star Levi Colwill, who has cemented himself as one of the Stamford Bridge side’s most important defensive talents, despite only being 20 years of age. As such, his market value increased by €45m to €55m over the course of 2023. 

However, the player that outperformed all others and even finished above the league’s biggest signings in 2023 was none other than Brighton striker Evan Ferguson. Following a league campaign that saw the 19-year-old talent bag eight goals and assists in 19 league games, Ferguson saw his market value rise from €10m in March to where it now stands at €65m. And with no less than seven goals and assists in 18 league games so far this season, there’s little doubt that his market value will continue ticking upwards in the future. 

Which Premier League clubs gained the most value in 2023?

Intriguingly, despite seriously challenging for the Premier League title last season and making some serious deals in the summer, Arsenal don’t have a single player in the top 10 when it comes to biggest increases in 2023. That is despite the fact that no other English top-flight club added more value to their squad than the North London club, who saw their squad market value rise by €351m. This is largely to due to the fact that while Mikel Arteta’s team may not have any players in the top 10, they do have four players in the top 20 in Declan Rice (+€30m), Martin Ødegaard (+€30m), Gabriel Martinelli (+€25m) and William Saliba (+€25m).