Premier League market values: Richards & Aaronson up - Ream rewarded

Transfermarkt has updated the market values in England’s Premier League. Among the big winners were two American stars who were recently transferred to EPL clubs: Brenden Aaronson and Chris Richards. Plus, in Tim Ream, a veteran, has been rewarded for his continued service for Fulham and good performances at the start of the season. 

Ream will receive his accolades, but the big spotlight at the start of the season has been on new Leeds United star attacking midfielder Aaronson. The 21-year-old attacking midfielder has quickly adapted to Jesse Marsch’s system to become a key player. As a result, Aaronson sees his market value grow by €5 million to now €30m. 

“Leeds paid over €32m for the attacking midfielder, and Aaronson quickly adapted to the Premier League and started in every game under his countryman Marsch, who already coached him at RB Salzburg,” TM UK Area Manager Daniel Busch said. “His smart movement and quick decision-making impressed viewers from the outset and caught the eye in the West Yorkshire club’s 3-0 win over Chelsea in particular when Aaronson scored his first goal at Elland Road.”

Richards benefits from transfer fee – Ream “earned” upgrade 

US men’s national team center-back Richards, in the meantime, is still looking for consistent playing time at Crystal Palace. Signed for €12 million plus add-ons from Bayern Munich in the summer, Richards has played just 45 minutes over three games in the Premier League. Nonetheless, his market value is adjusted upwards from €7.5m to €12m.

“Richard’s market value also has to rise because of the initial fee Palace paid for him,” Busch said. “So far, the young American has only been used as a substitute, with Marc Guéhi and Joachim Andersen ahead of him in the pecking order in the center of the back four. His talent is clearly visible already, and he should be perfectly suited to playing for head coach Patrick Viera’s side with his physical attributes, intelligent defending, and the ability to also play as a left-sided center-back despite being right-footed. More opportunities should open up soon for Richards, who also has a good passing range and can help his team in possession.”

Finally, there is Fulham legend Ream, who, despite being 35, could even have an outside chance of making the US roster for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar. Ream’s market value goes up by 60%, from €500,000 to €800,000. 

“Ream helped Fulham to bounce back to the Premier League as a key player last season; the side’s captain also started every game in the current campaign,” Busch said. “Having spent almost the whole 2020/21 season—the Cottagers’ last in the English top tier—on the bench, so far he is a reliable defender in 2022/23 campaign. It now remains to be seen if Ream will be able to fight off competition from new signings Issa Diop and Shane Duffy in the long term.”

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).