257 Premier League players have already had their market values altered this season, leading the division’s total value to increase by €945m to a new high of €14.11bn.
But as the league goes from strength to strength – nine Manchester City-ensured null and void seasons notwithstanding – to dwarf all rivals, not all players are following the general upward trend.
According to Transfermarkt, these are the five players to suffer the greatest decrease in their market value this season and it’s very possible that you could guess all five before scrolling.
5) Alejandro Garnacho (Aston Villa): €28m to €22m (-€6m)
When Chelsea paid £40m for Garnacho in the summer of 2025 the fee felt relatively cheap for a footballer embroiled in problems off the field but with untapped talent on it. A year on and they presumably couldn’t believe their luck when Villa arrived to take him off their hands on loan with a conditional obligation to buy him – with a reportedly easy-to-reach appearance-based threshold – for around the same fee.
A report claims after a wholly predictable slow start to life at Villa, which has looked suspiciously like Harvey Elliot’s career-blighting loan last term, that Unai Emery and his coaches are hopeful he can ‘restart his Premier League career’ after a ‘intense mini pre-season’ during the international break.
But we can just as easily see him failing to do what’s asked for him in the next game and being consigned to the training ground for the rest of the season and sent back to Chelsea.
3=) Martin Zubimendi (Arsenal): €75m to €65m (-€10m)
The missing piece of the puzzle to help Arsenal towards the Premier League title in the first half of last season before becoming the reason they might not win it ahead of being dropped with four games to go.
Zubimendi’s only start this season came in the Carabao Cup, and even then he was pushed out to right-back while fellow benchwarmers Bruno Guimaraes and Mikel Merino started ahead of him in midfield.
It would now be a real surprise if he doesn’t leave the Emirates in the summer, if not before, with Real Madrid a natural landing spot despite interest from Xabi Alonso at Chelsea.
3=) Viktor Gyokeres (Arsenal): €65m to €55m (-€10m)
A goal in each of Sweden’s four games against Romania (twice), Bosnia and Poland during the international serve as a reminder of what Gyokeres can do when he’s playing a) in a system suited to him, and b) against weak opposition. He’s the IKEA Gerd Muller.
The writing’s on the wall for him at Arsenal having featured for just 29 minutes across the opening five Premier League games and failing to score in his starts in the Champions League and Carabao Cup.
With Kai Havertz now injured, Gyokeres’ future at the club could all but be decided when Mikel Arteta announces his starting line-up for their clash with Leeds on Saturday. Merino leading the line could be the final kick in the teeth.
2) Richarlison (Tottenham): €25m to €15m (-€10m)
That new market value will be enough to sign him in January, according to reports, but Tottenham will be lucky to get that much having made it abundantly clear that they have no use for him.
1) Florian Wirtz (Liverpool): €100m to €85m (-€15m)
There have been innumerable articles of a similar vein in the last few days: ‘Jurgen Klopp shows Andoni Iraola how to get the best out of Florian Wirtz’; ‘Klopp hands Iraola the Wirtz blueprint’; ‘How to judge Florian Wirtz: Klopp reminded us the truth of Liverpool form’.
He got a goal and an assist in Germany’s 2-0 win over Serbia before being handed the captain’s armband for their 0-0 draw with Greece; by all accounts he showed something close to the quality which encouraged Liverpool to spend £100m to secure his services just over a year ago while playing in a different role which gave him the freedom he’s not afforded in the Premier League.
Criticism of Wirtz for a stray pass is met with apathy from his disciples who cite what are his very good chance creation stats, while praise for a tidy turn or neat flick leads his detractors to mock seven goals and 11 assists in 55 Liverpool appearances.
The reality is a Liverpool playmaker has got to be making a more tangible difference than Wirtz; particularly when the midfield trio of Ryan Gravenberch, Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai who excelled in the 2024/25 title-winning season are still in situ. The jury won’t be out for much longer.
