Championship market values: Championship market values: Jobe Bellingham becomes joint MVP, Borja Sainz biggest winner

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Sunderland with biggest rise 

©TM/IMAGO

This Monday December 30, Transfermarkt has adjusted the market values of a number of players in the English Championship. Remarkably, the English second-flight is the sixth most valuable league in world football, only behind Liga Portugal and Europe’s top-five leagues. It’s a division brimming with talent, as teams battle it out for a place in the Premier League and this winter, among the biggest winners of the Championship market value update were Sunderland teenager Jobe Bellingham, and the league’s top goalscorer Borja Sainz. Sunderland and Sheffield United rose the most in squad market value, whilst Burnley suffered the biggest downgrade in squad value.

Sunderland’s Jobe Bellingham becomes Championship joint MVP

Real Madrid’s Jude Bellingham, who has a market value of €180m, isn’t the only emerging star from the family, with his younger brother – Sunderland’s 19-year-old midfielder Jobe Bellingham rising by +€6m in this latest Championship market value update to become the joint most valuable player in the league at a new value of €18m. The young Englishman has three goals and three assists in 18 league games so far this season for the Black Cats, and has been linked with a January move to both Borussia Dortmund and Real Madrid.   

Bellingham goes level with Burnley keeper James Trafford, Sheffield United defender Anel Ahmedhodzic, and Leeds winger Wilfried Gnonto – all now worth €18m. Whilst Leeds keeper Illan Meslier drops by -€2m from €18m to €16m. Bellingham wasn’t the only Sunderland star on the rise. The Black Cats are currently fourth in the Championship, just two points off the top two. Their squad value rose by +€16.25m to a €116.58m, with 17-year-old Chris Rigg (+€3m to €12m), right-back Trai Hume (+1.5m to €8.5m), left-back Dennis Cirkin (+€4m to €6m), and winger Romaine Mundle (+€2.5m to €4.5m) among the club’s biggest winners.

Top scorer Borja Sainz league’s biggest winner up 445%

Spanish forward Sainz has exploded for Norwich this season. The 23 year old was signed from Turkish side Giresunspor for just €2.2m in July 2023, and after a mediocre first campaign for the Canaries, he has 15 goals in 21 Championship games so far this season. The next highest scorer in the league is West Brom’s Josh Maja with 10. Sainz held a market value of just €2.2m prior the update but now rises by 445% to €12m, making him the joint 15th most valuable player in the division.

The next biggest winners from the update were Bellingham (+€6m to €18m), Sheffield United keeper Michael Cooper (+€5m to €7m), Middlesbrough striker Emmanuel Latte Lath (+€4m to €10m), Boro midfielder Finn Azaz (+€4m to €9m), Cirkin (+€4m to €6m), Maja (+€3.8m to €7m), and Harrison Burrows (+€3.8m to €7m). The biggest losers from the update were Burnley striker Lyle Foster (-€4m to €9m), Luton’s Carlton Morris (-€3m to €8m) and Leeds trio, Meslier (-€2m to €16m), Manor Salomon (-€2m to €9m), and Maximilian Wöber (-€2m to €8m).

Burnley remain second most valuable club despite biggest loss

Despite receiving a -€10.65m downgrade (the biggest in the division) Burnley only move down one place in the list of the most valuable squads in the Championship with their new €176.85m squad value. Now laying claim to the most valuable squad in the league are Leeds (€177m) with Sunderland (€116.58m) now in third place. The Black Cats (+€16.25m) and Sheffield United (+€15.75m) were the biggest winners from this latest December update.

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).