Major League Soccer market values: Latte Lath now third most valuable – Zaha drops by 25%

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210 players updated 

©TM/IMAGO

With the season in full swing and just days left in the primary transfer window, Transfermarkt has updated the market values of 210 players playing in Major League Soccer. While Inter Miami CF superstar Lionel Messi and Los Angeles Galaxy playmaker Riqui Puig remain first with a market value of €20 million, Atlanta United‘s Emmanuel Latte Lath is now new in the top three with a market value of €18m. 

“Atlanta United are known for spending a lot of money on new signings,” Transfermarkt Data Administrator North America Dominic Becker said. “With the signing of Latte Lath, however, they have reached a new level. So far, they are getting exactly what they expected from him. He is very present in the box and only needs a few chances to score a goal. And at 26, he’s in his absolute prime.” The €21.5m transfer fee was a new MLS record transfer, and the Ivorian has scored five goals and two assists in his first eight league games this season. As a result, the striker saw his market value increase by 80% from €10m to €18m. 

No longer third is Miguel Almirón. “Almirón’s return to Atlanta is something of a fairy tale,” Becker said. “Almirón became a star in Atlanta and then had very successful years in the Premier League with Newcastle. Now 31, however, his playing time there has been severely limited. Now, of course, he’s back as a regular at the Five Strips and is gaining momentum. However, as his transfer fee was far below his market value and his age is also starting to factor in, we couldn’t avoid a significant downgrade.” Almirón saw his market value decline by 25% from €16m to €12m. 

MLS market values: Downgrades for aging stars Zaha and Reus 

Almirón isn’t the only former Premier League star with a significant downgrade. New Charlotte FC arrival Wilfried Zaha also saw his market value decline by 25%. The 32-year-old drops from €8m to €6m. “Zaha is certainly one of the reasons for Charlotte’s strong start to the season,” Becker said. “Nevertheless, it should not be forgotten that his loan at Olympique Lyon was cut short and he hardly got any playing time there. This was followed by a move to Charlotte in a potentially weaker league. This, coupled with his age, led to an unavoidable downgrade.” 

Last year’s MLS Cup winners, the LA Galaxy, also saw a prominent star drop his market value. While the currently injured Puig remains the league’s most valuable player, former Dortmund star Marco Reus has really struggled to fill the void this season. “As successful as Reus’ time with the LA Galaxy started, things are currently going badly,” Becker said. “Not only have the Galaxy yet to record a win this season, but Reus has been missing since matchday 4 due to a knee injury. His susceptibility to injury has been a recurring theme throughout his career. At almost 36 years of age, this is obviously not getting any better.” Reus’ market value drops by 37.5% from €4m to €3.5m, which is the fifth highest drop by percentage in this update. 

The two older stars aren’t the only players with significant downgrades. Among the biggest downgrades is also Dániel Gazdag. The Philadelphia Union recently sold the attacking midfielder to league competitor Columbus Crew for just $4m (€3.55m). The transfer is part of the new cash-for-player trade instituted this season and significantly below Gazdag’s €9m market value. As a result, TM has opted to downgrade the player by 33.3% (-€3m to €6m). Gazdag isn’t the only player impacted by a cash-for-player trade. Dejan Joveljić was the first cash-for-player trade in MLS history as he was moved for just $4m (€3.86m at the time) from the Galaxy to Sporting Kansas City and, therefore, sees his market value drop from €6.5m to €5.5m. The same can be said about Luciano Acosta whose $5 million (€4.8m) cash-for-player trade from FC Cincinnati to FC Dallas was significantly below his market value. As a result, Acosta dropped in market value by 25% from €8m to €6m. 

MLS market values: Vargas and Luna among top talents with upgrades

Among the biggest winners was Seattle Sounders midfield talent Obed Vargas. “At 19, the Anchorage, Alaska-native is already a regular for the Sounders for the second year in a row and has become an integral part of their central midfield,” Becker said. “After deciding to play for Mexico in the future, he has been in the senior national team’s circle and played his first international match last October. This has also put him on the radar of several teams, including Chivas. However, an offer of $10m was rejected by Seattle.” Although Seattle were able to hold onto their talent, Liga MX clubs will continue to be interested and, as a result, Vargas saw his market value improve by 71.4% from €3.5m to now €6m. 

Among the very top stars in MLS is now another player with Mexican roots: Diego Luna. “Luna has now silenced all doubters,” Becker said. “He is building on his strong performances from last year and has finally made it into the US men’s national team. As a result, teams like Leeds were already interested in him last winter. If his performances continue at this level, a move to Europe is only a matter of time.” Luna saw his market value increase by 33.3% from €6m to €8m, which makes the midfielder the most valuable US men’s national team eligible playing in MLS ahead of Austin FC’s  Brandon Vazquez (+€2.5m to €7.5m). 

Other notable upgrades include new CF Montréal signing Gennadiy Synchuk, who is up by 400% from €400,000 to €2m. The Ukrainian joined Montréal from Metalist Kharkiv this winter, and there are rumors that he will join sister club Bologna in Italy down the road. The only player with a bigger upgrade than the 18-year-old winger is the New York Red Bulls’ 20-year-old Panamanian defender Omar Valencia. The 20-year-old saw his market value improve by 433% to now €800,000. Another player to watch is Pedro Vite from the red-hot Vancouver Whitecaps. After a strong start and being linked with a move to Europe already, the Ecuadorian midfielder saw his market value increase by 66.7% from €3m to €5m.

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).