Football is defined by losers just as much as it is by winners, and the Premier League - the most difficult competition in world football to win - is certainly no exception. In fact, sometimes, those who come off second best are more heavily documented, with “hate-watching” becoming a new but fitting label for modern-day viewership.
While end-of-season lists often highlight the worst players, signings, and biggest flops of the campaign just gone, one metric that perhaps best shows the scale of a player’s fall-off is how much market value they lost over the course of the season. Thanks to Transfermarkt, we’ve been able to compile a list of those who saw the biggest drops in value.
Interestingly, despite winning their first league title in 22 years, four Arsenal players feature. Meanwhile, six Liverpool players, five Manchester City players, and six Tottenham players also make the unwanted cut.
30-21
Bruno Fernandes
Kicking off the list is a quartet of players who were hampered by injuries last term. Tottenham goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario missed much of the drama in his side’s relegation dogfight under three separate managers and will be returning to action next term after such a disrupted spell. Joao Palhinha, meanwhile, will be relieved to be heading back to his parent club Bayern Munich, while Yves Bissouma departed the club at the end of his contract.
Cheick Doucoure, once a highly-rated Crystal Palace midfielder linked with Liverpool just a couple of seasons ago, has not been the same since serious injuries took their toll. Gabriel Jesus’ €15 million drop in value can be put down to limited game time following the arrival of Viktor Gyökeres at Arsenal, while Ben White is finding himself in a similar boat, with Jurrien Timber’s form keeping him on the sidelines.
Ollie Watkins’ age means he is no longer valued as highly as before, despite scoring 21 goals across all competitions to help Aston Villa win the Europa League. The same applies to Bruno Fernandes - who equalled the Premier League record of 20 assists in a single campaign - as he is now valued at around €30 million. Meanwhile, Liverpool’s Jeremie Frimpong continues to look like a misfiring replacement in Trent Alexander-Arnold's void.
Premier League Whose Value Decreased Most in 25/26 Season (30-21)
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20-11
Cole Palmer
Liverpool’s hierarchy continue to let go of star players for free when they could probably have earned a fee had they acted sooner. The latest example is Ibrahima Konate’s move to Real Madrid, although it turns out his value had already dropped by €15 million by then anyway after a shaky title defence. Bernardo Silva also left Manchester City for the same fee, though his age (31) makes that more understandable.
Alejandro Garnacho jumped from Manchester United to Chelsea last season in the belief he had outgrown the Red Devils. However, his devaluation suggests otherwise, with teammates Romeo Lavia, Jamie Bynoe-Gittens, and Cole Palmer also featuring in this section. The latter endured a particularly difficult second half of the season and subsequently missed out on a place in the England World Cup squad as a result.
Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard lost €20 million in market value. While that in itself is a shock, what makes it even more striking is that his north London rival, James Maddison, only lost an extra €2 million on top of that, despite playing 50 per cent fewer matches due to an ACL injury.
Premier League Whose Value Decreased Most in 25/26 Season (20-11)
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10-1
Liverpool's Alexander Isak is helped off the pitch after sustaining an injury and is substituted vs Tottenham Hotspur
Just sneaking into the top 10 is Man City forward Omar Marmoush. Finding the back of the net just three times across 21 league matches suggests he has found life in England far more difficult than it was in the Bundesliga, while his compatriot Mohamed Salah is up next, as his well-documented struggles ultimately led to his emotional farewell at Anfield.
Xavi Simons and Alexis Mac Allister were fairly passive figures in their sides’ respective midfield battles last term, but neither of them lost more value than Phil Foden. The Englishman has struggled in Kevin De Bruyne’s absence and seems to flourish more when his teammates are flying, rather than carrying the side through squad transitions.
Phil Foden puts his head in his hands during Manchester City's loss against Newcastle
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Alexander Isak is fourth, while Florian Wirtz is third. Huge expectations were placed on the Liverpool duo after Arne Slot’s recruitment team broke the British transfer fee record twice to build on a Premier League title-winning side, but both have so far been something of a damp squib and must deliver more under Andoni Iraola next term.
Surprisingly, Bukayo Saka comes second on the list. Arsenal are usually heavily reliant on his creativity in attack but have often had to look elsewhere for inspiration during their title run-in. Having seen his value decrease by €60 million, however, Rodri tops the unwanted chart, with an ACL injury two seasons ago still holding him back after winning the 2024 Ballon d’Or.
Premier League Whose Value Decreased Most in 25/26 Season (10-1)
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