The only way is up (they hope)
A week is a long time in football, so a year can feel like a lifetime. At the start of 2019, each of the players covered in this list was worth a great deal more than they are at the dawn of the new decade.
Using data from Transfermarkt, we've picked out the 25 Premier League players who have suffered the biggest drops in transfer value in the last year...
13= Alireza Jahanbakhsh, Brighton (-£9m)
The Brighton winger has returned to form in unexpected fashion in the last week, scoring in back-to-back games against Bournemouth and Chelsea over the festive period.
Nevertheless, his value has dropped by £9m since the beginning of 2019. Jahanbakhsh has so far struggled to live up to his £17m transfer fee on the south coast, although Brighton fans will hope he can carry his recent form into the rest of 2020.
13= Jack Wilshere, West Ham (-£9m)
Wilshere turned 28 on New Year’s Day but hasn’t played for West Ham since October. It’s beginning to look like the former Arsenal midfielder will never fulfil his early potential.
Transfermarkt now deem Wilshere to be worth just £7.2m, which represents a £9m decrease since last January. Out of contract in summer 2021, it’s unclear whether West Ham will offer the injury-prone Englishman fresh terms.
13= David Luiz, Arsenal (-£9m)
This time last year Luiz was a virtually ever-present part of Maurizio Sarri’s side. However, Frank Lampard deemed him surplus to requirements upon taking charge in the summer, allowing Arsenal to sign him for £8m.
That transfer fee has had an effect on his current value, which is £9m less than the £22.5m figure produced by Transfermarkt a year ago.
13= Juan Mata, Manchester United (-£9m)
Mata has found game time harder to come by in the last year, having started just 13 Premier League games in 2019. When the attacking midfielder has played, he’s struggled to influence matches to the extent he did before.
Mata is now 31 and has just 18 months remaining on his Manchester United contract. According to Transfermarkt, the Red Devils could expect to fetch £13.5m for the former Chelsea man on the open market.
13= David Silva, Manchester City (-£9m)
Silva has already announced that he will leave the Etihad Stadium at the end of the season after 10 years as a Manchester City player. The Spanish schemer turns 34 next week and will be a free agent in the summer, hence his £9m drop in value.
Silva has not been quite as integral to the City side this season, having been rested more often by Pep Guardiola. However, he will still depart as one of the Premier League’s greatest ever players.
13= Patrick Cutrone, Wolves (-£9m)
Cutrone hasn’t enjoyed the best of starts to his Wolves career. The Italian striker moved from Milan to Molineux in July, signing a four-year deal with Nuno Espirito Santo’s side. Since then he’s started just three Premier League fixtures.
Valued at £27m by Transfermarkt last January, Cutrone is now considered to be worth just £18m. Recent reports suggest he could be sent out on loan by Wolves this month.
13= Cesar Azpilicueta, Chelsea (-£9m)
Almost eight years after arriving at the club, Azpilicueta remains an essential part of the Chelsea team. The Spaniard has played at right-back and left-back this term, having been deployed at centre-half by previous managers.
Versatile and reliable, Azpilicueta has nonetheless seen his value drop by £9m since the start of 2019. Prising him away from Stamford Bridge wouldn’t be easy, though.
13= Eric Dier, Tottenham (-£9m)
Dier started 37 Premier League games in 2015/16, 34 in 2016/17 and 32 in 2017/18. Last season he was selected in Mauricio Pochettino’s XI on just 18 occasions. So far this term he’s racked up only seven top-flight starts.
It’s beginning to look like Dier’s future lies away from north London. Signed by Spurs for £4m in 2014, he’s now valued at £27m by Transfermarkt.
13= Benjamin Mendy, Manchester City (-£9m)
Manchester City fans had high hopes for Mendy when he arrived at the Etihad Stadium in 2017 for £52m, a then-world record fee for a defender. The Frenchman had been superb for Monaco the previous season and looked tailor-made for Pep Guardiola’s system.
The last two years haven’t gone to plan. Injuries haven’t helped his cause, but Mendy has failed to nail down the left-back spot. As such, he’s also suffered a £9m drop in market value in the last 12 months.
13= Lucas Torreira, Arsenal (-£9m)
After an outstanding performance in a north London derby 13 months ago, Torreira seemed to be the future of Arsenal’s midfield. He has flitted in and out of team since then, however, with his failure to nail down a regular place in the starting XI leading to a decrease in value.
Torreira has excelled under Mikel Arteta’s tutelage, though, and could be worth more than the £40.5m currently attached to his name by Transfermarkt come the end of the campaign.
13= David de Gea, Manchester United (-£9m)
De Gea signed a new long-term contract with Manchester United in September, an act which usually leads to an increase in a player's value. However, De Gea has again been shaky between the sticks this term, continuing his mediocre form from 2018/19.
The Spaniard remains an excellent shot-stopper on his day, but mistakes have begun to creep into his game. He's still worth £54m according to Transfermarkt, but that compares unfavourably to the £63m value he commanded at the start of 2019.
13= Sergio Aguero, Manchester City (-£9m)
There's no doubt that Aguero remains among Europe's best strikers, but his value has nevertheless fallen by £9m in the last 12 months. The Argentinian will be 32 by the time next season gets under way, and it has recently emerged that he's expected to leave Manchester City when his contract expires in 2021.
Transfermarkt believe City would receive around £58.5m if Aguero was sold tomorrow. But as Pep Guardiola said recently, the former Atletico Madrid marksman is "irreplaceable" for his side.
13= Dele Alli, Tottenham (-£9m)
Alli endured a difficult 2018/19. Injuries checked his progress, and when the England international was fit he struggled to make the same impact as in previous campaigns. Alli has returned to form under Jose Mourinho, but his value has still decreased in the last 12 months.
That doesn't mean Spurs would sell him on the cheap, however; Transfermarkt reckon that the bidding would have to start at £81m. Yet a £9m drop from this time last year indicates that Alli will be delighted that 2019 is behind him.
11= Jan Vertonghen, Tottenham (-£10.8m)
Toby Alderweireld put pen to paper on a new Tottenham deal last month, but the wait goes on for Vertonghen. The Belgian has indicated that he would like to extend his stay in north London, but as things stand he will be a free agent in June.
It’s therefore no surprise that his value has fallen by £9m since January 2019. Vertonghen is now free to negotiate a pre-contract arrangement with foreign clubs, with Napoli and Ajax among those linked.
11= Hugo Lloris, Tottenham (-£10.8m)
Lloris' career reached its peak when he won the World Cup in 2018, but his stock has diminished since then. The Frenchman is not quite as reliable as he once was, and is currently sidelined with an elbow injury that will keep him out for at least another month.
Lloris is now 33, making a £9m drop in value understandable. Under contract at Spurs until 2022, he's likely to stick around in north London for a while longer yet.
9= Victor Wanyama, Tottenham (-£11.7m)
Another Tottenham player who’s now worth less than he was a year ago, Wanyama has faded to the fringes in the last 12 months. Indeed, the Kenya international is yet to start a Premier League game this season, having appeared from the beginning of a top-flight match on just four occasions last term.
Wanyama came close to departing last summer and will almost certainly seek pastures new in the coming months. Spurs could now expect to fetch around £10.8m for the ex-Southampton man.
9= Mesut Ozil, Arsenal (-£11.7m)
It's early days, of course, but Ozil looks back to his former self under Mikel Arteta. The Germany international showed flashes of quality against Chelsea last weekend, then performed even better in a 2-0 victory over Manchester United on New Year's Day.
Still, it's easy to see why Ozil's value dropped in 2019. The playmaker is now 31 years of age and spent much of last year on the substitutes' bench. Transfermarkt now value the former Real Madrid man at £19.8m.
7= Shkodran Mustafi, Arsenal (-£13.5m)
Matic has been drafted back into the Manchester United team of late, with Paul Pogba and Scott McTominay both out injured. A key part of the side early on in his Red Devils career, the Serbian’s age has caught up with him in the last year or so.
Matic isn’t the Premier League’s oldest player at 31, but his lack of mobility has become a real issue. Out of contract in the summer, the ex-Chelsea midfielder will almost certainly be playing his football elsewhere next term.
7= Nemanja Matic, Manchester United (-£13.5m)
Matic has been drafted back into the Manchester United team of late, with Paul Pogba and Scott McTominay both out injured. A key part of the side early on in his Red Devils career, the Serbian’s age has caught up with him in the last year or so.
Matic isn’t the Premier League’s oldest player at 31, but his lack of mobility has become a real issue. Out of contract in the summer, the ex-Chelsea midfielder will almost certainly be playing his football elsewhere next term.
6. Nicolas Otamendi, Manchester City (-£15.3m)
At the start of the season Pep Guardiola will have hoped that he would only have to call on Otamendi sporadically in 2019/20. Instead the Argentinian has become a regular starter, with Aymeric Laporte and John Stones both forced onto the treatment table.
Otamendi performed consistently well in Guardiola’s first Premier League title triumph at the Etihad Stadium, but that was the exception rather than the norm. Erratic and error-prone, the centre-half has seen his value drop by more than £15m in 12 months.
4= Fred, Manchester United (-£16.2m)
Having endured a disastrous debut season at Old Trafford, Fred has arguably been Manchester United’s standout performer in the last few months. The Brazilian appears to have finally found his feet in the Premier League, although it wouldn’t be a surprise if United still opt to upgrade in midfield come the summer.
Despite his recent upturn, Fred’s value has fallen significantly since last January. He always seemed overpriced at £52m, and is now thought to be worth only £19.8m by Transfermarkt.
4= Willian, Chelsea (-£16.2m)
Frank Lampard has lowered Chelsea's average age this season, integrating youngsters such as Tammy Abraham, Mason Mount and Fikayo Tomori. Several experienced players remain, however, with Willian chief among them: the Brazilian has featured in all but one of the Blues' Premier League games this term.
The primary reason for the 31-year-old's drop in value is his contractual situation. Willian will be a free agent in less than six months' time, meaning he is now worth just £28.8m per Transfermarkt's figures.
3. Marcos Alonso, Chelsea (-£18m)
A key part of Antonio Conte's title-winning team in 2016/17, Alonso hasn't been quite as effective since then. Chelsea could target a new left-back in the January transfer window, which means the Spaniard's days as a regular starter could be numbered.
An £18m drop in value feels particularly substantial when you consider Alonso is still only 29 and under contract at Stamford Bridge until 2023. However, Transfermarkt believe he would only cost around £22.5m this January.
2. Granit Xhaka, Arsenal (-£18m)
Xhaka has now been an Arsenal player for three and a half years, yet it's still difficult to work out whether he's worth persevering with or not. The Switzerland midfielder is an accomplished passer from deep, but he lacks mobility and discipline, and can often get overrun in the centre of the park.
Recently linked with a move to Hertha Berlin in January, Mikel Arteta ended the speculation on New Year's Day by insisting that Xhaka is going nowhere. Were he to be sold, Transfermarkt believe Xhaka would cost around £27m.
1. Naby Keita, Liverpool (£-20.7m)
When Keita moved to Anfield in summer 2018, Liverpool fans believed they had finally added some stardust to their midfield. The Guinea international had been outstanding for RB Leipzig and looked set to bring added drive and creativity to Jurgen Klopp's engine room.
Eighteen months on and those supporters are still waiting for Keita to fulfil their expectations. The 24-year-old still has time on his side, but a £20.7m decrease in value reflects his difficulties on Merseyside up to now.
