Football Benchmark

⚽️ The winter transfer window has become a pivotal period for football clubs worldwide, offering a strategic opportunity to strengthen squads mid-season. 📉 Manchester City was Europe’s biggest spender, spending €218 million on new transfers (Omar Marmoush, Nico González, Abdukodir Khusanov and Vitor Reis) to address disappointing sporting performances. However, with the club offloading 0 players, they also ended the transfer window with a negative transfer balance of -€218 million. 📈 Surprisingly, Aston Villa find themselves as the European club with the highest transfer income during the winter transfer window, fueled by the sale of 23 year-old Jhon Durán to Saudi club Al-Nassr for a reported €77 million. This move made him the club’s 2nd most expensive sale ever, only behind Jack Grealish. 💰 However, when looking at the club with the most positive transfer balance, Aston Villa fall short of FC Porto, who despite selling players for €110.3 million, decided to invest just €12 million in exciting players such as 18-year-old William Gomes and 19-year-old Tomás Pérez. #football #transfer

🇸🇦 Recognizing the need for long-term squad planning, the Saudi Pro League (SPL) has recently adjusted its approach, focusing on younger talent. Indeed, despite the SPL’s intense transfer activity in recent times, the league’s long-term transformation strategy had already been set in motion at this point, with this initial phase described as a foundation-building stage rather than an end goal. ⭐️ Clubs faced challenges linked to an aging international player pool, high wages, and costly contract terminations, leading to a more measured approach in the 2024/25 season. The total summer expenditure dropped to around half of the previous season, and the profile of new recruits shifted significantly, with the average age of signings falling to 24.6 years. 🔗 Read the full article about the Saudi Pro League’s strategic shift towards young talent: https://lnkd.in/dYNcp3nD #transfer #saudiarabia #football

The Saudi Pro League (SPL) is evolving beyond its high-profile signings—reshaping its squad-building strategy with a clear focus on younger players. 🔹 Regulations prioritize youth development and long-term sustainability. 🔹 Average age of signings dropped significantly in the 2024/25 season. 🔹 A balanced approach between international recruitment and domestic growth will be key to success. 📬Stay informed about the football business landscape by subscribing to our newsletter for more exclusive content and expert insights. 💬Share your thoughts on this topic in the comments! #football #business #footballbenchmark

🇸🇦 The Saudi Pro League (SPL) is increasingly positioning itself as an attractive destination for young talents, distinguishing itself from other emerging leagues. This transition comes as a result of a change of the league’s regulations regarding foreign players, with Saudi clubs now allowed to register 10 players not from Saudi Arabia, which is an increase from the limit of 8 players in 2023. 💰 This new trend is largely driven by the opportunity for players to secure substantial financial earnings early on in their careers, an enticing prospect for young athletes seeking financial security while developing their skills in a growing league.   ⭐️ Historically, moves to the SPL have often led to a decline in player market value (MV), raising doubts about the league’s ability to serve as a platform for sustained growth and future transfers to top European leagues. However, with a shift in strategy and the rising quality of competition, it remains to be seen whether SPL clubs can now capitalize on young player market value appreciation in the long term. #saudiarabia #football #footballbusiness

💵 In January 2025, Major League Soccer announced the implementation of an internal cash-based transfer market, moving a step closer to global football practices.   🤝 MLS clubs can now pay actual transfer fees to acquire players from within the league, without having to use General Allocation Money (GAM) or Targeted Allocation Money (TAM).   This move will offer teams greater flexibility in squad building and incentivize investment in young talent, creating a healthier interleague market with another pathway for MLS clubs to generate significant revenue on player movements. 

⭐️ Already, we've seen impactful transactions under this new system, with the MLS’ first intra-league cash transfer being LA Galaxy star Dejan Joveljic joining Sporting KC for $4 million. Following this move, Houston Dynamo FC also acquired Philadelphia Union midfielder Jack McGlynn in the first cash-for-homegrown player trade, with The Union receiving a guaranteed $2.1 million plus add-ons, while also retaining a sell-on percentage of any future transfer.   🗣️ Christina LaBrie, MLS’s Senior Vice President of Player Relations, commneted: ”These are transactions that could have happened outside the league, but instead happened inside the league. We retained two different, but excellent young players. I would think this just becomes a very commonplace transaction in our league.” #mls #soccer #football

⚽️ Sell-on fees have become an increasingly pivotal component in club negotiations, proving particularly beneficial for clubs that invest in developing young talent. 📈 FIFA’s Global Transfer Report 2024 confirms this trend, with the amount of transfers including a sell-on fee in men’s football having increased from 906 in 2016 to 3199 in 2024, corresponding to almost 50% of all permanent transfers and loans completed in 2024. Meanwhile, the average sell-on fee percentage agreed between clubs in 2024 was a significant 22.2%.   💰 Similarly, the amount of transfer including a sell-on fee reached a new high in women’s football of 92 in 2024, which marked an increase of 70.4% compared to 2023. This corresponds to 30.8% of all permanent transfers and loans completed in 2024. On average, clubs agreed on a sell-on fee of 16.9%, with the highest agreed sell-on fee being 50% of the eventual future transfer fee. #football #fifa #transfer

🏆 Football stakeholders continue to explore new competition formats, challenging the limitations imposed by existing structures. 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 Last week, the English FA ruled against Welsh clubs in the English Football League (EFL) - including Cardiff City, Swansea City, Newport County, and Wrexham - from being included in the reformed Welsh League Cup. In announcing this ruling, a spokesperson from the FA said: 🗣️ “Following careful consideration, taking into account various factors including equal opportunity for clubs to participate in the same competitions, for the same rewards on an equal basis, concerns raised by stakeholders regarding competition integrity, fixture congestion and player welfare, and the impact on the standing of existing competitions, the FA Board has rejected the request.” 🔀 If the request had been approved, it could have led to a unique situation in which Welsh clubs would participate in a league under the remit of a Football Association (England) but could qualify for UEFA competitions through a cup governed by another association (Wales). ⚖️ On one hand, the Welsh League Cup would have benefited Welsh football financially with estimates from the Football Association of Wales, suggesting the revamped competition could generate £3 million per season to support football at all levels throughout Wales. On the other hand, the inclusion of Welsh EFL clubs into the Welsh League Cup could have created a competitively unbalanced situation in the EFL, with these Welsh clubs potentially having access to UEFA competitions and revenues that their EFL peers would not. #fa #efl #wales #football

🏆 Last week we saw the first 8 clubs qualify for the UEFA Champions League round of 16, following the update of the competition’s format, which has left giants like Real Madrid, Manchester City, PSG, Bayern Munich, AC Milan, Borussia Dortmund and Juventus fighting in the playoffs. 💰 And looking at the squad values of the teams who have already advanced, Arsenal tops the list with an average squad value of €1,190.4 million, followed by FC Barcelona at €1,013.2 million and fellow Premier League side, who ended as 1st place during the Champions League group stage, Liverpool FC at €997.2 million. The least valuable team is LOSC Lille with a squad value of €259.7 million, which is 18,9% the value of Real Madrid’s squad. 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Furthermore, the most valuable player amongst the 8 teams is Arsenal’s 23-year-old Bukayo Saka, with a market value of €163.3 million. Impressively, The Gunners are the most represented club (4). #uefa #championsleague #football #arsenal

💰 Historically, winter spending accounted for just 15-20% of summer activity in the selected leagues on aggregate. This is largely because clubs are hesitant to make major squad changes during the season unless forced by injuries, poor form, or unexpected opportunities. The shorter window and its limited time for new signings to integrate or overspending during the summer further contribute to a more cautious approach compared to the summer market. 📈 During this winter transfer window, the expenditure reached €1.46 bn in UEFA first divisions and the English Championship. This represents the highest winter spending in seven seasons, aligning with historical averages as winter spending reached 17% of summer expenditure. The total figure even surpasses the 2022/23 winter window following the FIFA World Cup when Chelsea FC alone spent over €300 million. 🔗 Read the full article about the winter transfer window: https://lnkd.in/dG4svria #transfer #football

🆕 After a summer window that saw a 10% drop in spending, the winter window increased by 8% compared to last season, reaching EUR 1.46 billion. 🔹 Our latest piece reviews the transfer activity of UEFA’s top divisions and the English Championship during the 2024/25 winter window. 🔹 Winter transfer expenditure hit a seven-year high, reaching EUR 1.46 billion across UEFA’s top divisions and the English Championship. 🔹 Manchester City Football Club scored the second-highest winter spend in history (EUR 218m), just behind Chelsea FC’s record-breaking spree in 2023. 🔹 Top clubs did not dominate this winter transfer window, as several emerging actors such as Stade Rennais F.C. (EUR 73m) and Como (EUR 48m) took center stage in terms of expenditure. 📬Stay informed about the football business landscape by subscribing to our newsletter for more exclusive content and expert insights. 💬Share your thoughts on this topic in the comments! #football #business #footballbenchmark