Update after U21 Euros: 40 new market values - Trafford most valuable goalkeeper up to age 20

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After six games without conceding a single goal and a penalty save in the ninth minute of injury time in the final against Spain, James Trafford was the hero of England’s triumph at the European U21 Championship. Following his convincing performances, the 20-year-old keeper is also the biggest winner of the post-tournament market value update, in which a total of 40 players earned themselves an upgrade – there were no downgrades, however.

Trafford, on loan from Manchester City to Bolton Wanderers for the past year and a half, once again underlined at the U21 Euros why newly-promoted Premier League side Burnley are willing to pay up to just over €22 million for the talented goalkeeper. Trafford’s market value therefore makes a jump from €2.5m to €15m. The youngster thus replaces Brighton’s summer signing Bart Verbruggen as the most valuable goalkeeper up to the age of 20.

In Anthony Gordon, England also have the UEFA player of the tournament in their ranks. After Mark Hateley in 1984, he is only the second Englishman to receive this honour. The Newcastle forward contributed two goals and an assist in six games. His market value rises from €35m to €38m. In the ranks of the European champions, only centre-backs Levi Colwill of Chelsea and Man City’s Taylor Harwood-Bellis have seen their values increase even more with upgrades of €5m to €35m and €25m respectively.

U21 Euros market values: Ruiz on the up - Jones among English winners

Abel Ruiz, whose penalty was saved by Trafford, became the tragic figure of the final, failing to score and thus also missing out on the sole title as the tournament’s top scorer. For the Braga forward, however, his market value still goes up by €4m to €14m. While fellow top scorer Georgiy Sudakov of Ukrainian side Shakhtar also rises by the same amount to €15m, Ruiz's teammate and Man City left-back Sergio Gómez – both also recorded the most goals and assists at the U21 Euros – remains unchanged at €13m.

Match reports & stats The 2023 European U21 Championship Click here for overview Further winners in the England squad are Liverpool’s Curtis Jones (+€3m to €25m), former Man United youngster Angel Gomes (+€2m to €18m) of French side Lille and Man City midfielder Cole Palmer (+€3m to €18m). Playing in an unusual right-back position, James Garner excelled at the U21 Euros and showcased his defensive strength and ability to pass the ball progressively. Hoping for more game time at Everton next season, the 22-year-old rises by €2m to €16m.

There are also numerous upgrades for the surprise packages of the tournament in Georgia, who reached the quarterfinals in their first tournament, and Israel, who made it through the group stage for the first time and were only defeated in the semifinals by eventual winners England. Among the biggest winners are Salzburg’s sought-after attacking talent Oscar Gloukh (+€2m to €10m) and centre-back Saba Sazonov (+€500,000 to €3m) of Dynamo Moscow, who is linked with a summer transfer to a bigger league.

Bellingham, Pedro & Co. These U21 transfers have already been completed for 2023/24 Click here for overview “The European U21 Championship is a great opportunity for young players to attract the eyes of scouts and the global public,” Christian Schwarz, head of international at Transfermarkt, said, explaining why there are only upgrades. “Therefore, only footballers who significantly improved their status during the tournament and/or played their way into the international spotlight were considered, which ultimately leads to increased interest in the transfer market.”

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).