Belgian market values: Ardon Jashari breaks JPL record - 11 upgrades at champions Union

Transfermarkt has updated the market values of 436 players playing in Belgium’s Jupiler Pro League. It is a historic update. At the very top of the ranking is now Ardon Jashari. The 22-year-old Club Brugge midfielder saw his market value increase by €7 million from €25m to now €32m; the highest market value in Jupiler Pro League history. As always, the Swiss midfielder is just one of many young, talented players playing in Belgium.

“I think the interest in Jashari actually explains his market value,” Transfermarkt Area Manager Belgium Bart Tamsyn said. “Both PSG and Manchester City have him on their list. PSG sporting director Luis Campos has even come to see him in person. It is rare for teams of that caliber to be interested in players from Belgium. However, Club Brugge and Jashari are not ready to part ways, so it will take an offer of at least €40 million to take him away.” A fee in that category would be a new record for the Belgian league, currently held by Igor Thiago. The Brazilian joined Brentford from Brugge in a deal worth €33m. “So, it seems logical that we gave Jashari a record market value,” Tamsyn added. 

Jashari isn’t the only young player on the radar of several Premier League clubs. Numerous clubs from England are heavily scouting Greek forward Konstantinos Karetsas, and as a result, his market value has increased by €7m to now stand at €20m. “Karetsas is the new golden boy of Belgian football, even though he is still only 17 years old,” Tamsyn said. “He made a name for himself internationally when he started for the Greek national team against Scotland and scored immediately. Despite reports from the Premier League and offers of €45 million, Karetsas is expected to remain at Genk next season.” There is, however, a chance that Genk could sell the player and loan him back to ensure his development.

Jupiler Pro League market values: Promise David among 11 Union upgrades

Newly crowned champions Union St. Gilloise are the club with the most upgrades. “Union’s success is mainly due to the team as a whole,” Tamsyn said. “So, it is not that surprising. However, we do not immediately see a club from one of the big five leagues that will play in the Champions League next season taking players away from Union.” That includes promising Canadian men’s national team striker Promise David. “The team most closely linked to Promise David is Paris FC, who were just promoted to Ligue 1.”

David scored 25 goals and five assists in 41 games across all competitions, and his market value increased by 83.3% from €6m to €11m, making him the third most valuable CanMNT player, behind Alphonso Davies and Jonathan David (overview). Like many of his teammates, he will have to make a tough decision this summer. “Union players will have to decide this summer between playing in the Champions League with Union or moving to a bigger league, but perhaps without European football,” Tamsyn said. “We think many players will opt for the first option, and if they can impress in the Champions League, we are looking at market values of €20 million and more.”

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).