November 27 – Eintracht Frankfurt have been ranked the most efficient club in world football’s transfer market, according to new data published by the CIES Football Observatory.
The study – covering all professional signings made since January 2021, excluding academy graduates – evaluates clubs by the financial performance of players they have recruited and later sold permanently. On that measure, Frankfurt stand alone at the top.
The Bundesliga side generated €364 million in outgoing transfer revenue from players signed during the period, against an outlay of just €78 million, leaving them with a remarkable positive balance of €286 million. No club in Europe’s major leagues has come close to matching that level of efficiency or timing in the market.
Having parted ways with a continuous crop of elite talent, most recently the €90 million sale of French attacker Hugo Ekitike to Liverpool and the €75 million exit of Egyptian striker Omar Marmoush to Manchester City six months prior, who do the club opt to replace them with? Jonathan Burkhardt, who just won the Bundesliga Player of the Month.
Frankfurt’s model has long relied on identifying undervalued talent and selling at its peak, but the scale of the margin underlines a period of exceptional execution without much drop off in form. The club sit ahead of another data-driven success story, Brighton & Hove Albion (+€221m), and fellow Bundesliga overachievers Stuttgart (+€178m).
Atalanta (+€150m) and Benfica (+€147m) complete a top five dominated by clubs known for talent development and aggressive long-term planning, though Benfica’s status as selling kings has since slipped down from first to fifth, with only the €121 million sale of Enzo Fernandez to Chelsea to buoy them into the top five.
At the other end of the spectrum, CIES reports the steepest negative balances at two Saudi Pro League giants: Al-Hilal (-€197m) and Al-Nassr (-€104m), whose transfer activity has prioritised immediate impact over resale value as per the strategy of the entire Saudi League.
In Europe, West Ham (-€99m), Aston Villa (-€85m) and Manchester United (-€74m) recorded the most substantial losses on players signed and subsequently transferred.
CIES also assessed the current value of players still under contract, subtracting their purchase price from their present estimated market worth. On this broader metric, Frankfurt again lead the world with a staggering +€670m combined balance – €286m from players sold and €384m in value gained from players still in the squad. Real Madrid rank second at +€591m, while Manchester United sit bottom with a deficit of –€482m.
Contact the writer of this story, Harry Ewing, at moc.l1764244115labto1764244115ofdlr1764244115owedi1764244115sni@g1764244115niwe.1764244115yrrah1764244115
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