Midfielders are rising in value, why is the summer window midfield fever? And how long will it last?
The resources of effective goalscorers and top central defenders this summer are very limited, and the value of first-class midfielders is naturally rising. Next summer, apart from Kylian Mbappe, it is not yet clear that any top attackers can enter the market, which also means that midfielders still have room to sell at high prices.
Efficient goalscorers and top centre-backs have been the main targets of the market capital for the past few years, but this year, the wind has changed, from the Premier League to the Saudi league with a strong entry into the market, the target is the first to lock on the first-class midfielder. On the one hand, almost all the major giants are promoting metabolism, and after the baptism of last season, the midfield has become the area that needs the most iteration; On the other hand, the efficient shooters and top central defender resources that the market can provide have plummeted, but the first-class midfielders have caught up with this iteration trend and have become the biggest hot spot in the market at present.
Just look at last season's top five league scorers and budding top center defenders: the resources of efficient shooters and top center backs this summer are very limited, and it is more or less because the major giants have exhausted the two for several years, resulting in a temporary shortage of resources this summer. On the contrary, many giants have reached the stage where the midfield needs to be replaced, and the value of first-class midfielders is naturally rising. Messi and Ronaldo have left Europe, and the main midfielders over 30 years old of the major giants should also be eliminated by the times.
Last summer, the five major leagues, especially the Premier League, remained dominated by top attackers and defenders. First-class attackers such as Haaland, Mane, Raheem Sterling, Romelu Lukaku, Chiesa Jr., Núñez, Jesus, Richarlison, Rafinha, Lewandowski, Anthony, Guedes, Allai, Adeyemi, Dybala, Isaac, Skamaka, as well as quality defenders such as Matthijs de Ligt, Conde, Lisandro, Romero, Fofana, Rudiger, Koulibaly, Breimer, Christensen, Portman, Akanji, Kucurella and Zinchenko, are the protagonists throughout the market.
Only the immature Chuameni in midfield, Casemiro who joined Manchester United in a high-profile way and Pogba, who returned to Juventus for free, made certain waves.
But everything seems to have changed this summer, and while Kylian Mbappe and Kane are still stirring up public opinion, both are almost certain to be difficult to leave. Look at the top scorers in the top five leagues: the Premier League is a fault line after Haaland and Kane, and there are few efficient goalscorers for the big clubs to choose; Although Serie A has Osmeen and Lautaro, the sky-high prices marked by their respective clubs make everyone prohibitive. La Liga is even more miserable, the top 5 scorers are all senior forwards over 30 years old, even Real Madrid can only barely sign 33-year-old Joselu as a rotation center candidate, the new generation of resources is shockingly scarce. The Bundesliga is even more frustrating, with just 16 goals in the Golden Boot and 24-year-old Muani scoring 15 goals before being asked for 100 million euros by Eintracht Frankfurt. After all, Jackson, who scored 12 goals in La Liga, joined Chelsea for only 37 million euros. In the past, the Portuguese Premier League and the Eredivisie, which were rich in potential goalscorers, did not have bright new stars last season. Simmons and Gonzalo Ramos are both protagonists who can be examined by the giants, but they are simply not up to the level of Núñez last year.
Efficient attackers are scarce and top central defenders are rarely able to enter the market. Napoli's Jin Minya, Bayern's Lucas have not set off much turmoil, and Gervadior, who has a price of 100 million euros, has been waiting for 2 summer markets, and it is difficult to quickly sell for the time being. Almost all the major giants have completed the metabolism at both ends of the offensive and defensive ends in advance, and the quality shooters and central defenders of the first-line giants are almost all non-sale. Being able to enter the market and trading possibilities are naturally more midfielders. Chelsea's €121 million signing of Enzo in the winter window kicked off the rush to a first-class midfield, which led to the rush of Bellingham, Rice, Kai Havertz, Tonali, Sobosroy, McAllister, Maddison and Mason Mount this summer.
The metabolism of the big five leagues has its own cyclical rhythm, but there is a lot of overlap this summer. With the advancement of modern sports science, the professional life of midfielders has been extended to an unprecedented extent, as evidenced by the fact that the 37-year-old Modric can still hold the main position in the top giants. But after all, professional football always has to face the replacement of new and old, and the long-term stay of veterans is largely to promote juniors. The midfield craze for potential stocks has only reached an unprecedented height this summer, but there are no signs of ending there.
There are those who are gradually replacing like Real Madrid, there are stormy players like Chelsea, and more are giants in between, hoping for a smooth transition in two or three years. It takes two or three years for a championship-level midfield to polish and shape, and then five or six golden years, which is enough to support an era of giants. With efficient goalscorers and top-notch centre-backs unattainable, the trend of giants pursuing potential midfielders is likely to continue for some time. After all, Grand Paris, Manchester United and Manchester City will all begin to enter the full metabolic phase of midfield. And the midfield iteration of Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Barca and Juventus has not yet been completely completed. If the market has enough capital demand, the heat will not decrease.
After all, Chelsea and Liverpool are already developing their own midfield rookies, the Blues' Cassady, which was bought last year, has shone at the World Junior Championships and South Korea's Lee Seung-won has also received widespread attention from scouts in the five major leagues. In Spain, Pedri, Gavi and Valverde have strengthened the determination of the youth team to explore the potential of the midfield. In particular, the midfield "bonanza" of potential stocks such as Spain, France, Portugal, the Netherlands and Croatia has a considerable success rate. This summer city of Vega in Celta, Giramon in Valencia, K. Thuram in Nice are already seen as investable future stars.
What's more, due to the rule tendency to hoard local high-level players, the major giants are also paying more attention to recruiting local midfield talents. Manchester City are already ahead of the curve, with Arsenal taking Rice this summer, Juventus signing Locatelli, and there are plenty more midfielders on the market to keep the heat going for at least two seasons. Next summer, apart from Kylian Mbappe, it is not yet clear that any top attackers can enter the market, which also means that midfielders still have room to sell at high prices.
Until the next Haaland, Mbappe or even lower the bar, the next Núñez, Marcus Rashford and Osmayne, I am afraid that midfielders will remain an important part of the five major league markets.