Groundbreaking

TransferRoom has developed a ground-breaking new method of valuing players that will transform how its members do business.

The most fundamental question when planning and executing a transfer is: how much is the player worth? Without knowing that, buying clubs, selling clubs and agents cannot make  informed decisions or negotiate effectively.

But the answer has for too long depended on subjective opinion and on statistical models that simply don’t reflect the complex interplay of factors which affect player value.

So TransferRoom’s team of executives and analysts have created Expected Transfer Value (xTV) , which provides a real-time reliable assessment of the value of more than 75,000 players worldwide.

TransferRoom founder and CEO Jonas Ankersen said: “xTV is an important step for our platform, our members and football as a whole. TransferRoom has brought unprecedented transparency to the transfer market by giving industry decision-makers the chance to share accurate information and negotiate directly with each other."

“Expected Transfer Value (xTV) gives everyone a credible reference point, a benchmark value range for every player that allows deals to be explored and completed more quickly and efficiently.”

Beyond market value and into the real world

Although football is increasingly accepting and exploiting the importance of data, methods of assessing player value have often been crude and unreliable. Until now.

Figures referred to as “market value” or something similar have often relied solely or mainly on applying subjective values to player’s attributes and simply adding them together.

While players’ ability and performance level are crucial to determining their value, that is far from the whole story. Age, contract length, selling club status and previous fees are among a number of other relevant considerations that should be factored into the calculation.

But xTV goes well beyond that. TransferRoom analysts have incorporated algorithms that not only take account of deals done for relevantly similar players but also factor in data unique to the platform itself, allowing xTV to react to trends in the market in real time and give decision-makers the most up-to-date, in-depth information possible.

The result is what we believe to be the most authoritative estimate of player value available.

Ankersen said: “Our xTV methodology gives players an economic value, rather than being merely an indicator of ability, giving our users a reliable guide to the cost of a deal to buy – or sell – them based on constantly-updated real-life market information.” 

Football real estate

Property websites have revolutionised the real estate market by giving buyers and sellers credible valuations of individual homes.

TransferRoom has added Expected Transfer Value (xTV) to its offering as the logical step in its missions to give decision-makers access to information that will help them save time, money and effort as they seek the right deals at the right price.

Buying clubs will have a better idea how much they should be paying for a player, while selling clubs will better understand what kind of income they could expect from a deal and make more informed decisions about when the time is right to make a transfer.

And TransferRoom’s agent users will have a reliable benchmark for their clients’ value and relative status in the market, as well as greater insight into clubs’ playing portfolios. xTV will help intermediaries judge more confidently which parties to bring together and which deals to pursue.

Ankersen said: “Having a credible and fair expected transfer value helps clubs at every stage of player recruitment and out placement - from initial feasibility through to negotiations. 

“It also allows clubs to track the economic value of their playing assets and ensure they are protected and trending in the right direction.

“Agents will also benefit significantly. By understanding better the potential values of their clients and being able to compare them with relevantly similar players, agents will be able to pitch and arrange deals more efficiently.

“We believe Expected Transfer Value will help to ensure that TransferRoom remains an essential tool for everyone involved in the transfer market.”