Super Eagles stars’ market values take a tumble: Who’s hit the hardest?

Renowned football statistics website, Transfermarkt, has released its latest market value update, revealing a significant decline in the market values of several Nigerian elite stars, Soccernet.ng reports. 

Wilfred Ndidi, who reached an all-time high of €60 million in 2021, has experienced a continuous downward slide in market value. The 26-year-old midfielder, representing Leicester City, has seen his value plummet to €25 million, attributed to his club’s surprising relegation from the Premier League.

Calvin Bassey, once regarded as one of the most highly-rated young defenders in Europe, faced a disappointing year after his move to Ajax from Rangers last summer. The Dutch giants paid €23 million to secure his services, but Bassey’s underwhelming performances have caused his market value to drop to €15 million.

Paul Onuachu, aspiring to make his mark in the Premier League, encountered a nightmare as he failed to make a significant impact for relegated Southampton. Consequently, his market value has fallen to €13 million from the €17 million he was valued at when he signed for the Saints.

Joe Aribo, during his debut spell in the Premier League, faced unexpected challenges, with Southampton’s relegation to the Championship. Despite scoring two goals in 21 games, Aribo’s market value took a hit, dropping from an all-time high of €15 million in September to its present value of €11 million.

Raphael Onyedika began his tenure at Club Brugge on a high note, contributing to the team’s advancement to the knockout round of the Champions League and reaching a career-high market value of €13 million in November. However, a poor end to the campaign for Brugge has negatively impacted Onyedika’s value, which currently stands at €9 million.

Emmanuel Dennis, who provided two goals and two assists in 19 games for Nottingham Forest, could not prevent his market value from falling to €8 million.

Moses Simon, reaching his highest market value of €10 million in March 2022, has experienced a decline to €8 million in the latest update. Despite scoring five goals and providing four assists in the first half of the Ligue 1 season, Simon’s contributions have waned since the beginning of 2023.

Frank Onyeka’s market value has continued its downward slide, slipping from €9 million to €8 million, despite the midfielder making 21 appearances in the Premier League for Brentford.

Zaidu Sanusi, despite battling injuries throughout the season, managed to win the League Cup with Porto. However, his market value suffered a minor decrease, settling at €8 million.

Bright Osayi-Samuel, valued at €9 million in October, has declined to €7 million in the latest update. Osayi-Samuel made his Super Eagles debut, established himself as a national team regular, and won the Turkish Cup with Fenerbahce, but his market value did not reflect these accomplishments.

Chidera Ejuke, one of Nigeria’s finest dribblers in Europe, had his time at Hertha Berlin plagued by injuries. Consequently, his market value plummeted to €5.50 million from the €7.5 million mark when he joined the Berliners on loan last summer.

Henry Onyekuru enjoyed a decent campaign at Adana Demirspor, contributing eight goals and three assists. However, a €500,000 reduction in market value has brought it down to €5.5 million from the previous €6 million.

Peter Olayinka, who excelled at Slavia Prague last season with 17 goals and eight assists in 37 games across all competitions, has seen his value decrease to €5 million from a valuation of €6 million in December.

Cyriel Dessers, the top goalscorer in the Europa Conference League last season, struggled to find the back of the net for relegated Cremonese, managing only six goals this term. As a consequence, his market value has taken a hit, collapsing to €5 million from the previous €6 million.

Chidozie Awaziem, while on loan at Hajduk Split, made a significant impact with five goals and an assist in 28 league games, even securing the Croatian Cup. However, despite these feats, Awaziem’s value has dropped from €5 million to €3.5 million.

William Troost-Ekong, who made 15 appearances for Watford in the Championship and nine appearances for Salernitana in Serie A, scoring once for each team, has also experienced a decline in value, settling at €2.5 million.

Super Eagles captain Ahmed Musa’s value has plummeted to €1.50 million. Musa, who failed to score a single goal or provide an assist in 20 appearances for Sivasspor, has witnessed a significant decline since his peak value of €18 million back in 2016.