10 most valuable players in the Premier League according to CIES - January 2022
The Premier League has some of the biggest talents playing with and against each other every week. Home to some of the richest clubs on the planet, there is never a shortage of excitement as world-class footballers battle it out against each other.
Aside from nurturing superstars in their academies, Premier League clubs also spend big on transfers.
Estimated transfer valuations are great indicators for Premier League clubs
It's hard to accurately measure the transfer valuation of a footballer. Unlike leagues like Spain's La Liga, the Premier League doesn't have mandatory release clauses, making the situation slightly tricky.
But estimated transfer valuations from dependable sources like the CIES football observatory are great indicators. The following ten names command the highest estimated transfer fees in the Premier League.
#10 Kai Havertz - β¬101.2M
The German sensation grabbed the headlines in his early days at Bayer Leverkusen. Kai Havertz's strong showing in Germany made him a cherished footballer by many clubs, but Chelsea managed to beat them all to his signature.
Havertz had a slow start to the first half of his debut season under Frank Lampard. However, he settled down well under Thomas Tuchel, and no Chelsea fan will forget his goal in the UEFA Champions League final against Manchester City.
Havertz's strike won the club their second trophy in the competition and their first in nine years.
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Havertz has been a regular at Chelsea in the current season, having already made 24 appearances. He has eight goal involvements, with five goals and three assists. The German still needs to make some tweaks to his game, but only an abnormally high sum can take him away from Chelsea.
#9 Bukayo Saka - β¬103M
Bukayo Saka has been a shining light in recent years for Arsenal, who have largely underperformed. The British wonderkid is an extremely versatile player who can play in several positions on the football field.
Saka's versatility and talent made him a regular for Arsenal at a very young age and even led to an England call-up for Euro 2020. Unfortunately, it ended in heartbreak as Gianluigi Donnarumma saved his spot-kick during the penalty shootout in the final.
To his credit, though, Saka has bounced back quite positively since then.
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In 24 appearances so far, Saka has managed 11 goal involvements. He has played mostly as an attacker but has also taken up defensive duties on occasion. Arsenal consider him vital to their future and may not want to sell their generational talent even for an absurd amount of money.
#8 Reece James - β¬108M
Reece James has been one of the brightest recent talents coming out of the Cobham Training Center. He made his debut for Chelsea as a teenager and quickly showed the world what he is made of.
James outclassed many of his senior pros to become a regular at Stamford Bridge at just 21 years of age. Astute on the ball, he uses his pace to join the attack but is equally robust at the back.
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James started the current season brilliantly and even scored five goals and bagged six assists. He has already played 23 games across all competitions until a major injury seemingly cut his season short.
Irrespective of the present unfortunate situation, Chelsea consider him vital for their future, and it's quite unlikely that they will sell him at any price.