Analysis: Players aged 21-24 command the highest transfer fees, while teenagers start to rise
IMAGO | Chelsea FC bought now 23-year old Enzo Fernandes from Benfica for €121 million back in January 2023.
In each of the last five years, players aged 21 to 24 have generated at least half of the total fees spent, but the summer of 2024 saw a marked uptick in transfer fees for teenagers.
Off The Pitch, following last month's analysis on the drop in average age of signings over the past decade, now delves deeper into over 35,000 transfers from 2020 onward, revealing a significant rise in transfer fees spent on teenage talent in 2024.
Why it matters: Following the recent Diarra v FIFA ruling, transfer rule changes may be afford, and club strategies will have to be calibrated accordingly.
The perspective: English Premier League clubs dominate the list of high-value buyers – but sellers come from more diverse backgrounds, and, in many instances, club operating models are heavily reliant on transfer sales.
23 October 2024 - 1:51 PM
The world of transfers has undergone significant change in recent years. In 2020, as with everything else, clubs were impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic: some were able to exploit the crisis and splurge, many more were left scrambling.
Three years later, the sudden and significant influx of Saudi Arabian cash saw clubs from the Saudi Pro League, and principally those ones owned by the nation’s Public Investment
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