Arsenal market values: Rice, Martinelli & Saliba upgrades - squad value risen by €361m in a year

Another strong start to the season where Arsenal were top of the table up throughout most of November, has seen yet another rise in squad value for Mikel Arteta’s team, with his players now valued at a combined €1.11 billion after a €14 million rise. This means the Gunners remain the second most valuable squad in world football, behind treble winners Manchester City.

At the beginning of last season, Arsenal’s squad value was just €698.2m, meaning the North London side have risen in value by over €400m in just over a season, and have been upgraded by €361m in just one year! The average age of Arsenal's squad this season is the joint second youngest in the Premier League of just 24.8 years of age, which also bodes well for further development and more potential future market value upgrades for the Gunners.

The five biggest market value increases at Arsenal

Declan Rice | €100m to €110m: Following Declan Rice’s €116m move from West Ham this summer, some questioned how quickly he would be able to adapt to Arteta’s style of play and to a club playing in the Champions League. The 24-year-old English midfielder has not only answered those questions, but blown them away. Rice has had an electric start to his career at the Emirates, winning Arsenal’s August Premier League player of the month award, scoring crucial late strikes against Manchester United, Chelsea and Luton and already becoming a real leader in Arteta’s side.

Gabriel Martinelli | €80m to €85m: It’s been something of an unsettled season so far for Gabriel Martinelli, hampered by a hamstring injury picked up in a 1-0 win against Everton which forced him to miss four games, before he was reintroduced from the bench against Man City at the Emirates, and scored the winner that day. However, the 22 year old has started the last two games for Brazil, scoring against Colombia, and with his pace and trickery, he remains a pivotal part of this Arsenal team.

William Saliba | €70m to €75m: It could be argued that William Saliba is the most dominant central defender in world football right now - only Rúben Dias and Josko Gvardiol have a higher market value in that position. Without him last season, Arsenal’s title challenge fell apart, and the Frenchmen has picked up where he left off this season, playing every single minute for the Gunners in the Premier League. No player has more clean sheets than Saliba in the division, and he has formed a formidable partnership with Brazilian Gabriel.

Eddie Nketiah | €30m to €35m: Injuries to Gabriel Jesus have given opportunities to Eddie Nketiah to get on the pitch and play for this potent Arsenal team. Whilst he remains the understudy to the Brazilian when fit, Nketiah has six goals this season in all competitions, including a hat-trick against Sheffield United in the Premier League, and the 24-year-old also made his first appearance for England against Australia in October.

Takehiro Tomiyasu | €25m to €30m: Takehiro Tomiyasu has gained plenty of game time this season, until a recent calf injury ruled him out of the festive period. Playing at either right-back or as an inverted full-back, the Japanese defender’s versatility has been key for Arteta, as he rotates his pack and deals with injuries across the backline.

The five biggest market value decreases at Arsenal:

Thomas Partey | €35m to €25m: One of the most important players during Arsenal’s unlikely title challenge last campaign, Thomas Partey has played just four games for the Gunners this term, as persistent injuries, the latest a hamstring problem, continue to hamper the Ghanian’s career in North London. His dreadful injury record combined with his age, with the holding midfielder hitting 30 last June, have seen his value fall.

Emile Smith Rowe | €30m to €25m: Another Hale End academy product, injuries and form have both seriously hindered the progression of Arsenal’s number 10 in the last season or so. One of the star players in the 2021/22 campaign, many felt this Arsenal team was going to be built around Emile Smith Rowe and Bukayo Saka, but since then the development of those two players has been very different. Smith Rowe will be hoping to stay fit for the rest of this season, and prove the undoubted talent he has is enough to be a mainstay in this Arsenal side.

Kai Havertz | €60m to €55m: Only very recently has Kai Havertz started to show his worth in an Arsenal shirt, after a fairly miserable start to his career in North London following his move from Chelsea in the summer. In his first 18 games for the club, he scored only one goal and registered just one assist, essentially resulting in his downgrade, but the tide could be turning, with three goals in his last six games, and the German was recently named Arsenal's player of the month for November.

Gabriel Jesus | €75m to €70m: Brazilian Gabriel Jesus would have been hoping for an injury free start to the season, after an knock picked up at the winter World Cup with Brazil ruled him out of the majority of the second half of the last campaign, but he has already missed seven matches through various injuries. Whilst his Champions League record of four goals in five games is excellent, just the two Premier League goals this term will be cause for concern, despite the 26-year-old’s fantastic all-round link-up play.

Aaron Ramsdale | €32m to €28m: The debate around Arteta’s decision to bring in David Raya from Brentford this summer, and effectively have two “number ones” continues to divide and antagonise the footballing world, but ultimately Aaron Ramsdale has now been left out just of 16 of Arsenal’s 22 games this season in the Premier League and Champions League, resulting in his €4m downgrade.

Arsenal squad doubled in value in the last two years

Following the most recent market value update, Arsenal's squad value has slightly risen yet again, with a €14m upgrade taking their squad worth to €1.11b - the second highest in world football behind Man City, who are valued at €1.29b. The Gunners squad is worth over double the amount of no less than 12 other Premier League teams. Arsenal's investment in younger players in recent years has paid huge dividends - as you can see in the graph below, the squad value has risen by over €350m in the last year alone, and has over doubled in value over the last two years.