Uruguayan Primera Division Focus: Penarol has the highest Average Player Value (APV) index in Uruguay's Primera Division

Key Soccerlytics Insights:

• Penarol has the highest APV in the the Uruguayan Primera Division at 0.46M Euros, which is 62% higher than the Primera's average of 0.28M Euros
• Penarol's APV is lower than that of every club in Europe's top 5 leagues, and is closest (about 15% below) to the 0.65M Euro APV of Ligue 1's Guimgamp
• Nacional (0.44M Euros) has the second highest APV Index at 55% to Primera Division's 0.28M APV
• 6 other clubs (Defensor, Danubio, Liverpool, Fenix, Wanderers and River Plate) make up the 8 clubs with an APV higher than the league's average
• Cerro Largo FC has the lowest APV (0.15M) in Uruguay's Primera Division 47% below the Primera Division's league average

5 notable recent Primera Division Exports to Europe:

• Jose Maria Gimenez (18 year old Uruguayan Youth International defender) from Danubio to Atletico Madrid (Spain) in 2013
• Alejandro Damian Gonzalez (25 year old Uruguayan defender) from Penarol to Verona (Italy) in 2013
• Nicolas Lopez (20 year old Uruguayan Youth International forward) from Nacional to Roma in 2012. He currently plays for Udinese (Italy)
• Gonzalo Bueno (20 year old Uruguayan Youth International forward)from Nacional to Kuban (Russia) in 2013
• Felipe Avenatti (20 year old Uruguayan Youth International forward) from River Plate to Ternana (Italy) in 2013

5 Primera Division Potential Prospects for Europe's Big Leagues:

• Giorgian De Arrascaeta (Defensor Sporting): 19 year old Uruguayan Youth International attacking mdfielder valued at 1.25M Euros
• Adrian Luna (Defensor Sporting): 21 year old Uruguayan Youth International attacking Midfielder valued at 0.75M Euros
• Ramon Arias (Defensor Sporting): 21 year old Uruguayan Youth International defender valued at 0.725M Euros
• Emiliano Velazquez (Danubio): 19 year old Uruguayan Youth International defender valued at 0.7M Euros
• Carlos Rodrigo Nunez (Penarol): 21 year old Uruguayan striker valued at 0.7M Euros

Uruguayan Primera Division Average Player Value Index (Market Value data from Transfermarkt.com):

Torneo Transicion: Player monetization in the Chilean Primera Division

Key Soccerlytics Insights:
3 Chilean players in the domestic Primera Division with the highest transfer market value at present

• Charles Aranguiz (pictured above on the left): 24 year old Chilean International Midfielder (18 caps) who played for Universidad de Chile in 2013 and has been linked with Udinese by various media outlets. Valued at 2.2M Euros
• Francisco Castro (pictured above in the middle) 23 year old Chilean International forward (3 caps) currently playing for Universidad de Chile. Valued at 1.7M Euros
• Christopher Toselli (pictured above in the right): 25 year old Chilean International goalkeeper (3 caps) currently playing for Universidad Catolica. Valued at 1.2M Euros 

5 players whose transfer market value (TMV) increased the most in 2013

• Cristian Cuevas: 18 year old Chilean Youth International midfielder whose TMV increased 2167% from 0.075M to 1.7M Euros as he transferred from O'Higgins to Chelsea (Premier League), prior to going out on loan to Vitesse (Holland)
• Eugenio Mena: 25 year old Chilean International left-back whose TMV increased 186% from 0.7M to 2M Euros as he transferred from Universidad de Chile to Santos (Brazil)
• Braian Rodriguez: 27 year old Uruguayan striker whose TMV increased 150% from 0.6M to 1.5M Euros
• Christian Cueva: 22 year old Peruvian winger whose TMV increased 567% from 0.15M to 1M Euros as he transferred (on loan) from Union Espanolo to Rayo Vallecano (Spain)
• Lorenzo Reyes: 22 year old Chilean International midfielder whose TMV increased 125% from 0.4M to 0.9M as he moved from Huachipato to Real Betis (Spain)

Analysis of Partizan Belgrade Individual Player Transfer Market Valuations

Key Soccerlytics Insights:

• Home to one of the best youth academies in Europe, Partizan Belgrade has a total transfer market value of 21.5M Euros, and average player value (APV) of 0.86M Euros
• Pictured above, Nikola Ninkovic (2M Euros), Andrija Zivkovic (2M Euros) and Milos Jojic (1.5M Euros) are currently Partizan's most valuable assets (in terms of transfer market value and future potential)
• Ninkovic's and Zivkovic's valuation is 133% higher than Partizan's 0.86M APV (see TMV index chart below)
• Milos Jojic (150% TMV increase from 0.6M to 1.5M) has seen the highest TMV increase of current Partizan players in 2013 (6th highest increase in Serbian SuperLiga)
• Top 5 TMV increases in Serbian SuperLiga all involved players who transferred abroad. Top 3 TMV increases involved Partizan Belgrade, while the 4th and 5th involved arch-rivals Red Star Belgrade
• Aleksandar Mitrovic: (525% TMV increase from 0.8M to 5M Euros) transferred from Partizan to Anderlecht in Belgium
• Lazar Markovic (66.7% TMV increase from 6M to 10M Euros) transferred from Partizan to Benfica in Portugal
• Marko Scepovic (100% TMV increase from 1.25M to 2.5M Euros) transferred from Partizan to Olympiacos in Greece
• Uros Spajic (329% TMV increase from 0.35M to 1.5M Euros) transferred from Red Star Belgrade to Toulouse FC in France
• Luka Milivojevic (56.3% TMV increase from 1.6M to 2.5M Euros) transferred from Red Star Belgrade to Anderlecht in Belgium
• 27 Year old Montenegrin International left back Vladimir Volkov (1.25M Euros) is Partizan's most highly valued defender
• 23 Year old Serbian Youth International Nemanja Kojic (0.9M Euros) is Partizan's most highly valued striker
• Nemanja Kojic, Sasa Markovic and Nikola Absentijevic (all valued at 0.9M Euros) are closest (5% above) to Partizan's APV of 0.86M Euros
• 20 year old Serbian Youth International Midfielder Sasa Ivkovic (0.2M Euros) currently has the lowest TMV on the team (77% below Partizan TMV)

Other recent notable exports:

• Matija Nastasic (Manchester City): 20 year old Serbian defender left Partizan for Fiorentina in 2011
• Stevan Jovetic (Manchester City): 24 year old Montenegrin attacker left Partizan for Fiorentina in 2008
• Adem Ljajic (Roma): 22 year old Serbian attacking midfielder left Partizan for Fiorentina in 2010
• Stefan Savic (Fiorentina): 22 year old Montenegrin defender left Partizan for Manchester City in 2011 

Partizan Transfer Market Value Index Chart as of 12/30/2013 (Market Value data from Transfermarkt.com):

Liga Postoban Focus: Atletico Junior has the highest Average Player Value (APV) index in Colombia's Categoria Primera A

Key Soccerlytics Insights:

• Atletico Junior has the highest APV in the Colombian Categoria Primera A at 0.55M Euros, which is 82% higher than the Primera A's average of 0.3M Euros
• Junior's APV is lower than that of every club in Europe's top 5 leagues, and is closest (15% below) to the 0.65M Euro APV of Ligue 1's Guimgamp
• Millonarios FC (0.53M Euros) has the second highest APV Index at 76% to Categoria Primera A's 0.3M Euro APV
• 5 other Clubs (Atletico Nacional, Independiente Santa Fe, Independiente Medellin, Deportes Tolima and Deportivo Cali) make up the 7 Categoria Primera A clubs whose APV is distinctly higher than the league's average (See APV chart below)
• La Equidad's and Itagui Ditaires both have APV's (0.304M) slightly (1%) above the league's 0.3M average
• Alianza Petrolera has the lowest APV in Categoria Primera A at 0.079M Euros, 73% below the league's average

5 notable recent Categoria Primera Exports to Europe:

• Duvan Zapata (22 year old Colombian Youth International striker) from America de Cali (via Estudiantes de La Plata) to Napoli (Italy) in 2013
• Jherson Vergara (19 year old Colombian Youth International defender) from Deportes Quindio to Milan (Italy) in 2013
• Victor Ibarbo (23 year old Colombian International striker) from Atletico Nacional to Cagliari (Italy) in 2011
• Juan Quintero (20 year old Colombian International midfielder) from Atletico Nacional (via Pescara) to Porto (Portugal)
• James Rodriquez (22 year old Colombian International midfielder) from Envigado to Banfield (Argentina) to Porto (Portugal). James currently plays for AS Monaco in France and is valued at 32M Euros

5 Categoria Primera Potential Prospects for Europe's Big Leagues:

• Marco Perez (Independiente Medellin): 23 year old Colombian Youth International striker valued at 1.7M Euros
• Eric Moreno (Millionarios): 22 year old Colombian International striker valued at 1M Euros
• Sebastian Perez Cardona (Atletico Nacional): 20 year old Colombian Youth International midfielder valued at 1M Euros
• Stefan Medina (Atletico Nacional): 21 year old Colombian International defender valued at 0.95M Euros
• Luis Mena (Boyaca Chico FC): 19 year old Colombian Youth International midfielder

Liga Postoban Average Player Value Index (Market Value data from Transfermarkt.com):

Liga MX Focus: Tigres UANL has the highest Average Player Value (APV) index in Mexico's Liga MX (Higher than the APV of 19 clubs in Europe's Top 5 leagues)

Key Soccerlytics Insights:

• Tigres UANL has the highest APV in Liga MX at 1.65M Euros, which is 70% higher than the Liga MX average of 0.97M Euros
• Tigres' APV is higher than 4 clubs currently in Spain's La Liga; Real Valladolid (1.64M Euro APV), Levante (1.59M Euro APV), Rayo Vallecano (1.58M Euro APV) and Almeria (1.35M Euro APV)
• Tigres' APV is higher than 2 clubs in Italy's Serie A; Hellas Verona (1.64M Euro APV) and Chievo Verona (1.34M Euro APV)
• Tigres' APV is higher than 5 clubs in Germany's Bundesliga; Nurnberg (1.62M Euro APV), Hertha Berlin (1.61M Euros), Mainz (1.53M Euro APV), Augsburg (1.23M Euros) and Eintracht Braunschweig (946,296 Euro APV)
• Tigres' APV is higher than 8 clubs in France's Ligue 1; Sochaux (1.36M Euro APV), Bastia (1.22M Euro APV), Valenciennes (1.19M Euro), Reims (1.12M Euro APV), Ajaccio (0.996M Euro APV), Evian (0.99M Euro APV), Nantes (0.91M Euro APV) and Guingamp (0.65M Euro APV)
• Tigres' APV is lower than that of all 20 clubs in the English Premier League. Crystal Palace has the lowest APV in the Premier League at 1.88M Euros
• Monterrey (1.39M Euro APV) has the second highest APV index at 43% to Liga MX' 0.97M Euro MPV
• 5 other clubs (Cruz Azul, Santos Laguna, America, Morelia and Leon) make up the 7 Liga MX clubs whose APV is higher than the league's APV (see chart below)
• Toluca's APV is right at the league average of 0.97M
• Atlas has the lowest APV in Liga MX at 0.56M Euros, 42% below the league's average

3 Liga MX Potential Prospects for Europe's Big Leagues:

• Fabian Marco (Guadalajara): 24 year old Mexican International midfielder valued at 7M Euros 
• Jorge Torres: (Tigres): 25 year old Mexican International defender valued at 3.5M Euros
• Raul Jimenez (America): 22 Year old Mexican International striker valued at 2.8M Euros

Top 3 Individual Player Transfer Market Value (TMV) Increases in 2013:

• Hector Herrera (FC Porto): 23 year old Mexican International Midfielder saw his TMV increase 288.9% from 1.8M to 7M Euros as he transferred from Pachuca to Porto in Portugal
• Diego Reyes (FC Porto): 21 year old Mexican International Midfielder saw his TMV increase 75% from 4M to 7M Euros as he transferred from America to Porto
• Jesus Corona (FC Twente): 20 year old Mexican Youth International saw his TMV increase 483.3% from 0.6M to 3.5M Euros as he transferred from Monterrey to Twente in Portugal 

Liga MX Average Player Value Index (Market Value data from Transfermarkt.com):

Analysis of Dinamo Zagreb Individual Player Transfer Market Valuations

Key Soccerlytics Insights:

• Dinamo Zagreb has a strong focus on youth development. The club responsible for the development of world stars such as Real Madrid's Luka Modric has a total transfer market value of only 36.7M Euros and an average player value (APV) of 1.4M Euros
• Pictured above, Alen Halilovic, Sammir and Ademi Arijan (each valued at 4M Euros) are currently Zagreb's most valuable assets (in terms of transfer market value)
• Their valuation is 195% higher than Zagreb's APV (See TMV index charts below)
• Halilovic has seen the highest TMV increase among current Zagreb players over the past year
• Halilovic' valuation has increased 1233% from 300,000 Euros to 4M Euros in 2013 (2nd highest TMV increase in Croatia's top flight)
• Ante Rebic (592.3% TMV increase from 650,000 Euros to 4.5M Euros) and Sime Vrsaljko (62.5% TMV increase from 4M to 6.5M Euros) had the first and third highest TMV increases in Croatia's top league as they moved to Fiorentina and Genoa respectively
• 26 year old Algerian International El Arbi Hillel Soudani (3M Euros) is Zagreb's most highly valued striker
• 23 year old Portuguese Youth International Ivo Pinto (2.5M Euros) is Zagreb's most highly valued defender
• 21 year old Croatian Youth International Marcelo Brozovic (1.5M Euros) is closest (11% above) to Zagreb's 1.4M Euro APV
• Croatian youngsters Marko Mikulic, Filip Skvork and Dino Spehar (valued at 50,000 Euros) have the lowest TMV on the team (96% below Zagreb APV)

Recent notable Exports:

• Ante Rebic (20 year old Croatian International) to Fiorentina 
• Mateo Kovacic (19 year old Croatian International) to Inter 
• Tin Jedvaj (18 year old Croatian Youth International) to Roma

Zagreb Transfer Market Value Index Chart as of 12/29/2013 (Market Value data from Transfermarkt.com):

Nigel De Jong is a much improved passer of the ball this season

Key Soccerlytics Insights:

• Nigel De Jong is well known for his tackling ability and aggressive play, but this season, AC Milan's holding midfielder has added passing accuracy to his repertoire
• Among players with 750 passes or more in Europe's top 5 leagues, De Jong has the fifth highest passing accuracy at 92.41%
• Alex (PSG, 93.43% Passing Accuracy), Sergio Busquets (Barcelona, 93.41%), Thiago Motta (PSG, 93.40%, and Xavi (Barcelona, 92.72%) have the first, second, third and fourth highest passing accuracy respectively (See Prolific Passers charts below)
• De Jong also has the fifth highest final third passing accuracy among players with 550 passes (or more) in the final third at 83.98%
• Busquets (Barcelona, 87.16% Passing Accuracy), Xavi (Barcelona, 85.9%), Toni Kroos (Bayern, 85.56%) and Andres Iniesta (84.89%) have the first, second, third and fourth highest final third passing accuracy respectively (See Prolific Passers charts below)
• De Jong's technical improvement is likely to see him re-installed to Holland's starting midfield ahead of the the World Cup in June

Prolific Passers charts from BSports (Updated through 12/24/2013):

Yaya Toure is currently Europe's top scorer from direct free-kicks

Key Soccerlytics Insights:

• Yaya Toure's goal from a direct free-kick against Fulham on December 21st was his 9th goal of the season, but also his 4th directly from a free-kick (See dead-ball Specialist Charts from BSports below)
• Yaya's stunning strike made him the only player in Europe's top 5 leagues with 4 free-kick goals so far this season
• Andrea Pirlo (Juventus), Daniele Conti (Cagliari) and Wayne Rooney (Manchester United) have three free-kick goals each, and Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid) has 2
• Toure also has the best free kick scoring rate of 80% (4 goals out of 5 direct freekick attempts)
• Pirlo's FK scoring rate is 23.08% (3 out of 13 FK goals)
• Conti's FK scoring rate is 23.08% (3 out of 13 FK goals)  
• Rooney'x FK scoring rate 42.86% (3 out of 7 FK goals)
• Ronaldo's FK scoring rate 10.53% (2 out of 19 FK goals)

Dead-ball Specialist Charts from BSports (Updated through 12/24/2013)

Analysis of Atletico Madrid Individual Player Transfer Market Valuations

Key Soccerlytics Insights:

• Atletico Madrid has a total transfer market value (TMV) of 255M Euros and an average player value (APV) of 11.1M Euros
• Pictured above, Thibaut Courtois (25M Euros), Diego Costa (25M Euros) and Arda Turan (24M Euros) are Atletico's three most valuable assets (in terms of transfer market value)
• Courtois' and Costa's 25M valuation is 125% higher than Atletico's APV (See APV charts below)
• Courtois is at Atletico on loan from Chelsea, and is currently in talks with Barcelona regarding a potential permanent transfer
• Koke whose valuation is fourth highest on the team at 20M Euros (116% higher than APV) has recently been strongly linked with a move to Manchester United by various media outlets
• Diego Costa has seen the highest TMV increase among current Atletico players over the past year
• Costa's transfer market value has increased 257% from 18M to 25M Euros in 2013 (2nd highest TMV increase in La Liga)
• Koke's TMV has increased 300% from 5M to 20M Euros in 2013 (4th highest TMV increase in La Liga)
• 27 year old Uruguayan International defender Diego Godin (18M Euros) is the most valuable central defender in the squad
• 28 year old Spanish International full-back (12M Euros) is closest (8% above) to Atletico's 11.1M Euro APV
• 18 year old Uruguayan International defender Jose Gimenez (1M Euros) has the lowest TMV on the team (91% below Atletico APV), but has tremendous upside potential for the future

Atletico Transfer Market Value Index Chart as of 12/27/2013 (Market Value data from Transfermarkt.com):

Analysis of Shakhtar Donetsk Individual Player Transfer Market Valuations

Key Soccerlytics Insights:

• Shakhtar has a total transfer market value of 166M Euros and an average player value (APV) of 5.9M Euros
• Pictured above, Bernard (20M Euros), Taison (15M Euros) and Alex Texeira (13M Euros) are currently Shakhtar's three most valuable assets (in terms of transfer market value)
• Bernard's valuation is 237% than Shakhtar's APV (See TMV Index charts below)
• Taison has seen the highest TMV increase among current Shakhtar players over the past year
• Taison's transfer market value has increased 25% from 14M to 32M Euros in 2013 (sixth highest TMV increase in Ukraine's Premier Liga in 2013)
• Fernandinho (128.6% TMV increase from 14M to 32M Euros) and Henrikh Mkhitaryan (52.9% TMV increase from 17M to 26M Euros) had the first and second highest TMV increase in Ukraine's Premier Liga in 2013, as they moved to Manchester City and Borussia Dortmund respectively
• 24 year old Ukrainian International Yaroslav Rakytskiy (12M Euros) is the most valuable defender in the squad
• 29 year old Ukrainian goal keeper Andriy Pyatov, 26 year old Brazilian Striker Luiz Adriano and 22 year old Argentine striker Facundo Perreyra are valued closest (1% above) to Shaktar's 5.9M Euro APV at 6M Euros each
• 27 year old Ukrainian defender Oleksandr Chyzhov (800,000 Euros) currently has the lowest TMV on the team (87% below Shakhtar APV)

Transfer Market Value Index Chart as of 12/24/2013 (Market Value data from Transfermarkt.com):

Analysis of Porto Individual Player Transfer Market Valuations

Key Soccerlytics Insights:

• FC Porto has a total transfer market value of 194.4M Euros and an average player value (APV) of 8.1M Euros
• Pictured above, Jackson Martinez (30M Euros), Eliaquim Mangala (20M Euros) and Fernando (17.5M Euros) are currently Porto's three most valuable assets (in terms of transfer market value)
• Jackson Martinez' valuation is 270% than Porto's APV (See TMV Index charts below)
• Jackson Martinez' has seen the highest TMV increase among current Porto players over the past year
• Martinez' transfer market value has increased 253% from 8.5M to 30M Euros in 2013 (highest TMV increase in Portuguese Primeira Liga)
• Mangala's TMV has increased 300% from 5M to 20M Euros (3rd highest TMV increase in Portuguese Primeira Liga)
• 25 year old Argentine International Nicolas Otamendi (13M Euros) is the most valuable central defender in the squad
• 25 year old Belgian International midfielder Steven Defour (8M Euros) is closest (1% below) to Porto's Average Player Value of 8.1M Euros
• 19 year old Angolan goal keeper (500,000 Euros) currently has the lowest TMV on the team (94% below Porto APV)

Porto Transfer Market Value Index Chart as of 12/23/2013 (Market Value data from Transfermarkt.com):

Analysis of Roma Individual Player Transfer Market Valuations

Key Soccerlytics Insights:

• AS Roma has a total transfer Market Valuation (TMV) of 168.3M Euros and an average player Value (APV) of 6.47M Euros
• Pictured above, Daniele De Rossi (20M Euros), Miralem Pjanic (18M Euros) and Kevin Strootman (17M Euros) are currently Roma's three most valuable assets (in terms of transfer market value)
• De Rossi's valuation is just over 200% higher than Roma APV (See TMV Index charts below)
• Alessandro Florenzi (12M Euros) has seen the highest TMV increase among current Roma players over the past year
• Florenzi's transfer market value has increased 200% from 4M to 12M Euros over the past 12 month (16th highest TMV increase in Italy's Serie A)
• Erik Lamela's transfer market value increased 66.7% from 18M to 30M Euros over the past 12 months, but he moved to Tottenham Hotspur over the summer
• Mehdi Benatia (16M Euros) is Roma's most valuable defender while Mattia Destro ($11.5M Euros) is the most valuable pure striker
• Gervinho (9M Euros) who's been very impactful so far this season has only the 8th highest TMV on the team
• Michael Bradley and Leandro Castan have a TMV exactly equal to Roma's APV of 6.47M Euros
• Due to their age (and hence lack of upside potential), players such as Maicon (4M Euros), Totti (1M Euros) and De Sanctis (1M Euros) are valued lower than you might expect relative to their current status in the team
• 19 year old youngster Federico Ricci (100,000 Euros) currently has the lowest TMV on the team (98% below Roma APV), but has high potential upside over the coming seasons

Roma Transfer Market Value Index Chart as of 12/23/2013 (Market Value data from Transfermarkt.com):

Analysis of Fiorentina Individual Player Transfer Market Valuations

Key Soccerlytics Insights:

• Fiorentina has a total transfer market value (TMV) of 180.9M Euros and an average player value (APV) of 6.03M Euros
• Pictured above, Juan Cuadrado (24M Euros), Mario Gomez (24M Euros), and Giuseppe Rossi (20M Euros) are currently Fiorentina's three most valuable assets
• Cuadrado and Gomez valuations are almost 300% higher than Fiorentina APV (see TMV Index charts below)
• Juan Cuadrado has seen the highest TMV increase among Fiorentina players over the past year (4th highest in Italy's Serie A in 2013)
• Cuadrado's transfer market value has increased 300% over the past 12 months, from 6M Euros to 24M Euros
• Borja Valero (19M Euros) is Fiorenina's most valuble midfielder and Stefan Savic (10M Euros) is Fiorentina's most valuable defender
• Argentine internationals Gonzalo Rodriguez (7M Euros) and Facundo Roncaglia (5.5M Euros) are valued 16% above and 9 % below Fiorentina's 6.03M  average player value
• Due to their age (and hence lack of upside potential), Pizarro (6M Euros), Joaquin (6M Euros) and Ambrosini (500,000 Euros) are valued lower than you might expect
• Goal keeper Luca Lezzerini (250,000 Euros) has the lowest TMV on the team (96% less than Fiorentina's APV)

Fiorentina Transfer Market Value Index Chart as of 12/22/2013 (Market Value data from Transfermarkt.com):

Analysis of Juventus Individual Player Transfer Market Valuations (TMV)

Key Soccerlytics Insights:

• Juventus has a total Transfer Market Value (TMV) of 355.1M Euros and an Average Player Value (APV) of 13.7M Euros
• Pictured above, Vidal (40M Euros), Marchisio (31M Euros) and Chiellini (28.5M Euros) are currently Juve's 3 most valuable assets (in terms of Transfer Market Value)
• Arturo Vidal's TMV is almost 200% higher than Juve's average (See TMV Index charts below)
• Pogba (25M Euros) has seen the highest TMV increase among Juve players over the past year (third highest increase in Italy's Serie A in 2013)
• Pogba was worth 6M Euros at the start of 2013, and has seen his value go up 316.67% to 25M Euros since the start of the year
• Vucinic is Juve's most valuable striker at 21.5M Euros (slightly higher than the 20M Euro valuation of both Tevez and Llorente)
• Ogbonna is closest (below) to Juve's APV, valued at 13M Euros (3% below Juve APV)
• Lichtsteiner is second closest (above) to Juve's APV, valued at 17M Euros (27% above Juve APV)
• Veteran stars such as Pirlo (10M Euro TMV) and Buffon (7.5M Euro TMV) have a lower TMV than you might expect based mainly on their age and lack of future upside potential
• Of Juve's bottom 5 TMV valuations, exciting 20-year old talent Ouasim Bouy (currently valued at 700,000 Euros, 95% below Juve's APV) has the most upside potential due to his youth and ability
• Third string 31-year old Brazilian goal-keeper has the lowest TMV in the squad at 400,000 Euros, 97% below Juve's APV

Juventus Transfer Market Value Index Chart as of 12/21/2013 (Market Value data from Transfermarkt.com):

Ribery vs. Cesc vs. Ozil: Minutes per Assist (MPA) ratio

Key Soccerlytics Insights:

• A comparison between three of Europe's most consistent assist men shows that Ribery has had the strongest average MPA ratio over a three year period (120.4 minutes per assist compared to 132.6 MPA for Ozil and 160.3 MPA for Cesc)
• With the exception of Fabregas in the 2011/12 season, all three men have impressively averaged better than an assist every two games (or 180 MPA - see graph below) every season since the start of the 2010/2011 season
• Over this time period, Ribery's single-season record is 21 assists in the 2011/2012 season, while Ozil's is 20 assists during the same season

Graph of Cesc/Ribery/Ozil Minutes per Assist ratio since 2010/2011 Season:

Soccerlytics Team Spotlight: FC Lorient

Key Soccerlytics Insights:

• Of the "form" teams in Europe's top 5 leagues with 5 wins in their last 5 games (Juventus, Bayern Munich, Lorient, and Monaco), FC Lorient stands out as by far the least glamorous of the bunch. Soccerlytics takes a look at the current structure and key figures at the club
• The Brittany-based club has a productive academy system that has launched the careers of several known international stars such as Laurent Koscielny (Arsenal) and Seydou Keita (formerly of Barcelona)
• With an Average player value (APV) of 1.74M Euros (40% below the Ligue 1 APV of 2.89M Euros, and 12th highest in the league), Lorient FC is currently overachieving, sitting 8th in the Ligue 1 table

Manager: Christian Gourcuff

• Highly respected coach in France who's had 2 separate stints at the club separated by a notable stint at rivals Rennes. Also known for being the father of the prodigiously talented French International Yoann Gourcuff 

Club Captain: Bruno Manga

• Gabonese International who's been linked with interest from Liverpool, Everton and Juventus in the past

Top goal scorer: Vincent Aboubakar

• 21-year old Cameroonian International who joined the club in 2013 leads the line with 10 goals in 18 matches so far this season

Other notable players: Alain Traore and Jeremie Aladiere

• 25 year old Burkina Faso International (Traore) had a successful trial with Manchester United in 2006 but was unable to secure a work permit
• Once a promising French Youth International, Aladiere signed for Arsenal as a 16 year old but never fulfilled his potential. Following three years at Arsenal, and several loan spells in the Premier league and to Celtic, the 30-year old found a permanent home at Lorient in 2011

Stadium:

• Stade du Mustoir (pictured above) with a capacity of 18,500

Kit: 

Bayern Munich and Juventus are the only league leaders currently in league-leading form

Key Soccerlytics Insights:

• Among Europe's top 5 leagues, Juve and Bayern are the only league leaders also leading their respective current "form" tables with 5 wins out of the past 5 games
• "Form" tables refer to artificial league tables representative of results over the previous 5 games, as opposed to the entire season
• Serie A leaders Juventus lead the "form" table with 15 points from the past 5 games 
• AS Roma who currently lie second in the actual standings are 8th in the "form" table with 7 points in the last 5 games

• Napoli who currently lie third in the actual standings are 10th in the "form" table with 7 points in the last 5 games
• Bundesliga leaders Bayern also lead the "form" table with 15 points from the past 5 games 
• Borussia Dortmund who currently lie third in the actual standings are 13th in the "form" table with 4 points in the last 5 games
• Premier League leaders Arsenal currently lie fifth in the "form" table with 10 points over the last 5 games
• Manchester City leads the "form" table with 13 points from the last 5 games
• West Brom sits bottom of the "form" table with 1 point from the last 5 games in a run of form that has seen manager Steve Clarke fired
• La Liga leaders Barcelona lie 3rd in the "form" table with 12 points over the last 5 games
• Getafe, who currently sit eighth in the actual standings, lie 18th in the "form" table with 4 points in the last 5 games
• Ligue 1 leaders PSG lie fourth in the "form" table with 12 points over the last 5 games
• FC Lorient and AS Monaco lead the "form" table with 15 points from the last 5 games

Serie A "form" table:

Bundesliga "form" table:

EPL "form" table:

La Liga "form" table:

Ligue 1 "form" table:

Premier League has the most representatives on the ESM November Team of the Month

Key Soccerlytics Insights:

• November's ESM (European Sports Media) team of the month features three players who ply their trade in the Premier League (Sakho, Ramsey and Aguero) and two each from Europe's four other major leagues (See team below)
• Philipp Lahm features again as a holding midfielder, confirming his impressive adaptation to a new midfield role. Zlatan Ibrahimovic is the other player who retained his place in the team relative to last month
• Juventus is the only team with more than one representative in the team (Pogba and Vidal)
• Vincent Enyeama's impressive form this season has been recognized and rewarded with a place on the November team of the month

November 2013 Team of the Month - European Sports Media

3-4-3 Formation                                       

 Goal Keeper:

• Vincent Enyeama (Lille)              

Defenders:

• Filipe Luis (Atletico Madrid)
• Dante (Bayern Munich)
• Mamadou Sakho (Liverpool)

Midfielders:

• Philipp Lahm (Bayern Munich)
• Aaron Ramsey (Arsenal)
• Arturo Vidal (Juventus)
• Paul Pogba (Juventus)

Forwards:

• Sergio Aguero (Man City)
• Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid)
• Zlatan Ibrahimovic (PSG)

Soccerlytics Value Scouting: 5 South American youngsters with potential to do well in Europe

Key Soccerlytics Insights:

• With the January Transfer Window approaching, we take a look at 5 promising (and undervalued) South American players who have the potential to do well in Europe in the near-future, and provide strong ROI (return on investment) for the club they decide to join:
• Nicolas Castillo - Universidad Catolica's 20 year old Chilean striker who finished as one of the top goal-scorers at the recent U-20 World Cup in Turkey. Nicolas has been linked with interest from Manchester United and is currently valued at 150,000 Euros by Transfermarkt.com, but would probably cost about 20 times that figure. The "Chilean El Shaarawy" has also been linked to Fiorentina
• Leandro Paredes - Boca Juniors' 19 year old Argentinean attacking midfielder who's been strongly linked with AS Roma. He's currently valued at 3.5M Euros by transfermarkt.com and Walter Sabatini has been rumored to be close to his signature
• Luciano Vietto - Racing Club's 20 year old Argentinean striker who's reported to have the likes of Real Madrid, Manchester City, Liverpool and Juve battling for his signature. He would'nt come cheap as he's valued at 10 million Euros by Transfermarkt.com
• Joaquin Correa - Estudiantes de La Plata's 19 year old Argentinean attacking midfielder who's been linked to Inter (and Parma to a lesser extent). He's currently valued at 300,000 Euros, even though Estudiantes has been reported to have set an asking price of 2 million Euros
• Doria - Botafogo's 19 year old Brazilian U-20 captain is perhaps the most promising of the lot. He's reportedly had a 4.5M Euro offer from Juventus rejected and is valued by transfermarkt.com at 6M Euros

Southampton's 19-year old James Ward-Prowse worth taking to Brazil

Key Soccerlytics Insights:

• James Ward-Prowse has a skill-set that can add value to England's current midfield set-up. James' combination of passing, crossing and set-piece taking ability can be a real asset to the team which is stil largerly dependent on Steven Gerrard  for consistent quality in midfield.
• With the likes of Jordan Henderson, Tom Cleverly and Jack Wilshere yet to definitively prove they have what it takes to marshal England's midfield over the next decade, the Three Lions might as well take Ward-Prowse to Brazil to gain invaluable experience for the future 
• Southampton's 19-year old has had a strong season thus far, coming second in Europe's top 5 leagues providing 43 accurate crosses (38.46% cross accuracy rate), as well as 30 total shot assists, and has been an integral part of the Saints' positive start to the Premier League campaign (See Bsports charts below)

Prolific passers charts from BSports (Updated through 12/11/2013):

James Ward-Prowse Infographics from WhoScored (Updated through 11/29/2013):

Jorge Filho (Jorginho) is currently the most efficient goal scorer in Europe's top 5 leagues so far this season

Key Soccerlytics Insights:

• Among players who've scored 5 or more goals in Europe's top 5 leagues so far this season, Jorginho has the best conversion rate (58.33%) having scored 7 goals (tied for fourth best in Serie A). His "on target" conversion rate is also highest at 87.5%
• Jorginho who's been key to Verona's surprising ascent to sixth place in the current Serie A standings has attracted interest from a number of premier league clubs, and is valued at 8 million euros by transfermarket.com
• The 21 year old was born in Brazil, but has lived in Italy since he was 15, and has expressed his desire to represent the Azzurri
• Jefferson Farfan (Schalke), Alexis Sanchez (Barcelona), Goran Pandev (Napoli) and Diego Costa (Atletico Madrid) complete the list of top 5 most efficient scorers (See BSports charts below)

Goal Scorers charts from BSports (Updated through 12/11/2013):

Antonio Cassano may be playing his way back into contention for World Cup selection by Cesare Prandelli

Key Soccerlytics Insights:

• Since moving to Parma during the off-season, Antonio Casssano has been in good form so far this season providing 45 "shot assists" (resulting in 3 actual assists), which is 3rd best in Europe's top 5 leagues (See BSports Creative Player Charts below)
• Mesut Ozil (4th best in this category) has less (44) "shot assists" than Cassano, but more actual assists (6), which is due primarily to the quality of finishers surrounding each player at Arsenal and Parma respectively
• Marseille and France play-maker Mathieu Valbuena is in a similar situation to Cassano in that he has produced 47 "shot assists" but only 3 actual assists
• "Fantantonio" is also 3rd highest among the top crossers in Europe so far with 35 accurate crosses (27.71% accuracy rate), trailing only Sevilla's Ivan Rakitic and Southampton's James Ward-Prowse (See BSports Prolific Passer Charts below)
• Cassano, whose ability on the ball was instrumental in Italy's run to the Euro 2012 final hasn't been called up since then, but if he keeps up his level of production, he may force his way back into Prandelli's thinking ahead of the World Cup in June

Creative players and prolific passers charts from BSports (Updated through 12/11/2013):

Jorge Resureccion (Koke): The next Spanish passing master?

Key Soccerlytics Insights:

• Atletico Madrid's 21 year old Spanish midfielder Jorge Resureccion (aka Koke) may be next in line off the conveyor belt of Spanish pass-masters which includes Xavi, Fabregas, Iniesta, and Xabi Alonso, to name a few. Through 12/4/2013, Koke had 8 assists, which is as many as any player in Europe's top 5 leagues (See BSports Creative Player charts below)
• Cesc Fabregas and Neymar also have 8, while Francesco Totti and Franck Ribery each have 6 assists
• He has also completed 7 through balls with 58.33% accuracy, which is fourth best in Europe behind his compatriots Fabregas, Xavi and Iniesta (See BSports Prolific Passer charts below)
• Koke, who's been a huge part of Atletico Madrid's success so far this season in La Liga and the Champions League has been linked with several clubs in Europe. However, rumors linking him to Manchester United have escalated after David Moyes was spotted at Atletico Madrid's 2-0 win over Porto yesterday. His contract release clause has been reported by several media outlets to be about 24 million euros. He is valued at 20 million Euros by Transfermarkt.com

Creative players and prolific passers charts from BSports (Updated through 12/4/2013):