Transfermarkt has been releasing a lot of lists and best of formations due to its updated transfer valuations, and Liverpool fans will have a bone to pick with the latest most valuable XI for the Premier League.
Not a single Liverpool player makes the squad despite the fact that the Reds are first in the Premier League by XI points. Arsenal and Manchester City led the way with four players in the team, each.
David Raya got the nod in goal; William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes combined with Josko Gvardiol to form the back line; Rodri and Declan Rice are the double-pivot in midfield; Cole Palmer is the playmaker; Phil Foden and Bukayo Saka are the winger duo; and Erling Haaland and Alexander Isak obviously make the grade as the two strikers.
Ryan Gravenberch deserves more praise
Granted, three of Liverpool’s most important players are older in age and therefore have less value on the transfer market, but there are more great players on the Reds than Alisson Becker, Mohamed Salah, and Virgil van Dijk.
Ryan Gravenberch, for example, is a 22-year-old center midfielder who is the bedrock of this Liverpool side and has outperformed Declan Rice this season. He is younger and has been better than Rice. But because Rice is a bigger name and is English, apparently he is worth more than the Dutchman.
Then there is the biggest omission, Trent Alexander-Arnold. TAA is by far the most valuable right back in world football as a proven 26-year-old who is a generational playmaker capable of registering 10 assists per season.
It’s hard to see how Foden, in particular, is worth more than the most valuable right back in the world, as the left winger has been absolutely anonymous for Manchester City this season, playing a role in the Citizens being arguably the most disappointing team in the league. He’s not even a regular starter for City.
While his contract is running out- and perhaps that played into the valuation of Alexander-Arnold – we haven’t seen Transfermarkt consistently apply that rule among players. Nor does it determine the right back’s value in a vacuum, which has to be higher than Foden’s right now.
Despite not getting the credit they are due by mainstream evaluators like Transfermarkt, all the other top clubs in the world understand how important Liverpool players are and how desirable they are on the open market; there’s a reason why Alexander-Arnold is seen by Real Madrid as their ONLY option at right back.
Other Liverpool players who merit consideration include center back Ibrahima Konate, who has outperformed Gvardiol significantly at the center back position, and the underrated Cody Gakpo, one of many attacking players outperforming Foden this season.
Joe Soriano covers West Ham for Green Street Hammers and writes about Real Madrid for The Real Champs. He has extensive experience covering world football since 2014. Joe is an editor for The Trivela Effect, where he covers the biggest clubs in European football. He has watched professional sports regularly since 2002 and can be found playing the same sports he covers with his friends.