173 players updated
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Six matchdays into the new season, Transfermarkt has updated the market values of 173 players playing in the Canadian Premier League. And the first update of the season sees some changes at the very top of the market value standings. The most valuable player of the CPL is now 22-year-old playmaker Sean Rea from HFX Wanderers. Signed on a free transfer from Major League Soccer side CF Montréal, Rea, however, saw his market value unchanged and instead his rise to the top is the product of several downgrades.
Heading into the season, the most valuable player in Canada’s first division was York United goalkeeper Diego Urtiaga. The 26-year-old Mexican arrived on loan from Atlético de San Luis ahead of the season with a market value of €400,000. Urtiaga conceded nine goals in four games in his first four games with the Ontario outfit—too many for a goalkeeper with a significant market value playing in the still young CPL. On top of that, high transfer fees, although more common now, remain the exception and not the norm, and, as a result, Urtiaga was downgraded by €150,000 to €250,000.
Several other players with a market value of €300,000 were also downgraded to reflect the reality of playing in the CPL. Those players are Pacific FC’s Emanuel Montejano (-€125,000 to €175,000), Atlético Ottawa’s Juan Castro (-€100,000 to €200,000) and Ballou Tabla (-€25,000 to €275,000). As a result of those downgrades, Rea is now the only player with a market value of €300,000 in the CPL.
CPL market values: Big upgrade for goalscoring sensation Altobelli
But it isn’t all bad news in the CPL either. The player with the biggest upgrade is York United forward Julian Altobelli. The 22-year-old Toronto native lost his market value after Toronto FC II moved from the USL League One to the MLS NEXT PRO. The MLS NEXT PRO is considered a youth league, and players playing in the league don’t qualify for market values. Now back in a fully recognized professional league, Altobelli once again qualified for a market value and, after scoring five goals and one assist in six league games, earned a new value of €200,000.
Other players with notable upgrades are Khadim Kane from Forge FC and Mihail Gherasimencov from last year’s champions Cavalry FC. Born in Mbacké, Senegal, Kane is a product of the CF Montréal Academy and has represented Canada at the U20 level four times. The defensive midfielder joined Forge FC in 2023 and has been incredibly consistent this year. As a result, Kane is up by 150% from €50,000 to now €125,000. Gherasimencov, in the meantime, joined CPL champions Cavalry from the Whitecaps on loan, and the U21 Moldovan national team player has managed two assists in six games across all competitions. The 20-year-old received a starting market value of €100,000.
How Transfermarkt market values work
The Transfermarkt market values are calculated, taking into account various pricing models. A major factor is the Transfermarkt community, whose members discuss and evaluate player market values in detail. In general, the Transfermarkt market values are not to be equated with transfer fees.
The goal is not to predict a price but an expected value of a player in a free market. Both individual transfer modalities and situational conditions are relevant in determining market values. Examples of this are listed below. Transfermarkt does not use an algorithm (you can find the detailed market value definition here).
