Next sound barrier broken: Akanji’s transfer value goes through the roof

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“What a player,” Pep Guardiola (52) recently raved about Nati defender Manuel Akanji (28). “We were so lucky to get it.” Since playing for Manchester City, he has become one of the biggest figureheads in Swiss football.

The Citizens secured the services of the central defender for 20 million euros in the summer of 2022. He no longer played a major role at Borussia Dortmund, and he did not want to extend the contract and move to a top club – which he succeeded in doing.

In retrospect, BVB received a paltry amount for Akanji because his transfer value is now exploding, according to the Swiss football observatory CIES. The Neuchâtel Institute has examined players from the top five leagues with a contract duration of three or more years. And the experts estimate the value of the Swiss at 80 million euros.

This puts him on par with superstars such as Harry Kane (30), Bruno Fernandes (29) or clubmate Rúben Dias (26). The transfer value describes the amount that should be paid at that time based on the contract duration and is therefore not the same as the market value, which the player himself values.

Universal weapon Akanji

The man from Wiesendangen ZH is currently irreplaceable for the current Champions League winner. Of all outfield players, Akanji spent the fourth longest time on the pitch last season, with only Rodri, Erling Haaland and Ilkay Gündogan (now Barcelona) playing more minutes.

The current season continues, so far only Haaland, Phil Foden and Kyle Walker have been on the field longer. Guardiola has already used him in all defensive positions, most recently even playing in defensive midfield against Leipzig. “He’s very open-minded, very intelligent. It is a pleasure to work with him.” A praise that should go down like oil.

If you look at the playing times for the 2023 calendar year across all competitions (with national teams), Akanji is also far ahead. He was on the pitch for 5,049 minutes for club and country – 6th in Europe, ahead of all his City colleagues (best value: Man Utd’s Portuguese Bruno Fernandes with 5,748 minutes).

By the way: in the CIES rankings, Akanji is the sixth most expensive Man City player – together with Dias and three other defense colleagues (Lewis, Gvardiol, Aké). In front of him are Jérémy Doku, Rodri (both 100 million), Julián Álvarez, Phil Foden (both 150 million) and Erling Haaland. The Norwegian tops the list with a value of 250 million, together with Real stars Jude Bellingham and Vinicius Junior. (ch)

Source : Blick