Nine former world-beaters who are now in the bargain bin: Dembele, Alli, Hazard, Martial and more

Seb Sternik
20 January 2022

Ousmane Dembele, Dele Alli, Anthony Martial

Planet Sport takes a look at nine players who have seen their market value nosedive.

With the January transfer window just two weeks away from closing, this is the perfect opportunity to take a look at nine former world beaters who are cheaper than ever.

The figures in this article are provided by Transfermarkt and are up-to-date as of December 2021.

Ousmane Dembele (£108million to £27million)

Ousmane Dembele's time at Barcelona appears to be coming to an end, with the club desperate to unload the Frenchman during the January transfer window.

The 24-year-old joined Barca from Borussia Dortmund back in 2017 for an eyewatering £120million.

His first two seasons at the club were promising as he made 65 appearances and bagged 18 goals. The player won La Liga, Copa del Rey and even scored the winning goal in the Spanish Super Cup final against Sevilla in 2018.

Following his steady start to life in Barcelona, Dembele's market value shot up to £108million in February 2019. Unfortunately for the Frenchman, that figure has been on the slide ever since.

Injuries, loss of form and Barcelona's recent fall from grace have all played a part in Dembele's value dropping to just £27million.

With the player still in his formative years, there's no reason why he couldn't turn the tables and once again become one of the most in-demand talents in world soccer. However, it appears he'll have to make his comeback outside of Camp Nou.

Dele Alli (£90million to £22million)

Former Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson once touted Dele Alli as the next top player. The Scot even advised Jose Mourinho to buy the midfielder when the current Roma boss was at Old Trafford.

Just three years ago, Ali's market value hit its peak - a massive figure of £90million. However, just 36 months on, that number is down to £22million.

Parallels can be drawn with his number of appearances. During the 2017/18 campaign, Alli featured in 50 games across all competitions, while the next two seasons saw that number drop to 38.

Last season though, Alli recorded the fewest number of appearances since he joined Tottenham - a mere 29 outings, 15 of those in the Premier League.

Anthony Martial (£58million to £28million)

When Anthony Martial signed for Manchester United, his market value was in the area of £7million. Nevertheless, the Red Devils saw huge potential in the AS Monaco teenager, enough to commit to a deal that had the potential to rise to £58million.

The player enjoyed a promising start to life at Old Trafford, but has struggled for consistency since.

One of his best periods in a United shirt came towards the end of 2018, when he became one of just seven players at the club to score in five consecutive league games.

This was also the year which saw Martial hit a market value of £58million - a figure that would remain relatively unchanged until 2021.

It's fair to say that the last season-and-a-half have been woeful for the 26-year-old. In his last 46 appearances for United, Martial has scored eight goals and now appears to be on his way out of the club.

With the player currently boasting a market value of £28million, the club can't expect a major transfer fee if the Frenchman does indeed depart during the January window.

Eden Hazard (£135million to £16million)

The single biggest value drop on this list concerns current Real Madrid benchwarmer Eden Hazard.

The Belgium international had a market value of £135million during his last days at Chelsea.

Unsurprisingly, Real Madrid swooped for the midfielder in the summer of 2019 and the £120million they spent on the midfielder will go down as the single biggest waste of money in the club's history.

Hazard's time in Madrid has been blighted by injuries and the midfielder has only made 59 appearances in two-and-a-half seasons, scoring five goals along the way.

It's stats like these which have caused an eyewatering drop of £119million from the player's market value.

Timo Werner (£72million to £45million)

Before his blockbuster move to Chelsea, Timo Werner's market value peaked at £72million following a deadly season in front of goal for RB Leipzig.

The German international scored 34 goals in 45 games during the 2019/20 campaign and many in London had high expectations when the player arrived at Stamford Bridge.

Instead, Werner's goal numbers dipped - and as a result, so did his value.

The 25-year-old has made 71 appearances for the Blues but has only found the net 18 times across all competitions.

As things stand, Werner's market value is around £45million - a number that is expected to fall should he fail to improve his current season goal tally of six.

Jadon Sancho (£117 million to £76million)

In his four seasons at Borussia Dortmund, Jadon Sancho not only became one of the most in-demand players in world soccer but also proved that British players are more than capable of making a name for themselves abroad.

At one stage of his Bundesliga career, the winger had a market value of £117million and was inevitably sold to Manchester United.

Unfortunately for the England international, playing time has been hard to come by and consequently, his value has dipped.

Sancho has made 23 appearances this season across all competitions and has bagged two goals since arriving at Old Trafford.

The 21-year-old still has many years ahead of him, which is why his market value still remains high at £76million. Nevertheless, it still represents a drop of £41million and warrants a place on our list.

Samuel Umtiti (£63million to £1.8million)

Does anyone still remember Samuel Umtiti? The Frenchman made a name for himself at Lyon before moving to Barcelona in the summer of 2016.

After two solid seasons, the club awarded the player with a new contract which included a £416million buy-out clause.

It was at this point when the player picked up a nasty injury. However, instead of going ahead with an operation, Umtiti opted for conservative treatment as he fixed his eyes on the 2018 World Cup.

On one hand, the decision paid off as Umtiti became a world champion with France. On the other, he's yet to fully recover and has spent the last four seasons in and out of Barcelona's squad.

This season, Umtiti has made one appearance across all competitions and has seen his market value drop to just under £2million. That is a drop of £61million from his peak in 2018.

Donny van de Beek (£49million to £22million)

Surprise, surprise, another Manchester United player.

When Donny van de Beek joined the Red Devils in the summer of 2020, the player was valued at £50million.

During his time in the Netherlands, the midfielder won the Eredivisie, the KNVB Cup, the Johan Cruyff Shield, was a runner-up in the 2017 Europa League final and even helped Ajax to the Champions League semi-final in 2019.

Despite arriving at United with potential, talent and momentum, it didn't take long for the Dutchman to become just another benchwarmer.

Since arriving at Old Trafford, Van de Beek has made just 27 Premier League appearances and as a result, has seen his value plunge to just £22million.

Gareth Bale (£81million to £4million)

Considering Gareth Bale is now 32 years old, it's natural for his market value to drop. However, few would have expected that figure to go as low as £4million.

Just four years ago, Bale's value peaked at £81million following a Champions League-winning season. However, after being plagued by injuries and following a rift with former Real manager Zinedine Zidane, things quickly took a turn for the worse.

The Welshman featured less frequently and was even loaned out to Tottenham where he enjoyed a positive season, scoring 16 goals in 34 appearances.

This season though, has been disastrous for the Welshman. Once again, injuries have restricted the player to just three La Liga appearances. With that in mind, it's no surprise his market value has dropped to a level not seen since his Southampton days.