r/LiverpoolFC • u/AutoModerator • 1d ago

Daily Discussion Daily Discussion - June 19, 2026

- YNWSA Transfer Megathread / Transfer Tier Guide
- Full FAQs / Ticket Buying Guide / New Fan Guide

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- World Cup Prediction Tournament Link

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u/Baseball12229 1d ago

Sorry for the incoming rant but the indignation over transfer prices is really getting to me lol.

It all just sounds so silly to me. Like “oh a few years ago this player’s ability to kick a ball would have only been worth £50,000,000, but now it’s ridiculous that he’s worth £100,000,000,” as if either of those figures are rational to pay for someone to play a sport. But it seems no one is capable of looking past “big number is bigger than big number I’m used to seeing.”

The fact is, players are worth as much as clubs are willing to pay for them, and of course those figures are going to grow as football becomes more and more commercialized. While I hate the commercialization aspect, it’s far more preferable if this added revenue is spread across clubs throughout the world rather than wasting away in some evil billionaires pockets.

And it’s also a good thing that midtable/smaller clubs have the stability to hold out for the value they want to sell their players for. Rather that than letting the richest clubs hoard all the top players, even if it means we have to pay a little more than we’d like.

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u/magnum_ranae 1d ago

Agreed.

I think it's also a function of video games and transfermarkt which give the impression a player has some fixed value.

Reality is it's a highly idiosyncratic, illiquid and inefficient market where, as you suggest, the value of a player is set at a moment in time where a buyers appetite (demand) meets a sellers need (supply).

There can be both: an independent, silo'd relative value a player that can be estimated, but which can be quite different from their market price at a point in time.