Analysing who were the top players of 2019 and who saw their values rise can help Football Index traders plot their moves in 2020.
Christian Eriksen
It may surprise some avid followers of the Premier League – and Tottenham Hotspur in particular – but Christian Eriksen has made traders plenty of money over the past 12 months.
The mercurial Danish midfielder went from poster boy to enfant terrible at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium this season with widespread reports of his desire to leave coinciding with a terrible run of form for both him and the club. Yet his price soared in 2019 from £1.62 to £2.52, largely due to expected media dividends and a belief among some traders that he may move to Manchester United. Eriksen will continue to figure in the headlines in 2020 as he completes his expected move away from north London, but if he leaves the Premier League, traders may see his price dip.
Memphis Depay
The Dutchman left the Premier League in underwhelming circumstances after failing to hit the heights expected of him with Manchester United after they signed him for £25 million in 2015. Since his move to Lyon in the January transfer window of 2017, Depay has rediscovered his form playing at the heart of the Ligue 1 side. Until he suffered an unfortunate cruciate ligament injury in December, Depay had scored nine league goals in 12 league starts for Lyon this season (plus five in the Champions League and three for Holland) and his value rose from £1.34 to £4.04 in 2019.
Takumi Minamino
The first Japanese player to play for Liverpool made headlines here and in his home country when he signed for the Merseyside club, who appear to be cruising to their first league title for 30 years. Minamino only made his debut for Liverpool this month in the FA Cup third-round derby against Everton, but already his value has risen from £0.34 to £1.98 in his time at Anfield. He still represents good value at a little under £2 and expect heavy trading in him in 2020.
Raheem Sterling
Traders may avoid the Manchester City and England striker because of his widely acknowledged excellence but his value continued to grow throughout 2019. He went from £2.74 to £6.54 during the year as one of the key performers in a Manchester City team that stormed to the league title, FA Cup and League Cup. Like other superstars on Football Index such as Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo and Neymar, just because Sterling is not ‘under the radar’ he could still be well worth trading in.
Kalvin Phillips
The Leeds United player has become a key part of the team under manager Marcelo Bielsa in the past couple of years. Bielsa moved Phillips from being a box-to-box midfielder into a centre-back and the 24-year-old local lad has flourished as a result. Canny Football Index traders have benefited too, spotting his worth early in 2019 when he was valued £0.41. Now, with Leeds looking good for another promotion push to the Premier League, Phillips is at £1.88 and his stock is still rising.
Kevin De Bruyne
Like Sterling, De Bruyne goes from strength to strength with City and, even if he doesn’t win the league with them this season, he may win other honours and will be at the heart of all that is good about the club. The Belgian will also fancy his chances to excel at Euro 2020 in the summer. Although he started 2019 at £2.52, his value still soared to £5.30 and it would be no surprise to see it increase again in 2020.
Bruno Fernandes
There are always a couple of players around whom the January transfer window headlines seem to revolve and Portuguese Bruno Fernandes is certainly one this year. It seems almost certain he will move to Manchester United and his value has risen accordingly in recent months. He started the year at £0.56 and those who bought then could be trading him at £4.59 now, thanks largely to the media dividends he accrues.
(Article source: The Telegraph)
