The most valuable player of the SPFL era has been named.
According to data compiled by Transfermarkt, Celtic star Matt O'Riley is regarded and the most valuable player of all time in the Scottish Premiership.
The Denmark international is fresh off the backing of scoring 19 goals and contributing 18 assists across all competitions in a league and cup double-winning campaign for the Hoops.
He has attracted interest from the likes of Atletico Madrid - who tested Celtic's resolve with a loan-to-buy bid in January - and they are likely to come back for the 23-year-old again this summer.
Transfermarkt claims O'Riley's value has rocketed from €7m all the way up to €20m off the back of the 2023/24 season.
Celtic look likely to cash in on their star player during the off-season, with many feeling that the £25m paid by Arsenal to the champions for Kieran Tierney should at least by the benchmark for any potential buyer.
This would see the Hoops post another significant profit in the transfer market, with Ange Postecoglou sanctioning a move for O'Riley in January 2022 from MK Dons for just £1.5m.
“With 19 goals and 18 assists in 49 games across all competitions, O’Riley was unquestionably the best player in Scotland this season,” said UK Lead Content Manager Stefan Bienkowski. “Following serious interest from Atletico Madrid in January, Celtic are expecting a lot of interest in O’Riley this summer and would likely look to sell him for a fee in the range of what they got for Kieran Tierney (€27m to Arsenal) or Jota (€29.1m to Al-Ittihad).”
This sees O'Riley top the list as the most valuable player to have played in the SPFL era, which spans from 2013 to present day.
The all-time list in full:
1. Matt O'Riley. Season: 23/24. Market Value: €20m.
2. Amad Diallo. Season: 21/22. Market Value: €18m.
3. Ryan Kent. Season: 21/22. Market Value: €17.5m.
4. Odsonne Edouard. Season: 21/22. Market Value: €17m.
5. Kyogo. Season: 22/23. Market Value: €15m.
6. Mohamed Elyounoussi. Season: 19/20. Market Value: €15m.
7. Alfredo Morelos. Season: 19/20. Market Value: €15m.
8. Cameron Carter-Vickers. Season: 23/24. Market Value:€14m.
9. Jota. Season: 22/23. Market Value: €13m.
10. Kieran Tierney. Season: 18/19. Market Value: €12.5m.
Celtic saw their overall squad market value increase by 7.4 percent, giving them a total of €125m.
In contrast, bitter Glasgow rivals Rangers saw theirs drop by 5.2 percent to €103.2m.
At Celtic, Greg Taylor (+€500k to €7.5m), Alistair Johnston (+€500k to €8.5m), Adam Idah (+€700k to €3.5m) and Cameron Carter-Vickers (+€1m to €14m) all featured in the top 10 biggest market value increases in this update from the stie.
Five Rangers players saw their market value increase by €500k in the form of Ross McCausland (new market value: €1.5m), John Souttar (€3m), Rabbi Matondo (€3m), Mohamed Diomandé (€3m), Cyriel Dessers (€4.5m) and Abdallah Sima (€7.5m), while right-back Dujon Sterling saw his market value increase by €1m to €4m.
Both Hearts and Aberdeen stars Lawrence Shankland and Bojan Miovski saw their values shoot up by €1.5m each, giving both players a value of €4m.
Elsewhere in the Premiership, Beni Baningime (+€600k to €1.5m), Kilmarnock winger Danny Armstrong (+€500k to €1.5m) and Hibernian forward Élie Youan (+€300k to €2m) all earned upgrades.
Looking at the emerging talents of the league, prospects like Connor Barron of Aberdeen (+€400k to €1m), Kilmarnock midfielder David Watson (+€600k to €1m) and Motherwell star Lennon Miller (+€500k to €1.5m) all saw steady increases.
“Away from the title race, the Scottish Premiership has been kept entertained by the consistent goalscoring of both Shankland and Miovski,” noted Bienkowski. “Both forwards have enjoyed good seasons and in Shankland’s case he’ll likely get an opportunity to showcase his talents to an international audience at this season’s Euro 2024 with the Scotland national team.”
