The 545th CIES Football Observatory Weekly Post shows that 65.2% of teams across 55 leagues worldwide have changed their head coach at least once over the past year. This proportion is close to that recorded on the same date last year (see here). This finding reflects chronic instability in most clubs.

By league, the figures range from 100% of clubs having changed their manager over the past 365 days in the Cyprus top division (14 out of 14) to just 18.8% in Norway’s top tier (3 clubs out of 16). These disparities reflect the existence of considerable differences in the way clubs are managed, which are also visible at player level in terms of squad stability (see our Demographic Atlas).

The Post also presents data on the age of coaches (in this case, excluding those currently serving in an interim capacity). The overall average is 49.5 years, with the highest average age in Bulgaria (55.6 years ; no coach under the age of 40) and the lowest in Sweden (43.5 years). With respect to age too, the geographical differences are striking.

>>> Full study

>>> New Prospect Sheet with Impect : Thomas Jörgensen

Dear subscribers,

Many of you have already taken part in our survey to share your views on various topics relating to men’s professional football. Thank you very much!

However, we would still like to expand the sample of respondents. That is why we are writing to you one last time to invite those who have not yet taken part to do so.

The results of the survey, which is completely anonymous, will be published ahead of the next World Cup. Please take three minutes at most to complete this questionnaire, thank you!

>>> TAKE PART

The CIES Football Observatory team

The 544th Weekly Post lists the 100 goalkeepers who did not yet turn 23 with the highest estimated transfer value, as calculated using the CIES Football Observatory statistical model. Topping the list with a value of €47 million is Mike Penders, the Belgian goalkeeper on loan from Chelsea to RC Strasbourg.

Two other big-5 league goalkeepers round off the top three : Jonas Urbig of Bayern Munich (€41 million) and Robin Risser of RC Lens (€35 million). In fourth place, AZ Alkmaar’s Dutchman Rome-Jayden Owusu-Oduro (€19m) is the highest-ranked player outside the big-5, whilst Chris Brady (Chicago Fire) outranks Jordan García (Club León) among U23 goalkeepers outside Europe.

Five underage goalkeepers feature in the top 100 : Dan Lauri (TPS Turku), Savo Radanović (Crvena Zvezda), Deniz Dönmezer (Kayserispor), Einar Fauskanger (FK Haugesund) and Lucca Brughmans (KRC Genk). The Post also presents the goalkeepers’ experience capital over the past year, a metric combining the number of minutes played in official senior matches, the games’ sporting level and results, according to this method.

>>> Top 100

>>> Top valued player per club in 70 leagues

>>> New video analysis Global mapping of big-5 league players (2005-2025)

The 543rd CIES Football Observatory Weekly Post presents the world’s most powerful football agencies. The ranking is based on the aggregate transfer value of the players represented by the companies or for whom the latter hold transfer negotiation rights, according to publicly available information*.

At the top of the list is an agency formed from the merger of several entities : CAA Stellar / Base. This US-controlled group represents the interests of no fewer than 84 players whose transfer value, according to the CIES Football Observatory’s statistical model, exceeds €10 million, amounting to a total of €2.56 billion (up 14.5% on last year).

Gestifute (€1.86 billion, +12.6%) and The.Team (formerly Wasserman, €1.27 billion, -4.1%) round off the top three most influential agencies. Other international firms resulting from mergers rank from fourth to eighth place, whilst two entities linked to individuals also feature in the top 10 : Bertolucci Assessoria (Giuliano Bertolucci) and MS Foot (Moussa Sissoko).

* The analysis covers the 1,300 players worldwide whose transfer value currently exceeds €10 million, according to the CIES Football Observatory’s statistical model.

>>> Full data

>>> New Prospect Sheet: Tarik Muharemovic

The 542nd CIES Football Observatory Weekly Post presents the U23 outfield players currently active in 67 leagues worldwide who have performed best over the last six months. The rankings have been compiled based on players’ performances across eight game areas (Impect data), the sporting level of matches played, results and playing time*.

The following footballers top the table in their respective position: Pau Cubarsí (centre backs), Warren Zaïre-Emery (wide backs), Aleksandar Pavlović (central midfielders), Kenan Yildiz (attacking midfielders), Lamine Yamal (wingers) and Vítor Roque (centre forwards). The three youngest players in the top 100 are Lennart Karl, Konstantinos Karetsas and Kerim Alajbegović.

The highest scores for players outside Europe’s big-5 were recorded for Mika Godts (Ajax), Andreas Schjelderup (Benfica) and Carlos Forbs (Bruges). The top three in South America are Vítor Roque (Palmeiras), Lautaro Di Lollo and Milton Delgado (both Boca Juniors). Armando González (Chivas) tops the table for North and Central America, and Musab Al-Juwayr (Al-Qadsiah) for Asia.

>>> Method

>>> Full data (top 20s per league)

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The 541st CIES Football Observatory Weekly Post highlights the clubs currently competing in 50 top divisions worldwide where footballers who had not yet turned 21 have played the highest percentage of minutes in domestic league matches over the last five years. Denmark’s FC Nordsjælland top the list with no less than 44.7% of minutes by U21s.

The Slovakian side MŠK Žilina (35.3%) and the Austrian side RB Salzburg (35.0%) complete the podium. The top three clubs outside Europe are Uruguay’s SC Defensor (25.4%), Colombia’s Fortaleza CEIF (24.1%) and Venezuela’s Caracas FC (21.5%). Among current big-5 league clubs, Barcelona (20.7%) leads the way ahead of Strasbourg (18.6%) and Sunderland (18.5%).

Across all 50 leagues studied, Nordsjælland is also the club that fielded the highest number of players who had not yet turned 21 at the time of at least one match played (63). The Danish club is ahead of the Dutch side Volendam (60). At the other end of the scale, in the bottom two places, are the Italians of Napoli (2) and the Chinese side Tianjin Jinmen (3).

>>> Full data analysis

>>> New Prospect Sheet with Impect: Nathan de Cat