In our last episode of Kenyan players valuation, we took a look at the highest-ranked local-based player as per TransferMarkt, incorporating all the other local-based players ranked on the platform as well.We now look at the top ten ranked Kenyan players, irrespective of where they play, by their market value.As hinted earlier, Harambee Stars captain Michael Olunga’s goal-scoring exploits in recent years have seen his value go up to its highest ever at €9,000,000, the equivalent of Ksh 1.178 Billion, making him the top-ranked Kenyan player by Market Value.Matasi ranked as the Most Valuable local-based playerJust over two years ago, while at Kashiwa Reysol, Olunga was then valued at € 950,000 (Ksh 124,482,443) but interest from Qatar saw him join Al Duhail at a fee of €6,000,000 (Ksh 786,204,904) in January 2021.With his scoring prowess in Qatar, he has reportedly attracted interest from top clubs including Scotland’s Rangers FC who were the recent side to be associated with him, according to Scottish publication Rangers Vital.##NAJAVA_MECA_6914101##Second on the list is former Chemelil defender Joseph Okumu who now turns for Belgian side KAA Gent in the country’s topflight.After only one and a half years with Gent, Okumu is valued at almost double the amount Gent used to acquire him in July 2021 at €6,000,000 (Ksh 786,204,904) compared to his transfer fee of €3,500,000 (Ksh 458,509,359) while leaving Elfsborg.Interesting Joseph Okumu stats for Gent this seasonAccording to stats compiled by The Analyst in reference to his performance last season, the 25-year-old defender dominates attackers at will and boasted the second-highest duel success percentage in the league then.The center-back was at the top end of the table of players with the most blocks this season and posted one of the highest stats in winning possession for his team last season.“His reputation as a hands-on defender is only enhanced by the fact that he ranks in the top 25 for blocks (12th with 24) and clearances (24th with 92).On average, he won possession 7.7 times per 90 last season, the fourth highest rate in the league among defenders with over 1,000 minutes played,” read an article from The Analyst.A look at Okumu’s meteoric rise in market value amid interests from Germany, Spain, and ItalyWhere is Victor Wanyama? You might ask.The former Tottenham Hotspur midfielder is ranked third at a value of €3,500,000 (Ksh 458,509,359), a drop from €4,000,000 (Ksh 524,027,972) in August this year.In 2017, a 26-year-old Wanyama was valued at €30M (Ksh 3.93B) but that figure has come tumbling down in the past five years, even as he approaches his sunset years in his career.Sweden-based AIK duo of Eric ‘Marcelo’ Ouma and Collins Sichenje are next on the list in that order at €1,500,000 (Ksh 196,534,552) and €500,000 (Ksh 65,511,517) respectively.The meteoric rise of Eric ‘Marcelo’ Ouma and undying love for OmenaOuma’s value was on an upward trajectory mid-this year when he was linked with a move away from the club but with AIK failing to book a slot in European football it could be one of the reasons the value has slightly dipped.Sichenje, on the other hand, has seen his value go up five times more than it was six months ago. The 18-year-old has been transformed into a defender in Sweden, an area he has done well on the ball although he has been erratic off the ball, mostly with his tackles, and fine-tuning on the same would seem him as a go-to guy for AIK in the center back role.Jonah Ayunga, discussed in detail earlier this month, follows in sixth. His value has skyrocketed following a blistering start in Scotland with St Mirren since joining from Morecambe FC, from €250,000, approximately Ksh 32,721,211, at the start of September to €450,000 at the present day, roughly Ksh 58,898,179.Jonah Ayunga’s market value sky-rockets after a blistering start in ScotlandAyub Timbe recently left Thai side Buriram United but he is still among the most valued Kenyan players at seventh at €400,000 (Ksh 52,359,345).Mamelodi Sundown’s Brian Niang Mandela and Difaa El Jadida’s Masud Juma are the only players in the top ten who ply their trade in Africa and follow in that order at eighth and ninth, at €400,000 (Ksh 52,359,345) and €350,000 (Ksh 45,801,696) respectively.Closing the list for the top ten is Thailand-based Eric Johana Omondi who plays for Muangthong United and is valued at €300,000 (Ksh 39,266,734) same as the duo of Clarke Oduor and Richard Odada.
