The 17th edition of the CIES Football Observatory Monthly Report analyses monetary flows related to the transfer of players within European football. Since 2010, big-5 league team investments have grown almost continually year after year to reach a new record of €4.2 billion in 2016. English Premier League clubs account for about 40% of the total expenditure.

The 16th edition of the Monthly Report presents the exclusive approach developed by the CIES Football Observatory research team to estimate both the transfer value and the fee paying transfer probability of professional footballers. The methodology is illustrated through the presentation of the big-5 league players who, on June 1st 2016, were at the top of the rankings for both transfer value and probability.

Issue number 15 of the Monthly Report presents the exclusive method to objectively measure the technical performance of players that the CIES Observatory has been developing since 2010. The approach is illustrated by presenting the rankings of the best big-5 footballers in 2015/2016 per both area of the game and position. The Report also identifies the best performing players in comparison to teammates. This type of analysis is particularly useful in unveiling the potential of footballers who do not yet play for the most competitive clubs.

As a continuation of the analysis published in February 2015, this Monthly Report presents the experience capital approach developed by the CIES Football Observatory to identify players most likely to succeed in their career. The Report presents the most experienced U23 players taking part in 31 top division leagues of UEFA member associations. The study also highlights the crucial role played by competitions outside of the big-5 leagues in the sporting development of footballers present in these championships.

The thirteenth edition of the CIES Football Observatory Monthly Report analyses the evolution of the fielding of young players in 31 European top division leagues. Between 2009 and 2015, the overall percentage of minutes played by U22 footballers has remained stable. However, for young nationals this figure has decreased. This trend reflects the growing mobility of players from a very early age.

The twelfth Monthly Report of the CIES Football Observatory analyses the presence of foreign players in 37 top division leagues worldwide: 12 European, 12 Asian, 12 from Latin America and the American MLS. Overall, foreign players represent 26.6% of squads, with a maximum of 66.5% in the English Premier League and a minimum of 6.1% in the Brazilian Serie A.