Best out-of-contract players: Reina at the top

Issue number 224 of the CIES Football Observatory Weekly Post presents the best performing big-5 league players whose contract runs out at the end of the season. Pepe Reina ranks first ahead of two other goalkeepers (Vicente Guaita and Gianluigi Buffon), as well as Arjen Robben. Only footballers having played at least 1,000 domestic league minutes during the current season are included in the rankings.

For outfield players, the CIES Football Observatory performance index takes into account the production and efficiency in six different areas of the game: rigour, recovery, distribution, take on, chance creation and shooting. For goalkeepers, it includes the minutes per goal conceded, as well as the number and percentage of saves. Results achieved for matches played are also considered as a weighting factor.

In the top 50 list are many relatively young full international players such as

Emre"> (Liverpool), Jack Wilshere (Arsenal),

Leon"> and

5nLT9jb2RlPTcxMTAw>Max Meyer (Schalke 04),

Sanjin"> (Stade Rennais) and

ZhdG9yeS5jb20vLVJhdGluZ3MtZW5nLT9jb2RlPTQ4MTYy>Stefan de Vrij (Lazio). As for Goretzka, who already signed for Bayern Munich, all these players will most probably be able to negotiate lucrative contracts in prestigious teams.