Loading...
Exploring the European professional soccer market: a network analysis of inter-league transfers
Karabıçak,Orçun Dede,Sinan Van den Oord,Steven Zucca,Claudia
Karabıçak,Orçun
Dede,Sinan
Van den Oord,Steven
Zucca,Claudia
Abstract
The European professional soccer market (EPSM) can be considered a network of player transfers between professional soccer clubs (PSCs). Using a social network perspective, we contribute to understanding inter-league transfer market dynamics, focusing on the strategic role played by PSCs within the network and the relevance of a globalized culture proximity among PSCs. An Exponential Random Graph Model (ERGM) tests four hypotheses considering five European professional soccer leagues in the 2023 European market. Results indicate: 1) selling players in an inter-league transfer market is affected by PSC participation in the UEFA tournaments, given the positional embeddedness of the PSC; 2) the higher the variety of players' nationalities represented inside each PSC, the higher the probability of being successful in acquiring new players through inter-league transfers, given the proximity in PSC globalized culture. 3) Transfer strategic decisions are not in place in the inter-league market. Implications of these findings are discussed.
Description
Date
2025-11
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Research Projects
Organizational Units
Journal Issue
Keywords
Knowledge transfer, Empirical-evidence, Football, Globalization, Models, Labor
Citation
Karabıçak, O, Dede, S, Van den Oord, S & Zucca, C 2025, 'Exploring the European professional soccer market : a network analysis of inter-league transfers', Soccer & Society. https://doi.org/10.1080/14660970.2025.2593270