Market value explosion

Sturm a club worth millions – but a departure looms

David Schnegg

(Bild: Pail Sepp/Marlene Borkenstein)

Double winners Sturm wrote Austrian soccer history this season. The club is writing chapter after chapter of its own success story. The market values of the players "exploded" recently after winning two titles this year. And according to rumors, a transfer could soon flush more money into the black and white coffers.

The hype surrounding Sturm has been palpable in the city center of Graz over the last few days - the double celebration, which began on Sunday after the 2:0 against Klagenfurt, only came to an end for the last few in the morning hours on Tuesday.

However, the hype surrounding the double winners is also unbroken outside the city limits: On the first day of subscription sales, fans waited for hours in the lines and the permanent seats are selling like hotcakes. The Blacks are also climbing steeply in terms of transfer market values. When coach Christian Ilzer and sporting director Andreas Schicker took over in 2020, the players had a total market value of €15 million. Now? 76 million! That's an increase of over 20 million compared to last season. Most expensive Blacky: Alexander Prass, for whom you would have to pay at least twelve million.

The Sturm squad, gathered here in front of the town hall, is worth 76 million.

(Bild: Pail Sepp)

According to rumors, the club is likely to make another profit soon: Because defensive back David Schnegg is said to have received an offer from the US Major League Soccer. The left-back and former Italy international, who has worn the black and white jersey since the summer of 2022, has a contract until 2026, meaning he could earn a million or two. The rumor seems anything but far-fetched, as Schnegg's girlfriend is at home in New York in the USA.