Belgium’s Thomas Meunier has hit out at the crazy inflation in player prices, insisting transfer value no longer offers a logical measure for judging any player’s level. The Sunderland man and former Lille player was reacting to Morocco’s Ayyoub Bouaddi joining Manchester City for 100 million euros.
Meunier played alongside Bouaddi at Lille during the 2024-2025 season and knows exactly what the Moroccan midfielder can do. He didn’t hesitate to praise the youngster’s talent. What he refused to do was tie that talent to the huge sum City paid to sign him.
“Ayyoub is an amazing player, but we no longer need to talk about money, because there is no longer any logic in the transfer market,” Meunier said in comments carried by the “Foot Mercato” network.
“You can buy a donkey for 200 million pounds sterling, and buy a very good player for 20 million. There is no longer any meaning,” the 35-year-old Belgian added.
Bouaddi: from Lille to Manchester City
For all his criticism of the market, Meunier insisted Bouaddi deserves the praise. The young player has developed in striking fashion since breaking into Lille’s first team.
Bouaddi racked up 96 matches for the French club before turning even more heads at the 2026 World Cup, where he started 5 of the 6 games the Atlas Lions played in the tournament.
That brilliance sparked a scramble among Europe’s biggest clubs. Arsenal, Manchester United and Bayern Munich all joined the race, only for Manchester City to seal the deal in their favour.
City landed the midfielder for 100 million euros, a record sale for Lille. The fee stands as a clear example of the sharp rise in player prices, precisely what Meunier hammered.
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