Exploring the European professional soccer market: a network analysis of inter-league transfers

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.