Football INDEX: West Ham star boasts tantaslising share price

Football INDEX is the world’s first football stock market where you can buy and sell shares in footballers with real money. Football INDEX offers fans a chance to bet on the future success of football players compared to the short-lived outcome of betting on football results.

Intrigued by what Football INDEX has to offer, but unsure whether to gamble your money? Football INDEX offer new customers a 7-day risk free period where they will refund any deposits made within the first seven days of the first deposit, up to a total of £500. Think of it as a trial period where you will effectively have up to £500 to play with during your first week of trading.

Still undecided which footballers to invest your money in? Football INDEX even provides users with a handy tool to help you make informed decisions. Share prices tend to fluctuate, but they aren’t just determined by player performance. Share prices can also increase based on the media attention a player receives on any given day of trading.  

Below, we look at five players who we believe you need to invest in to boost your portfolio. The first port of call? Serie A’s return… 

BUY – ANTONIN BARAK (UDINESE) 

After a brief hiatus, Serie A returns this weekend and while the game of the weekend is Inter’s welcome of Roma, Udinese are one of the form teams in the league, with the Zebrette on six-match unbeaten run, winning five. Key to their resurgence has been Czech midfielder Antonin Barak, who was WhoScored.com’s Serie A player of the month for December. 

The 23-year-old has had a direct hand in eight league goals this season, all of which have come in his last 10 appearances – the player is in fine form, that’s for sure! He’ll look to add to his return of six goals and two assists when Udinese welcome relegation fodder SPAL to the Stadio Friuli on Sunday and with a buy share price of £0.86 on Football INDEX, you’d be foolish to overlook Barak. 

BUY – VINCENT KOZIELLO (FC COLOGNE) 

FC Cologne have begun to find some form after a dire start to the season, picking up more points in their last two games (6) than in the previous 16 (3). They’ve bolstered their midfield, too, with the capture of Vincent Koziello from Nice, a move that caught everyone off guard and is cause for celebration. 

The 22-year-old may have struggled to find his best form this term, but a pass success rate of 94.1% is bettered only by Presnel Kimpembe (94.9%) of those to make 15 or more Ligue 1 appearances this season. FC Cologne may be swimming against the current to stave off the drop, but Koziello could be a shrewd investment at £0.71 per share on Football INDEX. 

BUY – MARKO ARNAUTOVIC (WEST HAM) 

One of the success stories since David Moyes’ appointment has been the form of Marko Arnautovic. The Austrian struggled on the back of his club-record move to east London, but has been immense of late, scoring six and registering a further three assists in his last seven Premier League appearances, with his partnership with Manuel Lanzini a particular highlight. 

Given his stunning form, it’s remarkable that Arnautovic’s buy price on Football INDEX is just £1.07. West Ham have a run of four extremely winnable games now, starting with Saturday’s welcome of Bournemouth, who the 28-year-old netted twice against last month. You should jump on this price and strike while the iron is hot with Arnautovic playing arguably the best football of his Premier League career. 

BUY – HARRY MAGUIRE (LEICESTER) 

Leicester haven’t conceded a competitive goal in 373 minutes of action, with Mohamed Salah the last player to break the Foxes’ resolve. Harry Maguire may have played only two of the last four games, but was key in clean sheets against Huddersfield and Chelsea and he has a vital role to play against Watford this weekend. 

The England international has four goals and two assists to his name in the Premier League this season, while the Hornets have only scored two goals in their last four away games. What's more, only Brighton (15) have conceded more goals from set-piece situations than Watford (12) in the Premier League this season, with the 24-year-old crucial at both ends of the pitch. Leicester have been impressive since Claude Puel took over the reins at the King Power Stadium and with a buy price of £1.36 on Football INDEX, Maguire is one to invest in. 

BUY – CLINTON N’JIE (MARSEILLE) 

While Florian Thauvin has been the star of the show at Marseille this season, teammate Clinton N’Jie has quietly chugged along, chipping in six goals and two assists in just 494 minutes of Ligue 1 action at a rate of a goal or assist every 61.75 minutes. 

The 24-year-old scored and assisted off the bench in Marseille’s 2-0 win over Strasbourg in midweek and is set to be rewarded with a start against Caen this weekend. With a buy price of just £0.82 on Football INDEX, the Cameroonian could be a budget investment that may return huge rewards should he continue to chip in with a goal or assist every hour of top-flight action.