Premier League

Ilia Gruev

Ilia Gruev, 26, from Bulgaria ➤ Leeds United, since 2023 ➤ Defensive Midfield ➤ Market value: €12.00m ➤ * 06/05/2000 in Sofia, Bulgaria

LeedsMidfield - Defensive Midfield26 years€12.00m
Ilia Gruev

Info

Biographical card, current club and contract facts. Empty fields mean the source did not publish that value.

Club
Leeds
Position
Midfield - Defensive Midfield
Shirt
#44
Age
26
Date of birth
06/05/2000
Height
1,85m
Foot
left
Citizenship
Bulgaria, Germany
Joined
31/08/2023
Contract until
30/06/2027
Market value
€12.00m
Career fees
€6.50m
Youth clubs
FC Rot-Weiß Erfurt (2006-2015), SV Werder Bremen (2015-2019)

Statistics

Career totals from Transfermarkt: this season, then by competition and by club. Minutes and cards appear when the source recorded them.

This season

Season totals are not in yet for this player.

By competition

CompetitionAppsGA
Championship5203
U19-BL N/NE5048
Bundesliga3300
2. Bundesliga2610
U17-BL N/NE2534
Premier League2303
Regionalliga Nord1925
FA Cup601
DFB-Pokal der Junioren510
DFB-Pokal300
Championship Play-Offs310
U17-Championship300
EFL Cup200
Bundesliga Playoffs000

By club

ClubAppsGA
Leeds8617
Werder Bremen6210
Werder U195558
W. Bremen U172834
W. Bremen II1925

Transfers

Recorded moves between clubs, with fee and market value on the day of the deal when the source has them.

DateSeasonFromToFeeMarket value
31/08/202323/24Werder BremenLeeds€6.50m€3.00m
01/07/201919/20Werder U19Werder Bremen--
01/07/201717/18W. Bremen U17Werder U19--
01/07/201616/17W. Bremen Yth.W. Bremen U17--
01/07/201515/16RW Erfurt Yth.W. Bremen Yth.free transfer-

National

Senior and youth national-team spells: caps, goals, shirt number and whether the player is still in the current pool.

TeamCapsGoalsShirtDebutStatus
Bulgaria27042022-09-23recent national player
Bulgaria U2112182021-03-26Former international
Bulgaria U187182017-01-08Former international
Bulgaria U195002017-11-11Former international
Bulgaria U17Captain3162016-09-28Former international

Market value

Current and peak Transfermarkt valuations, plus the history of changes by club and age. Rankings are relative to the current squad, league and position group.

Current
€12.00m
Highest
€12.00m · 09/03/2026
Last change
03/06/2026
Bulgaria 1Defensive Midfield 81Leeds 16Premier League 350Worldwide 1.044Year 2000 114
DateAgeClubValue
28/07/201919SV Werder Bremen€200k
17/12/201919SV Werder Bremen€200k
16/09/202020SV Werder Bremen€200k
10/02/202120SV Werder Bremen€400k
09/06/202121SV Werder Bremen€400k
15/12/202121SV Werder Bremen€800k
16/06/202222SV Werder Bremen€1.00m
09/11/202222SV Werder Bremen€3.00m
22/06/202323SV Werder Bremen€3.00m
27/10/202323Leeds United€4.50m
21/12/202323Leeds United€4.00m
07/03/202423Leeds United€5.00m
24/05/202424Leeds United€5.00m
30/12/202424Leeds United€5.00m
27/05/202525Leeds United€5.00m
17/10/202525Leeds United€8.00m
09/12/202525Leeds United€9.00m
09/03/202625Leeds United€12.00m
03/06/202626Leeds United€12.00m

xG Statistics

Ilia Gruev's xG Statistics block is an Understat shot model for the 2025 season. It does not replace goals and assists — it explains them. xG and xA ask whether the chances were good enough; xGChain and xGBuildup show how often the player was on the ball in moves that became shots. Use minutes as the denominator: a large xG in 80 minutes is a hot streak, the same xG over 1,200 minutes is a role. Figures are rounded to two decimals and stay empty when Understat has no match for this player.

SeasonLeagueClubAppsMinGxGnpxGAxAShKPxGChain
2025EPLLeeds23131000.730.7331.497113.58

What the columns mean

Read this table as chance quality, not as a scoreboard. A player can outscore xG (finishing well) or lag behind it (missed sitters). Compare rows only when minutes are in the same range.

Apps · Appearances
Matches in which the player was used in this league season, including substitute minutes.
Min · Minutes
Total minutes on the pitch. Useful when comparing output: 1 goal in 90 minutes is not the same as 1 goal in 800.
G · Goals
Goals credited to the player in the Understat shot model for that season.
xG · Expected goals
The quality of shots the player took, expressed as the number of goals an average finisher would score from the same chances. A 0.30 xG shot is a chance that goes in about 3 times in 10.
npxG · Non-penalty xG
Expected goals with penalties removed. This is the cleaner read of open-play and set-piece finishing, because a penalty is usually ~0.76 xG by itself.
A · Assists
Goals that followed the player's last pass. Actual assists, not the model.
xA · Expected assists
The xG value of shots that came directly from the player's key passes. High xA with few assists usually means teammates missed good chances.
Sh · Shots
Total shots recorded by Understat, including blocked and off-target attempts.
KP · Key passes
Passes that led to a shot. This is the volume behind xA.
xGChain · xG chain
Team xG from possessions the player touched. It captures involvement in build-up, not only the shot or the last pass. A midfielder who starts attacks can rank high here without scoring.
xGBuildup · xG buildup
The same possession xG, but excluding the shot-taker and the assist. This is the purest 'how much did this player help create the chance before the final ball' number.
NPG · Non-penalty goals
Goals scored from open play or set pieces, excluding penalties.

Teammates