The British document for switch spend has ballooned over the Premier League period, with the newest record-setting transfer coming in at almost 32 occasions the quantity set simply earlier than the inaugural 1992/93 marketing campaign kicked off.
Those that nonetheless decry discuss of the ‘Premier League period’ could also be dismayed that we’re beginning our checklist in 1992, however the various would imply speaking by means of dozens and dozens of transfers relationship again to 1893, so we have had to attract the road someplace. Additionally, it has been 32 years lads, let it go.
It is also value saying right here that we’re solely counting quantities spent by British golf equipment, not quantities acquired – so, for example, Paul Gascoigne’s sale from Tottenham to Lazio in 1992 would not make the checklist, regardless of being greater and sooner than our first entry. There can also be some minor quibbles over precise quantities, notably on the subject of decimal locations and together with add-ons, however we have gone with widely-reported figures.
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£3.6m 1. July 1992: Alan Shearer (Southampton to Blackburn Rovers)
Alan Shearer of Blackburn Rovers celebrates after successful the 1994/95 Premier League title (Picture credit score: Getty Photographs)
Spoiler right here, however the early names on this checklist are all absolute residence runs, with the brand new record-setters broadly getting worse and worse as we work our method in direction of the conclusion.
However Alan Shearer to Blackburn Rovers was an unqualified success. The rising centre-forward, then simply 21 years previous, had simply damaged into the England set-up after scoring 13 league objectives for Sixteenth-placed Southampton in 1991/92 and appeared prepared to affix an upwardly-mobile and impressive membership.
That described Blackburn to a tee: they’d been taken over by constructing magnate Jack Walker the yr earlier than and surprisingly appointing multiple-title successful former Liverpool boss Kenny Dalglish as supervisor, regardless of being a second-tier aspect on the time.
With Shearer main the road, Blackburn instantly established themselves as a drive to be reckoned with, ending fourth in 1992/93. Two years later, they have been champions, thanks it no small half to Shearer’s 34 objectives in 42 appearances, equalling a document for many objectives in Premier League season that stood till Erling Haaland broke it in 2022/23.
Shearer left in 1996 (extra on which later) with an outstanding document of 112 objectives in 138 video games for Rovers – and Blackburn ended up with 4 occasions what they paid for him when he was bought. We’ll be sincere, that is going to take some beating.
£3.75m 2. July 1993: Roy Keane (Nottingham Forest to Manchester United)
Roy Keane of Manchester United scowls at a linesman (Picture credit score: Getty Photographs)
Keane and Sir Alex Ferguson could not have seen eye to eye by the point Keane left Manchester United, however he had given them 12 years of service and performed a key function in delivering 13 main trophies to Outdated Trafford, together with the 1999 treble.
Even after Keane left underneath a cloud for Celtic, Sir Alex described the Irishman as his greatest-ever participant, saying: “Folks used to say to me ‘why do you all the time say Roy Keane was your greatest participant?’. In any case, there have been the likes of Eric Cantona, Paul Scholes and Ryan Giggs.
“After all he wasn’t as proficient as these gamers. However with out query his obsession with successful, the calls for he placed on different gamers and his want to win soccer matches made him essentially the most influential gamers within the dressing room, no query.
“He turned a superb captain by means of that. To my thoughts he was the perfect gamers in all my time right here, implausible.”
£5m 3. July 1994: Chris Sutton (Norwich Metropolis to Blackburn Rovers)
Chris Sutton holds the Premier League trophy with Blackburn Rovers teammate Tim Flowers, Could 1995 (Picture credit score: Alamy)
Not as prolific for Rovers as Shearer, however no much less important in that 1994/95 title triumph, with Sutton placing up a deadly partnership that got here to be often called the SAS: Shearer And Sutton.
Large man Sutton reached double-figures 3 times in 5 seasons at Blackburn, with harm points limiting his recreation time and effectiveness within the different two campaigns. Sutton’s particular person greatest got here as he shared the Premier League golden boot with Dion Dublin and Michael Owen with 18 league strikes in 1997/98.
All of it led to tears with Blackburn’s relegation the next yr, however that title win made the cash greater than worthwhile, particularly as they bought Sutton for twice the quantity after they fell again into the second tier.
£7m 4. January 1995: Andy Cole (Newcastle United to Manchester United)
Andy Cole celebrates after scoring for Manchester United towards Ipswich City, March 1995 (Picture credit score: Alamy)
Sutton’s document was topped not as soon as however 3 times inside a yr of his transfer to Blackburn, with Manchester United’s poaching of Andy Cole from title rivals Newcastle United the primary of that flurry of spending.
We talked about earlier that Shearer’s 34 objectives in 1994/95 had solely equalled the Premier League goalscoring document; Cole was the person who had set that bar the yr earlier than, doing so in two fewer video games no much less.
One other 9 in 18 outings for Newcastle, plus a want to get the higher of Blackburn in a good title race that went all the way in which to the ultimate day, led Man Utd to splash out large time for the striker’s providers.
Cole received off to a implausible begin, scoring 12 in 18 in his first half-season on the membership, however attracted criticism after some high-profile misses and Eric Cantona’s return from suspension in 1995/96, however performed an element in serving to United to the double.
He could not have been fairly the talismanic striker they hoped for, however Cole nonetheless loved seven good years at Outdated Trafford, most notably as a part of the long-lasting Cole/Yorke/Sheringham/Solskjaer rotating forged that served United so nicely in direction of the tip of the century.
£7.5m 5. June 1995: Dennis Bergkamp (Inter to Arsenal)
Dennis Bergkamp celebrates after scoring the third aim for Arsenal at Highbury towards Wimbledon (Picture credit score: Getty Photographs)
Bergkamp did not simply smash Arsenal’s prior switch document by 3 times to quantity, however stood as an announcement of the Gunners’ want to re-establish themselves as a drive in English soccer and ushered in a brand new cultured and cosmopolitan period that hit full throttle following Arsene Wenger’s appointment the next yr.
The Dutchman had struggled to recreate his sensational goalscoring type for Ajax after transferring to Inter in 1993, however Arsenal noticed his potential to supply extra than simply objectives to the aspect…which he nonetheless did anyway, netting double-figures within the league in every of his first 4 seasons on the membership, successful quite a few particular person accolades alongside the way in which
Thierry Henry’s arrival in 1999 took the goalscoring strain off Bergkamp’s shoulders, however he remained a vastly vital assist participant within the nice Arsenal aspect of the early 2000s. He hung up his boots in 2006 having made 423 appearances for the membership. Cash nicely spent.
£8.5m 6. June 1995: Stan Collymore (Nottingham Forest to Liverpool)
Stan Collymore nets towards Newcastle for Liverpool (Picture credit score: PA Photographs)
The primary entry on our checklist that we might say was lower than a full-throated success, given the cash spent – which is maybe why Liverpool don’t seem as a shopping for membership hereafter.
Nonetheless, Collymore did contribute, with a superbly respectable 26 objectives in 61 video games in his two seasons on the membership, together with a memorable double – together with the last-minute winner- within the sensational 4-3 victory over Newcastle in April 1996. Strike associate Robbie Fowler in the meantime loved his greatest two seasons on the membership, each occasions breaking the 30-goal mark in all competitions.
Collymore’s growing notoriety off the pitch spelt the start of the tip of his profession at Anfield, nevertheless, and the Reds gladly accepted £7m from Aston Villa because the 1996/97 season got here to an in depth.
£15m 7. July 1996: Alan Shearer (Blackburn Rovers to Newcastle United)
Alan Shearer in motion for boyhood Newcastle (Picture credit score: PA Photographs)
We do not really want to spell out Shearer’s significance to Newcastle, will we? The Tyneside boy famously turned down curiosity from Manchester United to return residence after back-to-back Premier League golden boots and the highest scorer award at Euro 96.
What we are going to say, for the advantage of youthful readers, is simply what an astonishing amount of cash £15m was on the time. This stays the largest bounce within the British switch spending document within the Premier League period – a whopping 76% larger than the quantity Liverpool had performed for Collymore the yr earlier than.
Completely value it, although. Shearer could not have delivered the silverware Newcastle wished, as he had at Blackburn, however his 206 objectives in 405 appearances in all competitions over ten seasons made him the membership’s all-time main goalscorer and entrenched him on the high of the Premier League goalscoring desk, the place he stays to today.
£18m 8. November 2000: Rio Ferdinand (West Ham United to Leeds United)
Rio Ferdinand in motion for Leeds United towards Liverpool in January 2001 (Picture credit score: Getty Photographs)
A world-record payment for a defender on the time – and never for the primary time for Ferdinand.
The West Ham United youth product represented the apex of a complete new breed of English centre-half: a participant who was simply as comfy on the ball as he was dominant off it, at the same time as a teen. Ferdinand was accelerated into the England set-up, and it was solely a matter of time earlier than he earned a big-money transfer, regardless of West Ham rejecting Manchester United’s enquiries in 1997.
Leeds’ big-spending methods across the flip of the millennium ultimately value them very, very dearly, however Ferdinand’s acquisition was celebrated on the time, and appeared a superb little bit of enterprise after he helped them to succeed in the Champions League semi-finals in his first season on the membership.
Ferdinand took the captain’s armband the next season – however Leeds’ failure to carry onto their Champions League place in Ferdinand’s two years on the membership despatched them right into a monetary spiral, and he was hurriedly bought to arch-rivals Manchester United.
£19m 9. April 2001: Ruud van Nistelrooy (PSV to Manchester United)
Ruud van Nistelrooy celebrates after scoring for Manchester United towards Chelsea, Could 2004 (Picture credit score: Alamy)
A transfer almost a yr within the making: United had appeared set to signal van Nistelrooy in summer season 2000, solely to tug out on medical grounds that proved extraordinarily well-founded after he ruptured his ACL the day after returning to PSV for coaching.
Regardless of his yr on the sidelines, United have been happy sufficient that the striker’s surgical procedure had fastened the problem to return again within the following spring.
Once more their instincts have been right: van Nistelrooy was a smash hit, instantly displaying himself to be one of many Premier League’s most medical strikers of all time with 68 objectives in his first three seasons at Outdated Trafford. After an injury-hit 2004/05, van Nistelrooy returned to interrupt the 20-goal barrier for a fourth time in 2005/06.
Surprisingly, the Dutchman’s 5 years on the membership coincided with a relative silverware dry spell: they received the Premier League simply as soon as in that point. That, plus growing tensions with Ferguson and a training-ground bust-up with Cristiano Ronaldo, noticed the younger Portuguese most well-liked: Van Nistelrooy was bought to Actual Madrid in 2006, leaving with a document of 150 objectives in 219 appearances in all competitions.
£28.1m 10. July 2001: Juan Sebastian Veron (Lazio to Manchester United)
Juan Sebastian Veron poses with Sir Alex Ferguson after signing for Manchester United in 2001 (Picture credit score: Getty Photographs)
Ah, expensive. It has been going so nicely up till now.
There’s an argument that English soccer merely did not perceive Veron; Ferguson actually thought so, emphatically telling the press they have been ‘all f—ing idiots’ for not understanding that the Argentine was a ‘f—ing nice participant’.
Veron truly made a powerful begin at Outdated Trafford, however quickly appeared like a participant who was used to taking part in a unique form of soccer altogether. Damage issues compounded his notion as a big-money flop, prompting these feedback from his supervisor.
However the proof of the pudding on his spell got here as he was enthusiastically bought to Chelsea for almost half their funding in summer season 2003. He was horrible worth for them, too: he made simply 14 appearances for his £15m payment, and left Stamford Bridge after only a yr.
£29.1m 11. July 2002: Rio Ferdinand (Leeds United to Manchester United)
Rio Ferdinand of Manchester United, November 2005 (Picture credit score: Alamy)
We have already touched on the circumstances of Ferdinand’s departure from Leeds and arrival down the M62, as soon as once more changing into the most costly defender on the earth within the course of having been supplanted by Lilian Thuram within the interim.
Ferdinand’s transfer to Man Utd ended up being considerably longer – although not with out controversy. He failed to show as much as a medicine take a look at in his second season on the membership and was hit with an eight-month ban, then attracted public strain from Ferguson in 2005 for not having signed a brand new contact.
The centre-back caught it out and was capable of win hearts and minds, usually carrying the captain’s armband – together with within the remaining of their 2008 Champions League triumph – and ultimately left as a free agent on good phrases in 2014, after 455 appearances, for one remaining season at QPR.
£30.8m 12. July 2006: Andriy Shevchenko (Milan to Chelsea)
Andriy Shevchenko wanting dejected whereas in motion for Chelsea (Picture credit score: PA)
It ought to have labored, it actually ought to. Shevchenko was nonetheless simply 29 when he moved to Chelsea as a marquee signing in 2006, sizzling off scoring 173 objectives in 296 video games for Milan.
However for no matter cause, it simply by no means actually labored at Chelsea. He managed simply 4 Premier League objectives in 30 appearances in his first season, and a better-but-still-not-brilliant 5 objectives in 17 outings in an harm his 2007/08.
Shevchenko was mortgage again to Milan the next season, the place his poor type continued, and he departed in 2009 to re-join Dynamo Kyiv. Disappointing.
£32.5m 13. July 2008: Robinho (Actual Madrid to Manchester Metropolis)
Robinho takes to the sector with Manchester Metropolis (Picture credit score: PA)
A signing seemingly made as a lot as an announcement of Manchester Metropolis’s newfound wealth because it was concerning the participant himself. Actually Robinho himself appeared solely to care about that, anyway: he was initially flown over to fulfill with Chelsea, then (at the very least, so the hearsay goes) thought he was signing for that different Manchester membership.
The Brazilian’s time on the Etihad featured undisputed moments of magic, but additionally ructions behind the scenes with Robinho accused of being a part of a clique of his countrymen – in addition to some accidents, each nagging and severe, that apparently saved him from his greatest.
Simply 18 months after he arrived, Robinho was out of the aspect and was despatched again on mortgage to hometown membership Santos, earlier than becoming a member of Milan in a £15m transfer. Nonetheless, Metropolis had made their desired level, and many extra long-term and influential stars subsequently got here their method.
£50m 14. January 2011: Fernando Torres (Liverpool to Chelsea)
Fernando Torres of Chelsea appears on throughout the Champions League Group recreation towards Valencia (Picture credit score: Getty Photographs)
A transfer that has successfully ruined January switch deadline day ceaselessly by being completely untoppably ridiculous.
After seeking to be on the up after Rafa Benitez led Liverpool to 2 Champions League finals and their first real title problem for years, the Reds had hit a interval of significant decline underneath the disastrous Hicks and Gillett regime.
Torres had appeared barely out of kinds for Liverpool in 2010/11, however that was put all the way down to his solely simply having returned from harm and the final malaise round Anfield underneath Roy Hodgson, who had been changed by Kenny Dalglish only a few weeks previous to that fateful deadline day.
Sensing a chance to succeed the place they’d failed with Steven Gerrard, Chelsea made a considerable supply for Torres’ providers. Liverpool’s response was that their asking value was no matter Newcastle wished for Andy Carroll, plus £15m. The Geordies obliged us all by taking part in a recreation of hen with the 2 golf equipment that ultimately noticed Carroll transfer to Anfield for £35m, with Torres going to Stamford Bridge for £50m.
The transfer didn’t go nicely: having scored 65 objectives in 102 Premier League video games for Liverpool, Torres managed simply 20 in 110 for the Blues, and appeared a tragic shadow of the sensational, smiling participant he had been in crimson.
He did have an honest document for Chelsea within the Champions League, nevertheless (17 in 40), together with his most memorable contribution coming as he killed the sport off with a last-minute winner towards Barcelona that made Gary Neville make a really bizarre sound en path to Chelsea lifting the trophy in 2012.
Torres went on mortgage to Milan in 2014, a transfer that later technically turned everlasting, however he by no means truly performed a recreation for them after that preliminary mortgage spell, as a substitute repeating the identical loan-to-permanent transfer to former membership Atletico.
£59.7m 15. August 2014: Angel Di Maria (Actual Madrid to Manchester United)
Angel Di Maria in motion for Manchester United towards Crystal Palace in 2014 (Picture credit score: Getty Photographs)
We’ll come again to Chelsea in a bit: now it is time to speak about Manchester United losing shedloads of money as a substitute.
Actual Madrid star Di Maria was alleged to be a marquee signing for the membership after a depressing not-quite-a-season underneath David Moyes, who was changed by iconic Dutch gaffer Louis van Gaal in a bid to get them again into title competition.
Properly, it has been ten years, and United nonetheless have not received a Premier League within the post-Fergie period, so you will have already got a way for a way this one went even in the event you’re sickeningly younger or affected by long-term reminiscence loss.
Di Maria was excellent in his first couple of months at United, however then his type dropped off – not helped by a a hamstring harm in November and an tried theft in February that did not assist his household’s difficulties getting settled in England – and Di Maria received even worse upon his return.
Earlier than the season was even out, Di Maria was being linked with a transfer away having been consigned to a marginal function from the bench. PSG got here calling and United reduce their losses, promoting the winger at round a £15m loss.
£89m 16. July 2016: Paul Pogba (Juventus to Manchester United)
Paul Pogba of Manchester United poses after re-signing for the membership (Picture credit score: Manchester United through Getty Photographs)
If at first you do not succeed, attempt, attempt once more… and fail to succeed once more.
A divisive determine all through his time at Outdated Trafford, the United academy graduate returned residence from Juventus for large cash that instantly set expectations sky excessive.
Pogba struggled to stay as much as that, coming in for fixed criticism that was usually honest and typically extreme. He defied these naysayers in 2018/19 – his third season again at Outdated Trafford – with a extremely productive season that featured 13 Premier League objectives and 9 assists and earned him a spot within the PFA Workforce of the Yr.
Pogba spoke about his want to depart the membership shortly thereafter, however no one met United’s valuation; he alternated between the harm checklist and underwhelming type for an additional three seasons earlier than United opted towards renewing his contract, permitting him to return to Juve as a free agent in 2022.
£100m 17. August 2021: Jack Grealish (Aston Villa to Manchester Metropolis)
Jack Grealish indicators for Manchester Metropolis from Aston Villa (Picture credit score: Getty Photographs)
Metropolis have been like a teen with a little bit of birthday cash burning a gap of their pocket in summer season 2021 following Sergio Aguero’s departure. They pursued switch strikes for each Cristiano Ronaldo and Harry Kane however ending up annoyed on each counts because the Portuguese as a substitute re-joined Man Utd and Tottenham refused to just accept their presents for the England striker.
So as a substitute, they went and spent that cash on Aston Villa’s sensational home-grown winger Jack Grealish, changing into the primary British membership to get into 9 figures with a switch payment.
Three years on…that is truthfully about all there’s to say. Grealish has, predictably, had nothing just like the talismanic standing he had at Villa, beginning simply 55 of a attainable 114 Premier League video games since his transfer to Metropolis – although he has been a near-constant presence for Pep Guardiola within the Champions League, together with beginning all their knockout video games of their 2023 triumph.
£106.8m 18. January 2023: Enzo Fernandez (Benfica to Chelsea)
Enzo Fernandez indicators for Chelsea in January 2023 (Picture credit score: Getty Photographs)
Below the brand new possession of Todd Boehly, Chelsea had already spent an eye-water amount of cash in each the summer season and January switch home windows, however topped all of it with the largest bid of all for Fernandez proper on the finish of the winter procuring interval.
The midfielder had solely been at Benfica because the earlier summer season, becoming a member of from River Plate for round €18m (£15.5m) in complete. Fernandez’s good displaying to assist Argentina raise the 2022 World Cup apparently satisfied Chelsea the teenager’s worth had appreciated by 689% in these seven months, nevertheless, launching a monstrous bid that took him to Stamford Bridge.
He is been good. However £100m+ good? No, not but. Let’s examine again in a number of years and decide it once more…
£115m 19. August 2023: Moises Caicedo (Brighton and Hove Albion to Chelsea)
Chelsea unveil new signing Moises Caicedo as he poses for pictures at Chelsea Coaching Floor (Picture credit score: Darren Walsh/Chelsea FC through Getty Photographs)
A shining star in Brighton’s ascent to sixth place in 2022/23, the Ecuadorian had attracted severe big-money curiosity from Arsenal and Chelsea in 2023, which appeared to have performed proper into Liverpool’s fingers.
A £111m bid to take him to Anfield had been accepted and the transfer appeared set to proceed, to the purpose that Jurgen Klopp even spoke overtly about his pleasure about bringing Caicedo in as a part of their midfield revamp at a pre-match press convention.
Properly, that is why managers are briefed simply to refuse to debate new signings. Only a day later, Chelsea got here in with a barely larger bid to hijack the transfer, with Caicedo reportedly having been extra considering that transfer all alongside.
As he defined simply this week: “Chelsea was with me (chatting with me) for a few months. I couldn’t miss out on them as a result of they have been with me in robust moments when Brighton didn’t need to let me go. It was a troublesome choice however, for certain, 100% I knew I wished to go to Chelsea.”
Caicedo received his method, with the ultimate determine coming to £115m together with add-ons, and performed virtually each recreation for Chelsea in his debut season on the membership.
Extra switch tales
Manchester United in talks with midfield star, following enormous u-turn: report
Arsenal to hurry by means of sensational signing forward of season begin: report
Manchester Metropolis in talks over shocking Julian Alvarez alternative: report
