Few sports competitions in the world have so many spectators from all over the world as the Premier League does. The English first tier has constantly taken the spotlight since its inception in 1992with legendary teams, high-profile players, andextremely exciting seasons that haveproduced some of the greatest surprises in soccer history.
Big-time signings have also been part of the Premier, and this transfer window could see a record-breaking move. According to The Sun, Harry Kane isset to joinManchester City, after Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy finally agreed to release the team’s superstar to English rivals.
The Citizens have been long-time admirers of the England international, especially after he made clear to be wantingout of Spurs this summer. They’d meetthe $220 million price tag Levy set for Kane, establishing the record transferin the Premier League history. Here, find out who are the 10 most expensive signings in the league so far, with the figures provided by TransferMarkt.
10. Angel Di María (Manchester United)
Following an outstanding performance in the 2014 UEFA Champions League final in which he helped Real Madrid winning the so-called “Décima” (tenth UCL title), Angel Di María made a shocking move to Manchester United for $82.50 million becoming the most expensive signing in the league at that moment.
However, as we know, the move didn’t turn out well and it is considered one of the biggest flops in the Premier League history. Di María is undoubtedly one of the best Argentine players from the last two decades, he even helped his national team winning a long-awaited Copa America title, but his lone season at Manchester wasn’t one to remember. He played in 27 league games, scoring just three goals while providing 11 assists.
9. Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City)
Unlike the previous record-signing transfer, Kevin De Bruyne‘s move to Manchester City for $83.60 million ahead of the 2015/16 campaign had clearly a much better result. The Belgian superstar rose to stardom at the Etihad following a breakout spell at Wolfsburg and went on to become a Citizens legend.
De Bruyne, who couldn’t shine at Chelsea before, had a great return to the Premier League amassing 177 appearances throughout five seasons with the Sky Blues, with whom he lifted the league trophy three times.
8. Kepa Arrizabalaga (Chelsea)
Goalkeepers play a crucial role in the game, even though they oftendon’t get the credit they deserve. Chelsea, however, knew how important having a dependable man between the sticks could be, so they went all in and spent $88 million for Kepa Arrizabalaga, who left Athletic Bilbao in 2018 to become the Premier League’s most expensive goalkeeper.
As we know, that move didn’t work as expected, as Kepa struggled to be the reliable keeper the Blues were looking for and he even was in the eye of the storm for some unbelievable mistakes. Eventually, he lost his place in the starting eleven, but his move to Chelsearemains the highest transfer for a goalie in the English first division.
7. Nicolas Pépé (Arsenal)
As we’ve seen so far, spending loads of money not always pays off. Nicolas Pépé seems to be a clear example ofthat, as the $88 million Arsenal spent on him hasn’t brought the expected results. The former Lille player arrived for the 2019/20 seasonas one of the most promising talents from Ligue 1, but he left a lot to be desired.
Still, it hasn’t been all bad. Pépé may have not lived up to expectations, especially considering how much they spent for him, yet he proved some glimpses of his talent and scored some stunners with his left foot. Then again, Arsenal are still expecting more from Pépé before jumping to any conclusion, but it seems like the $88 million bid for him was way too excessive.
6. Kai Havertz (Chelsea)
Following a season without spending due to a transfer ban, Chelsea were desperate to make big-name signings ahead of the 2020/21 season looking to get back to local and continental prominence. Kai Havertz became their record-breaking signing for $88 million and he ended up responding in the best possible way.
The 22-year-old has made a statement at Bayer Leverkusen, yet few clubs were able to spend after the pandemic outbreak. That wasn’t the case for the Blues, who seized their huge budget and secured the German superstar. Havertz may have struggled to shine during his first season, but he paidback the confidence in him scoring the winner in the 2020/21 Champions League Final.
5. Virgil van Dijk (Liverpool)
They say that a good attack can win games, while a good defense wins championships. Liverpool made a wise decision in January 2018 byspending $93.12 million on Virgil van Dijk to add the piece they were missing to get back to glory days.
The former Southampton defender was ready to chase a new challenge in his career, but the question was who wasgoing to meet Soton’s demands. The Reds seemed to make a bold move at that time, spending too much money for a centerback, but eventually, they proved to be right. The Dutchman has become a key piece at Liverpool’s defense and helped themto succeedat theChampions and PremierLeague.
4. Romelu Lukaku (Manchester United)
The Red Devils are once again on this list, proving they were desperateand wealthy enough to make some of the biggest signings in the Premier League. Manchester United paid $93.17 million to Everton for Romelu Lukaku in 2017, who became a goal-scoring machine at the Goodison Park.
The Belgian striker was up to the challenge at Old Trafford, but the club wasn’t at its best times at that moment. Lukaku was one of the few standoutsin disappointing years for the Red Devils, as he scored 42 goals in 96 Premier League appearances.
3. Jadon Sancho (Manchester United)
A highly-anticipated move that finally became true, Manchester United sealed Jadon Sancho’s arrival from Borussia Dortmund for $93.50 million ahead of the 2021/22 season. It was no secret that United were long-time admirers of Sancho, who was a complete standout at the Bundesliga.
Aiming towin silverware after a long time, they have finally secured the England international for alower price than expected, even though it’s still a big sum of money. Needless to say, the Premier League fans will be in for a treat this season.
2. Harry Maguire (Manchester United)
Following van Dijk’s record signing for a defender in early 2018, Manchester United seemed to have learned thatto fight for a championshipthey must boost their defense as well. In August 2019, they acquired Harry Maguire from Leicester for $95.70 million.
The Englishman has certainly impressed during his spell with the Foxes and United apparently saw in him the answer for their problems at the back. It didn’t turn out as well as van Dijk’s move to Liverpool did, but Maguire eventually proved his worth and now he is just hoping to win a major prize to confirm they were right in signing him.
1. Paul Pogba (Manchester United)
Manchester United have definitely made the most expensive signings in the Premier League history so far. Then again, spending loads of money not always secures results nortrophies. The Red Devils shocked the soccer world in 2016 by landingPaul Pogba from Juventus for $115.50 million, making him the highest incoming transfer in history by then.
By signing him for such money, United seemed to be admitting they were wrong in letting him go only a few years ago. The French superstar impressed at Juve and he was undoubtedly a world-class player. However, over $100 million seemed to be a bit excessive for him, and he even struggled to be at his best for the Red Devils. To be fair, Pogba didn’t have much of a superteam to help United tasting glory again and he even delivered good performances, but the money invested in him didn’t bringthe expected results so far.