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It's safe to say that the transfer market in England has gone well and truly mad. Every Premier League fan will nod their head in agreement looking at the soaring prices being quoted for so-called stars - players who invariably do nothing on the international front for the Three Lions.
It has had a domino effect with higher transfer fees driving up wages and thereby making match day tickets out of reach for the common fan who has to bear the brunt. But the PL juggernaut rolls on with utter disregard for where the money comes from.
Once upon a time, it made sense to pay top money for a player. Not anymore. Any young English talent is now bought for his 'potential' rather than his achievements.
So who are England's most expensive players ever?
10) David Beckham (Man Utd to Real Madrid) - £24.5m
One of many players from England's so-called "Golden Generation", David Beckham was truly the breakout star as the TV age gave way to the internet age. No other player in the sport had such a huge global appeal and Real Madrid president Florentino Perez saw it right away.
The Galacticos project was well underway by 2003 when Beckham moved to La Liga. His spat with Sir Alex Ferguson at Manchester United made all the front and back pages and there was no other option for the former England captain after he had a boot kicked at his face.
Of course, Real also made a mess of it, signing him to replace - wait for it - Claude Makelele, much to the Real players' disgust. Still, he sold shirts, won a league title and then moved to the retirement home that is Major League Soccer to kick start a revolution in the US with LA Galaxy.
9) Adam Lallana (Southampton to Liverpool) - £25m
In 2010, Southampton were in League One. By the end of the 2011/12 season, they were back in the Premier League - this time for good. And not only was he rewarded with a spot in the Championship Team of the Season, but he was given the Saints' armband as well.
A midfielder who could also play on the wing, Lallana was a tireless player who gave it his all for the club from the south coast. His fitness was also one of his key attributes, even starting all 38 games for the club in his final season with Southampton (2013/14).
Southampton had done well after promotion and they finished eighth that season, with his contributions earning him a Player of the Year nomination and a spot in the Team of the Year.
Liverpool (who have since treated Southampton as their feeder club) stepped in and he was off to Merseyside in a £25m deal as the Reds dismantled that side, even signing Rickie Lambert and Dejan Lovren in the same window.
8) James Milner (Aston Villa to Man City) - £26m
A Premier League nomad of sorts, James Milner had played for a host of clubs early in his career; ranging from Leeds United (his boyhood club where he made his debut) to Newcastle (who bought him when Leeds ran into financial trouble) to Aston Villa where he became an integral member of the squad.
More of a wide midfielder than a traditional winger, Milner actually moved into a central midfield role at Villa when Gareth Barry was sold to Manchester City. However, he would also follow suit when City improved on their £20m bid to sign him.
At City, Milner was not given as much game time as he would have liked. In a squad that was brimming with star signings, Milner saw limited opportunities and he eventually saw out his contract to move to Liverpool on a free transfer.
7) Wayne Rooney (Everton to Man Utd) - £27m
Once upon a time, Wayne Rooney was the most expensive teenager in the world. Of course, that record has been smashed to bits in recent years and a certain Kylian Mbappe could shatter it if he moves by the summer of 2018.
It's hard to judge which player could turn out to be a world-class in the future but there was absolutely no doubt about Rooney's potential at the time. He had terrorised defences at Euro 2004 before his injury when England crashed out on penalties to Portugal.
By then Sir Alex Ferguson was trying to convince the United board why they had to break the bank to sign this prodigy who had also ended Arsenal's unbeaten run with a screamer from 30 yards out.
"There were plenty of eyebrows raised," Fergie said. But he soon got his man boy.
13 years later, he moved back to Merseyside after becoming the club's record goalscorer with 253 goals.
6) Luke Shaw (Southampton to Manchester United) - £30m
If United had broken the record transfer fee to sign a teenager when they signed Rooney in 2004, they broke it again a decade later when they signed Luke Shaw from Southampton.
Shaw was such a talented player in his youth that he was playing against players two to three years older than him. He broke into the Saints' U-18 team at the age of 15!
Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester City had targeted the young player when he was impressing with the youth teams but then-manager Nigel Adkins shooed them all away.
when Southampton returned to the Premier League, Shaw impressed in his two seasons, picking up a Young Player of the Year nomination and earning a spot in the Team of the Year in his final season alongside teammate Lallana.
By then his stock had increased almost ten-fold and the club could not turn down United's offer to sign him for £30m.
5) Rio Ferdinand (Leeds Utd to Man Utd) - £30m
Coming from a family of footballers, Rio Ferdinand is the greatest among them all. So good that he broke a number of records in his time - including the transfer fee record.
Having started his career at West Ham, the Hammers could not turn down an £18m offer from Leeds who wanted a 21-year-old Ferdinand.
The youngest defender to play for the Three Lions at the time, Ferdinand was hot property. Leeds' ever-crumbling finances and an impressive World Cup campaign (at least on an individual level) saw the club accept yet another record-breaking offer for the centre-back who moved to Old Trafford to play under Sir Alex Ferguson.
Barring a missed drug test and a subsequent eight-month ban, Ferdinand has had an otherwise unblemished and very successful career at United, even captaining the side and winning six league titles during his stint at the club.
4) Andy Carroll (Newcastle Utd to Liverpool) - £35m
When Fernando Torres was sold to Chelsea, Liverpool needed a new striker and they ended up signing two of them. One was Andy Carroll who had impressed with Newcastle United and earned a reputation as a physical no.9 who could bully big defenders in the box.
11 goals in half a season in the Premier League prompted Kenny Dalglish to go for the 6'4" striker and most of the £50m they received from the Torres transfer was spent on the Englishman.
However, the move turned out to be a disaster for both club and player. In all, he scored only six league goals - nearly £6m per goal.
His most memorable goal was probably the late winner in an FA Cup semi-final against Everton, a goal Jamie Carragher claimed was "worth £35m" (it may have been had the Reds won the trophy but they lost to Chelsea in the final).
Carroll eventually moved to West Ham on loan before making the move permanent for a deal worth £15m - a huge loss for the Anfield side.
Oh, and the other striker who was signed to replace Torres? An Ajax player named Luis Suarez.
3) John Stones (Everton to Man City) - £47.5m
How does one become the most second-most expensive defender in the world at the age of 22? It's a position that takes players years to master and stamp their authority over and yet here was a youngster from a club that had won zilch who suddenly became rich thanks to Manchester City's deep pockets.
Everton were smart enough to milk City for every penny when John Stones had a couple of impressive seasons between 2014 and 2016. The Toffees had earlier rejected as many as three bids from Chelsea; varying from £20m to £30m.
But when City offered to pay a record fee for an English defender, Everton gleefully accepted. Stones has since failed to really impress under Pep Guardiola, making a number of costly mistakes as City finished third.
However, he is still only 23 and has a number of years to learn his trade. Unfortunately, he price tag could weigh him down for the first few years.
2) Raheem Sterling (Liverpool to Man City) - £49m
Under Brendan Rodgers, Raheem Sterling had two very good seasons at Liverpool before the relationship soured towards the end of his tenure at Anfield. A young speedster who could leave his marker behind with his quick acceleration both on and off the ball, Sterling was a gem who needed some polishing.
While Luis Suarez and Daniel Sturridge deservedly hogged the headlines in Liverpool's quest for their first ever Premier League title, a young Sterling who had yet to turn 20 also played his part with 10 goals.
Following Suarez's departure to Barelona and Sturridge's injuries, Sterling suddenly became their main man in attack and finished only behind Steven Gerrard in the goalscoring charts.
By then City had already made bids of £30m and £40m, both of which were rejected by the club. But by then Sterling had had enough and he forced through a move as Liverpool eventually accepted a £44 million bid (with £5 million in add-ons).
1) Kyle Walker (Tottenham to Man City) - £53m
If there is one thing Tottenham Hotspur do right, it is selling their key players for astronomical sums. Spurs chief Daniel Levy did it with Gareth Bale when Real Madrid came in for the Welsh forward and he has struck gold again with Kyle Walker.
In truth, Walker may never have ended up at Manchester City. However, when Dani Alves was lured to the French capital by Paris Saint-Germain who offered double City's wages, Guardiola had no choice but to look within the Premier League and walker fit the bill.
Having impressed in seasons past, even winning a Young Player of the Year award in 2011/12 and being named in the Team of the Year twice, Walker was having trouble with Mauricio Pochettino.
Ultimately, with Spurs looking to finance their new stadium and the Argentine boss preferring Kieran Trippier instead, a transfer was the logical choice and 27-year-old Walker is now the most expensive English player ever.
