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The Premier League has been highly renowned for its extravagant spending in the transfer market over the past decade. On Forbes' list of the richest clubs, the majority are from the English top flight.
The essence of spending that much could be due to the high demand of the players by other clubs, which could lead to an inflation in the price. Another reason could be due to the club's desperation to sign players in order to strengthen their squad.
So without wasting any much time, let's discuss the most expensive XI of PL signings.
Note: the season indicated in front of them is the season they got signed by their respective clubs.
#1 Goalkeeper: Kepa Arrizabalaga (2018-2019 Premier League season)
Kepa Arrizabalaga is the world's most expensive goalkeeper. He joined Chelsea from Athletic Bilbao for £71.6m, bettering the two-week record held by Alisson Becker of Liverpool, for a seven-year contract.
The Spaniard's debut season started on a good note as he was part of a12 game unbeaten streak where he kept six clean sheets. He also played a pivotal role in his team's Europa League triumph that season. He saved two penalties in the penalty shoot-out against Eintracht Frankfurt in the semi-finals. Chelsea eventually won 4-1 against Arsenal in the final.
With the arrival of Frank Lampard as manager in 2019 after the sacking of Maurizio Sarri, Kepa's form drastically diminished. It led to him being dropped by Lampard in most games.
Under Thomas Tuchel's tutelage, Kepa seems to be like a changed man, regaining his form and playing more games. But he is used as a backup keeper due to the arrival of Edouard Mendy from Rennes in 2020.
So far, Kepa has kept 26 clean sheets in 80 games.
#2 Center-back: Harry Maguire (2019-2020 Premier League season)
Harry Maguire officially became the world's most expensive center-back after he was bought by Manchester United from Leicester City in 2019 for £80m. He surpassed the £75m Liverpool paid for Virgil van Dijk to Southampton in 2017. Maguire was bought as a replacement for Chris Smalling, who went to Roma on loan.
Maguire played every minute for United in his debut campaign, helping them finish third. He is generally criticized for his silly mistakes that lead to goals. He has made 94 appearances so far for United in the league and has also scored four goals.
His absence in the 2021 Europa League final due to an injury was a major loss to his side as they lost to Villarreal 11-10 on penalties.
#3 Center-back: Virgil van Dijk (2017-2018 Premier League season)
Virgil van Dijk is regarded as one of the best centre-backs of his generation. He is the second most expensive center-back in the world, trailing Maguire by a sum of £5m. Van Dijk's move from Southampton to Liverpool in 2017 was a revolutionary one for the latter.
Despite van Dijk being in his debut season, he became an instant talisman for the Liverpool defense. Due to his incredible tackles and blocks, he was named into the Champions League squad of the season despite playing half of the UCL season.
His next season was exceptional as he was the runner-up in the Ballon d'Or and won the UCL amongst many accolades. The Dutch superstar went on to help his side win their first EPL since the inauguration in 1992 in 2020.
#4 Left back: Joao Cancelo (2019-2020 Premier League season)
Manchester City's Joao Cancelo holds the record for being the most expensive right-back for £60m when he signed from Juventus in 2019. But after his lackluster performances in his debut season, manager Pep Guardiola converted him to a left back which has been monumental to the team's success.
The Portuguese's breakout season came the following year after his debut. He had a major impact on the team's successful season where they regained their EPL title. They also played in their first UCL final, which they eventually lost to Chelsea. He was a part of the PFA Premier League Team of the Year.
#5 Right back: Aaron Wan-Bissaka (2019-2020 Premier League season)
Aaron Wan-Bissaka became the sixth-most expensive defender of all time after joining Manchester United from Crystal Palace for £50m 2019. He was signed as a backup to Ashley Young, who later departed for Inter Milan in the winter of 2020.
The Englishman had a promising debut season where he helped United qualify for the UCL by finishing third. He finished the season with the most tackles in the Premier League. He played a major role in his team's second-place finish the following season.
#6 Attacking midfielder: Jack Grealish (2021-2022 Premier League season)
Jack Grealish's transfer from Aston Villa to Manchester City last summer for £100m made him the most expensive English player to be bought.
Grealish's performance with Villa made him one of the best midfielders in the league. This led to his international call-up for England and made him a transfer target for a bunch of clubs, but in the end it was City who prevailed.
The attacking midfielder's performances for City have been nothing short of mediocre compared to his previous performances. He has scored two goals in 17 league appearances this season.
#7 Central midfielder: Paul Pogba (2016-2017 Premier League season)
Paul Pogba is regarded as one of the most skilled midfielders of his generation. He was bought by Manchester United under the guidance of Jose Mourinho from Juventus for a then world record fee of £89.3m
In his debut season, he played a significant role in his side's Europa League campaign. He scored the winning goal in the finals against Ajax and also won the EFL cup.
Under the management of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, Pogba had his best PL campaign ever, netting 13 goals and nine assists in the 2018-19 season. This also earned him a spot in the PFA Premier League Team of the Year.
The French international is renowned for his versatility in playing multiple roles. He can deploy as a left winger, attacking midfielder and defensive midfielder. He has made eight assists and scored once in 14 league appearances so far this season.
#8 Attacking midfielder: Kai Havertz (2020-2021 Premier League season)
Kai Havertz's arrival at Chelsea from Bayer Leverkusen in 2020 for £71m made him one of the most expensive midfielders and the third most expensive signing for Chelsea.
Havertz's debut season was a memorable one for him. The major highlight for him was scoring the winning goal in the Champions League final against Manchester City. The German has scored two goals in 17 league appearances this season.
#9 Left winger: Jadon Sancho (2021-2022 Premier League season)
Jadon Sancho's incredible spell at Dortmund made him a target for two consecutive seasons. But it was in the summer of 2021 that Manchester United succeeded in buying the prodigy with a huge sum of £73m.
Sancho's ability to score goals and create assists made him a phenom. He scored 50 goals and made 64 assists in 137 senior appearances for Borussia Dortmund.
But with two goals and two assists in 22 games this season, Sancho is yet to channel the form and consistency he once exhibited at Borussia Dortmund.
It could be as a result of trying to acclimatize to the PL since it is his debut season. Sancho had a poor start to the season as well but ended up racking up eight goals and 11 assists in the Bundesliga. So, history might just be repeating itself again.
#10 Right winger: Nicolas Pepe (2019-2020 Premier League season)
Nicolas Pepe became Arsenal's record signing when he joined them from Lille in 2019 for £72 million. He scored 22 goals and provided 11 assists in 38 league appearances in the 2018-2019 season for the French side.
In the summer of 2019, he bettered Arsenal's record fee of €62m formerly held by Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who now plays for Barcelona.
The Ivorian had a hand in the team's FA Cup victory in his debut season, scoring once and making two assists in five games. He ended his campaign that season with five goals in 31 EPL appearances.
Pepe's most productive phase in the EPL came the following season. He scored 10 goals in 29 matches and was crowned man of the match four times. He has a goal and an assist from 11 league games played so far this season.
#11 Centre Forward: Romelu Lukaku (2021-2022 Premier League season)
Romelu Lukaku, also known as Big Rom, is Chelsea's most expensive signing of all time, with a sum of £97.5m from Inter Milan. The latter bought Lukaku in their club relcord of £68.1m from Manchester United back in 2019.
The Belgian does have a thing for EPL clubs as this is not the first time the 6ft3in individual has been here. He has had spells in Chelsea, West Brom Albion, Everton and United, scoring a total of 118 goals in the league.
Since his return to Chelsea, Lukaku has been heavily criticized for his inconsistency this season, netting just five times in 17 league appearances
