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Since the transfer of Neymar to Paris Saint-Germain in 2017 for an eye-watering €222 million, the transfer market has never been the same. Every player’s price has increased exponentially and even good goalkeepers and defenders now cost north of £50 million.
The Premier League is known for its financial muscle-power and even the clubs in the bottom half of the league table are breaking the bank to add better quality players to their squad. For instance, Fulham and Wolves, two newly promoted sides splashed more than £150 million combined in transfers this season. 12 teams out of 20 in the Premier League had to break their transfer record last summer.
Let us look at every Premier League club’s record transfer. We rank these record transfers in increasing order of the transfer fee.
#20 Cardiff City
Player: Gary Medel
Transfer Fee: £11 million
Bought from: Sevilla
Cardiff City bought Gary Medel from Sevilla back in 2013. The Chilean made 34 appearances for the blue-birds before they got relegated to the Championship under manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer the following season.
The defensive midfielder didn’t have the best of times in the Cardiff City shirt and moved away from the Wales capital after just one season at the club. His impressive performances in the 2014 FIFA World Cup earned him a move to Italian giants Inter Milan.
#19 Burnley
Player: Ben Gibson
Transfer fee: £15 million
Bought from: Middlesbrough
Burnley bought the 26-year-old centre-back last summer after having a solid season with Middlesbrough in the Championship the previous season. He missed the starting of the season with an injury and hasn’t been able to get back into Sean Dyche’s side.
The Englishman was tipped to be a regular starter considering the money Burnley splashed on him, but the centre-back has managed just 5 appearances across all competitions this season for Burnley.
#18 Brighton & Hove Albion
Player: Alireza Jahanbakhsh
Transfer fee: £17 million
Bought From: AZ Alkmaar
Brighton broke the bank for Alireza Jahanbakhsh last summer who had a stellar season with AZ Alkmaar. The 25-year-old scored 21 goals and contributed another 12 assists in the Eredivisie the previous season. But the Irani international has failed to replicate his form and is struggling to adapt to the pace and physicality of the Premier League. The attacking midfielder has made just 15 appearances for Brighton in the Premier League, 7 of which came from the bench.
#17 Huddersfield Town
Player: Terence Kongolo
Transfer fee: £17.5 million
Bought from: AS Monaco
After an impressive loan spell at the club, Huddersfield Town splashed £17.5 million on Terence Kongolo, making the defender club’s record signing. The 25-year-old Dutch international made 26 appearances for Huddersfield this season but wasn’t able to save the Terriers from getting relegated to the Championship.
#16 Watford
Player: Andre Gray
Transfer fee: £18.5 million
Bought from: Burnley
Watford bought Andre Gray at the starting of the 2017/18 season from Burnley. The 27-year-old has made 54 appearances for Watford since his arrival, 29 of which have come from the bench. The striker is more than capable of making an impact coming off the bench, offering great pace and physicality. The striker has so far scored 10 goals and provided 4 assists so far for Watford. The Englishmen has justified his hefty price-tag with his performance so far for Watford.
#15 Newcastle United
Player: Miguel Almiron
Transfer fee: £21 million
Bought from: Atlanta United
Newcastle United bought the Paraguayan international from Atlanta United during this season’s winter transfer window. The 25-year-old has been impressive so far and has brought pace and creativity to Rafa Benitez’s side, which they have lacked for a very long time. The attacking midfielder has made 7 appearances for Newcastle and has looked worth every penny.
#14 Southampton
Player: Jannik Vestergaard
Transfer fee: Borussia Monchengladbach
Bought for: £22 million
The Switzerland international has been brilliant since his arrival last summer from Monchengladbach. The defender was bought to replace Virgil van Dijk and has done a good job so far. The 6’5’’ centre-back is winning 3.7 aerial duels per game and a whopping 7.3 clearances per game. He has made 23 appearances for Southampton this season and has been an integral part of Ralph Hasenhüttl’s side.
#13 Bournemouth
Player: Jefferson Lerma
Transfer fee: £25 million
Bought from: Levante
The Cherries had to break the bank for the Columbian defensive-midfielder who had an impressive World Cup campaign last summer. He has been an integral part of Eddie Howe’s side and has made 26 appearances for him. The midfielder is winning 1.4 tackles and completing 1.7 interceptions this season in the Premier League. The 24-year-old is adapting quickly to the Premier League and has put some impressive performances this season.
#12 Crystal Palace
Player: Christian Benteke
Transfer fee: £27 million
Bought from: Liverpool
Christian Benteke left Liverpool just after one season at the club as things didn’t work out for him in the Merseyside. He moved to Crystal Palace to revive his career in 2016 for a club record fee of £27 million. The Belgian had a decent start to his life in the Palace shirt and scored 15 goals in his first season. But his goal-scoring form has dropped drastically over the past couple of season and has scored just 3 goals in the last 43 appearances. The 27-year-old has failed to live up to his price-tag at Selhurst Park.
#11 Fulham
Player: Jean Michael Seri
Transfer fee: £27 million
Bought from: Nice
Newly promoted Fulham spent around a £100 million in the summer to strengthen the squad and avoid relegation. Jean Michael Seri was one of the names that arrived in the summer and cost Fulham £27 million. The 27-year-old midfielder started his Premier League campaign on the high and put some impressive displays. But his form deteriorated over the course of the season and failed to keep Fulham in the Premier League for the next season.
#10 Leicester City
Player: Islam Slimani
Transfer fee: £29 million
Bought from: Sporting CP
Leicester City bought Islam Slimani from Sporting CP to bolster their attacking options during the 2017/18 Premier League season. The 30-year-old Algerian international centre-forward offers a great physical presence in the box and has the ability to get on the end of a cross. He was expected to be in the starting line-up every week given his price-tag, but found himself mostly on the bench and played just 241 minutes that season for Leicester. He was eventually loaned out to Newcastle United in the winter transfer window but his struggle for game-time didn’t end. He finally made a permanent move away to Fenerbahce during last summer's transfer window.
#9 Wolverhampton Wanderers
Player: Raul Jimenez
Transfer fee: £30 million
Bought from: Benfica
The 27-year-old spent the first half of the season on loan at the club, but a permanent deal worth £30 million was announced by Wolverhampton Wanderers recently. The centre-forward has been a key player for Nuno Espirito Santo’s side and has made 37 appearances for the club. The Mexican hitman has been brilliant this season and has scored 15 goals and contributed another 7 assists for Wolves across all competitions this season. He has been amongst the best strikers in the Premier League this season and Wolves might have got themselves an absolute bargain at that price.
8 West Ham
Player: Felipe Anderson
Transfer fee: £36 million
Bought From: Lazio
West Ham bought the versatile forward this season for £36 million from Lazio and the Brazilian is proving himself worth every penny with his performances this season. The 25-year-old has made 31 appearances for the Hammers this season, scoring 8 goals and providing another 4 assists. The forward is also averaging 2 key passes per game. The Brazilian is one of the signings of the season and is an integral part of Pellegrini’s side.
#7 Tottenham Hotspurs:
Player: Davinson Sanchez
Transfer fee: £42 million
Bought from: Ajax
The 22-year old was bought by Tottenham back in 2017 from Ajax. The Columbian international has made 50 appearances for Tottenham. The centre-back is not the tallest of defenders out there but still manages to dominate his opponents in the air. His ability on the ball allows Spurs to play from the back. The defender is not a regular starter just yet for Mauricio Pochettino with experienced defenders like Toby Alderweireld and Jan Vertonghen preferred over him but has shown that he can become one of the best centre-backs in Europe in years to come.
#6 Everton
Player: Richarlison
Transfer fee: £50 million
Bought from: Watford
Marco Silva has been a great admirer of the Brazilian and signed him from Watford when he became the manager of Everton last summer. The 21-year-old forward has been a success so far, scoring 13 goals in 33 appearances across all competitions and is the leading goal-scorer of the club. The striker has repaid the faith of his manager who introduced him to the Premier League. The 21-year-old still has got loads of time on his side and possesses the ability to become one of the best strikers in the Premier League.
#5 Arsenal
Player: Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang
Transfer fee: £56 million
Bought from: Borussia Dortmund
Arsenal bought Aubameyang during last season’s winter transfer window and was Arsene Wenger last signing as the Arsenal manager. The Gabonese hitman immediately hit the ground running at the Emirates and has scored 32 goals in 54 appearances for the Gunners so far. He is in the running for the Premier League golden boot with 17 goals. The 29-year-old has lived up to his reputation and the price-tag in the Arsenal shirt.
#4 Manchester City
Player: Riyad Mahrez
Transfer fee: £60 million
Bought from: Leicester City
Riyad Mahrez was an integral part of the title-winning Leicester City side and is considered one of the best players in the Premier League. Manchester City bought the 28-year-old last summer and he has turned out to be a quality acquisition to Pep Guardiola’s side. He has struggled for minutes this season with Raheem Sterling and Leroy Sane fighting for the same spot but has chipped in with some important goals this season.
#3 Chelsea
Player: Kepa Arrizabalaga
Transfer fee: £71 million
Bought from: Athletic Bilbao
Chelsea had to splash £71 million to lure Kepa from Athletic Bilbao in order to replace Thibaut Courtois. The 24-year-old has been ever-present in goal for Chelsea this season, making 43 appearances across all competitions. His refusal to get off the pitch during the EFL Cup final caused a lot of controversies and earned him a lot of criticism from fans and pundits. But otherwise, he has been brilliant between the sticks for Chelsea this season.
#2 Liverpool
Player: Virgil Van Dijk
Transfer fee: £75 million
Bought from: Southampton
Virgil van Dijk became the most expensive defender when Liverpool splashed £75 million for him during last season’s winter transfer window. The Dutch centre-back has been fabulous since his arrival and has turned Liverpool into title contenders this season. He is one of the most complete centre-backs in the world and can play from the back, is dominant in the air and is a strong tackler of the ball. The 27-year-old hasn’t been dribbled past this season across all competition this season, which is stunning considering the fact that he has faced the likes of Kylian Mbappe, Robert Lewandowski, and Neymar. The centre-back has been one of Liverpool's best ever signing.
#1 Manchester United
Player: Paul Pogba
Transfer fee: £89 million
Bought from: Juventus
Manchester United exhibited its financial muscle-power when they splashed the world record fee for midfielder Paul Pogba back in 2016. Pogba is one of the best centre-midfielders in the world and possesses unmatched qualities. The 6’3’’ midfielder can dribble past opponents, create chances and has the ability to hit the back of the net from long ranges. The 26-year-old has had his ups and downs in the United red but has found a level of consistency under the new manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
