Manchester City surprised everyone this summer by coughing up £100m to Aston Villa hence making Jack Grealish the most expensive signing in British transfers.
The transfer market is a busy market especially during the summer as clubs try to strengthen their squads ahead of a new season.
It’s the unwritten rule, that the best players are bought or sold for high transfer fees, and in almost every summer transfer window, some clubs manage to break the bank in their quest to acquire the services of a top player.
The 10 most expensive British transfers
10) Kai Havertz – Chelsea, 2020 – £70m
German attacking midfielder Havertz was considered the next big thing at boyhood club Bayer Leverkusen, where he scored 46 goals in 150 appearances for the German side before the age of 21.
These extraordinary performances prompted Chelsea with then-manager Frank Lampard to break the bank as they beat a number of Europe’s elite clubs to the wonder kid’s signature.
Havertz struggled at first in the Premier League, not possessing the physical stamina and being a bit slow. He was unable to nail down a position in Lampard’s best XI.
The arrival of Thomas Tuchel as Chelsea’s new boss changed the fortunes of the London club and Havertz.
The German scored the winning goal in this year’s Champions League final against Manchester City.
9) Kepa Arrizabalaga – Chelsea, 2018 – £71.6m
Spanish goalkeeper, Kepa Arrizabalaga was signed from Athletic Bilbao for a whopping fee in 2018, with many declaring that the young goalkeeper would become Petr Cech’s long-term successor at Stamford Bridge.
Kepa enjoyed a fruitful first season between the sticks as Chelsea’s goalkeeper, saving a penalty with his legs in the Europa League semifinals as he helped Chelsea to defeat London rivals, Arsenal in the Europa League final.
The following season, however, the Blues stopper had one of the lowest save conversion rates in the division and following a series of regular and high profile errors, Edouard Mendy was signed as a second goalkeeper to provide competition.
Mendy relegated Kepa to the bench and restricted the world’s most expensive goalkeeper to a few cup appearances.
8) Nicolas Pepe – Arsenal, 2018 – £72m
Arsenal bought in-form Ivorian winger, Nicholas Pepe after a stellar season at French club Lille, where he scored 22 league goals in 28 appearances.
Sadly, Arsenal’s record signing has been unable to replicate his exploits for Liile at the Emirates, with just 18 goals scored over the past two seasons in North London.
Despite his struggles, the Ivorian winger has had some memorable moments with the Gunners. He provided the assist for Aubameyang’s winning goal over rivals Chelsea in the 2020 FA Cup final.
Pepe has shown flashes of his quality with his speed, footwork, dribbling skills and a wonderful left foot that could score from tight angles. This season could just be the season for the winger.
7) Jadon Sancho – Manchester United, 2021 – £73m
English youngster, Jadon Sancho left Manchester City for Dortmund in search of more playing time in 2017, a move largely criticised by some City fans.
50 goals and 64 assists later, Sancho returned to Manchester, this time to Old Trafford in an exciting deal ahead of the new season.
6) Virgil van Dijk – Liverpool, 2017 – £75m
Virgil is a contender for Liverpool’s best ever signing. The whole football world were shocked when Dutch powerhouse van Dijk was recruited from Southampton in 2017.
Van Dijk possesses everything likeable in a defender. He’s tall, strong, an intelligent reader of the game, and an excellent passer of the ball. The defender has proven to be money well spent.
The most expensive defender as at the time of his move to Anfield, Liverpool can look back and pat themselves on the shoulder.
He helped the club to two consecutive Champions League finals, winning the Champions League in 2019, before a league title in 2020.
An injury to his knee ligaments caused him to miss the better part of last season and the Euros but he’s back to full fitness and will be key to Liverpool’s quest to return to the summit of English football.
Also Read:
- Premier League Contenders For The 2021/2022 Season
- Chalobah Reflects On His League Debut Goal With Chelsea
- Virgil Van Dijk Signs New Contract Extension At Liverpool
- Chelsea Defeat Villarreal To Win The 2021 Super Cup
- Leicester Defeat Man City To Win Community Shield
5) Romelu Lukaku – Man United, 2017- £75m
Belgian striker Lukaku became the second most expensive British transfer ever when he moved from Everton to Manchester United in the summer of 2017.
Jose Mourinho had wanted a world-class striker to replace the Swedish forward, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and he was able to acquire the services of Lukaku.
Lukaku had proven himself to be a prolific goal-machine during spells at Everton and West Brom. He kept up his reputation at Old Trafford, scoring 42 goals in 96 appearances and helping United to a second-place finish in 2017/18.
Lukaku was sold to Inter Milan in 2019, and was the driving force in their first Scudetto in over a decade last season.
4) Harry Maguire Man Utd, 2019 – £80m
Harry Maguire became the most expensive defender in the world in 2019 as he swapped the King Power Stadium for Old Trafford.
After several seasons of defensive imbalance, United decided to splash the cash in order to bring a defender that could balance their defence.
Maguire has been described by many as a “ball-playing defender” due to his trademark ability to carry the ball from the defence to the midfield thereby creating space for the midfielders.
He’s also very good aerially and has a commanding physical presence in the United box. Series of consistent results have led to him being a regular for his country and becoming the captain of the Red Devils.
3) Paul Pogba – Manchester United, 2016 – £89m
Pogba returned to Old Trafford in 2016 after Juventus were assuaged by a £89m fee.
The Frenchman left United’s academy to join Juventus as a 19-year-old. In Turin, Pogba evolved into one of the best box-to-box midfielders in Europe.
His eye for a pass, football intelligence and ability to read the game made Old Trafford break the bank to force the return of their academy graduate.
It hasn’t always been plain sailing, as United faithful have criticized Pogba for not playing his best. They have highlighted the difference in his game when he plays for France compared to when he plays for the Red Devils.
2) Romelu Lukaku – Chelsea, 2021- £97.5m
On 12 August 2021, Lukaku returned to his former club Chelsea, exactly 10 years after he had originally joined the club, for a reported club record fee of £97.5m.
The amount was over ten times more than what they paid for him a decade earlier. He is also the most expensive player in football history based on accumulated transfer fees. The fact that he appears twice in this list certainly highlights this fact.
The Belgian will wear the number 18 shirt again and will be looking to impress in his second stint.
Lukaku is largely expected to fill adequately the shoes Timo Werner has failed to fill in Chelsea’s striking position.
1) Jack Grealish -Manchester City, 2021 – £100m
On 5 August 2021, Manchester City signed Grealish on a six-year contract that would run until 2027.
Grealish swapped Villa Park for the Etihad stadium, with Aston Villa being the receipient of a £100m transfer fee, thus becoming the most expensive English player.
His transfer fee takes him top of the list of the most expensive British transfers.
The Most expensive British transfers list is dominated by players moving to the Manchester teams, little wonder they both dominated the Premier League last season claiming the top two spots on the log.
Chelsea too have proved that big things and big money moves can be made when you have a supportive owner like Roman Abramovich. They have hence tried to rival the Manchester clubs in spending heavily.
If the most expensive British transfers list implies anything, it’s the fact that despite cries of financial instability due to post covid situation, Premier League clubs will break the bank to get the players of their choice irrespective of position.
Enjoyed the article? Share with others as well. Stay in the know, follow us on Twitter @punditgist.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.