The Premier League's big-spending clubs have shattered transfer records in recent years, splurging over £70 million on 17 marquee signings. But which of these high-priced acquisitions have justified their hefty price tags, and which have failed to deliver? From game-changing defenders to flop forwards, we've ranked all 17 £70m-plus Premier League signings, with some surprising results. Liverpool's Virgil van Dijk tops the list, but two Manchester United signings prop up the bottom three – find out who else makes the cut in our definitive ranking."
Are Premier League moves costing more than £70 million cursed? Although Moises Caicedo has finally performed well for Chelsea and Declan Rice, Arsenal's record-breaking acquisition, has done his part to defy the trend, this list is still bleak.
Here are the 17 players who cost a Premier League team £70 million or more, including a startling number of flops.
17. Romelu Lukaka To Chelsea
Romelu Lukaku, who had previously spent time on loan at Everton and West Brom, played the best football of his Premier League career for the former. In 2021, Chelsea spent £97.5 million on the Belgian, giving him another opportunity to establish himself at Stamford Bridge.
Following a successful and long-term move to the Toffees, Lukaku joined Manchester United for a hefty salary (more on that soon), then moved to Inter and then Chelsea for a second time. Many, including F365, thought Lukaku would be the season's top acquisition, but he failed miserably after publicly pleading with Inter to re-sign him.
Due to the foolish interview with Sky Italia, the former Red Devils striker's career in west London was effectively over. For the 2022–2023 season, he did, at least, secure a loan transfer back to Inter. He spent last season with AS Roma and the Blues finally parted ties with him in the summer when he joined for Napoli.
16. Anthony To Manchester United
Even though Antony is getting older, we don't see how he succeeds at Old Trafford. Erik ten Hag's first summer with the club cost an absurd £80 million, and because he left so late in the 2022 summer transfer window, United paid his previous employers Ajax far more than his true value.
When Ten Hag arrived, United ended up spending more in a single window than they had ever done before, most notably signing Antony, Casemiro, and Lisandro Martinez.
Antony's silky abilities and wand of a left foot brought him to the Premier League, and his first goal against Arsenal was the ideal beginning, but things only got worse from there. In 93 games, he has already received more yellow cards (14) than goals (12) or assists (5) for United. Despite the data' inconclusiveness, the Brazilian has been dreadfully bad and hasn't looked like a winger worth over £70 million.
United would be fortunate to receive that much for Antony, who was signed for £80 million and is currently valued at £16.6 million on Transfermarkt. What a gruesome catastrophe.
15. Jadon Shancho To Manchester United
The acquisition of Jadon Sancho is among the biggest transfer-related gaffes Manchester United has ever had. When the England winger was at Borussia Dortmund, the Red Devils pursued him for more than a year before finally acquiring him in the summer of 2021 for about £73 million. Three and a half years later, Sancho is no longer at Old Trafford.
After a highly successful six months at his former club, Dortmund, he is currently on loan at Chelsea. United stands to earn about £25 million from his triggered sale at the conclusion of the season. He is ranked higher than the Brazilian solely because it is likely that he will be sold for more money and cost less than Antony.
Sancho, who was never able to find his game for United and lost all hope of improving following his public altercation with Ten Hag, is arguably the most expensive example of "Bundesliga tax."
14. Nicolas Pepe To Arsenal
When Nicolas Pepe joined Arsenal from Lille in 2019, it cost them £72 million. Since then, there have been rumors that former head coach Unai Emery intended to sign Wilfried Zaha but instead chose to sign the Crystal Palace star's fellow Ivory Coast international. Nevertheless, when the news of Pepe's transfer surfaced, this Arsenal supporter was overjoyed. What a poor sod, but he's lovely and devilishly attractive.
Pepe did have his moments wearing an Arsenal shirt, despite the fact that he is generally considered a huge failure. He made a significant contribution to the Londoners' FA Cup victory during the COVID-19 pandemic by helping out in the semi-final and final under Mikel Arteta. For someone who cost so much money, his 18 goal contributions in his first season was a respectable return, if not particularly impressive.
Pepe scored 10 goals and claimed 21 in 29 Premier League games the next season. Some perspective is necessary because, despite Arsenal finishing seventh, he came in second in the voting for Player of the Year. The Ivorian spent a year back in France with Nice after 21/22 was a complete bust, and his contract was terminated in the summer of 2023 since the club was unable to sell him to Saudi Arabia.
13. Kepa Arizabalaga To Chelsea
The most costly goalie in history, the former Athletic Club goalie (that term is being used indiscriminately) joined Chelsea in August 2018 for an astounding £72 million.
He has only made 12 appearances for his country since the transfer, lost his position as the starting goalkeeper after two seasons, and was replaced by a goalkeeper the Blues acquired for about £56 million less. This goalkeeper would go on to become the best in his position in Europe before plummeting and giving Kepa another opportunity to make an impression.
Naturally, Kepa relished his brief stint as Real Madrid's starting goalie during the previous season. Football is a humorous sport. Bournemouth has him on loan right now.
It's a logical professional path, people. In fairness, Kepa isn't doing too badly on the south coast. He is performing admirably, even though he is not exactly playing at a £72 million level.
12. Harry Maguire To Manchester United
In the 2019 summer transfer window, Harry Maguire was acquired from Leicester City for an outrageous £80 million. He performed well enough under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer to be named captain. Unfortunately, at a time when the enormous transfer fee was already taking a toll on him, that led to even greater pressure.
Given his outstanding results from the previous season after Ten Hag stripped him of the captaincy before 2023–24 officially began, it is possible that pressure is the primary cause of Maguire's shortcomings.
Considering that the England center-back is still playing fairly well and is willing to play for a team that has continuously used him as a scapegoat and mistreated him, I have a lot of respect for him. Yes, £80 million was a lot of money, and it was a major factor in his difficulties, but he wasn't all that bad.
11. Paul Pogba To Manchester united
Well, Paul Pogba. What a talent. When Manchester United paid £89 million to sign the player they had let go four years earlier, they broke the world transfer record. It's safe to say that the Red Devils did not acquire the player they had hoped to purchase. In actuality, Pogba had a fantastic first season back at Old Trafford.
Before Ten Hag spoiled the fun and made United reasonably competent in 22–23, he scored nine goals and provided six assists as Jose Mourinho's team won the Carabao Cup and Europa League, their most recent trophy. The French international scored in the final victory over Ajax and participated in all 15 European games. However, he had an equally impressive (second) first season at the club.
For a player of his caliber, six goals and ten assists in the league was a respectable output in 17/18, but a little underwhelming. Pogba scored 16 goals and provided 11 assists in 47 games across all competitions the next year, but in Solskjaer's first full season as manager, things really started to go wrong.
After leading France at the World Cup the previous year, Pogba's 19/20 campaign was severely hampered by injuries. Pogba rejoined Juventus on a free transfer for the second time in his career following another season that fell short of expectations. Due to a doping ban, he is currently a free agent. Pogba's career has been peculiar.
10. Romelu Lukaka To Manchester United
Between his two stints at Chelsea, Lukaku ended up at Manchester United, where he immediately felt out of place. It just wasn't a good fit for a guy who scored 87 goals in 166 games for Everton before joining for £75 million. However, his 55 goal contributions in 96 United games were hardly catastrophic, and Lukaku is spared more criticism because he was sold for just £8 million less than he was purchased.
9. Darwin Nunez To Liverpool
In terms of supporters, Darwin Nunez is unquestionably at the ideal club. From the beginning, Liverpool fans have embraced the Uruguayan as one of their own. He always appears a little disoriented in terms of his actual style on the field.
As Jurgen Klopp's number nine, Roberto Firmino was never a spectacular goal scorer, but he contributed a great deal to the club and brought out the best in Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah, something Nunez hasn't been able to do.
The 25-year-old attacker, who costs £73 million, is a special but undeveloped talent with time to improve.
8. Wesley Fofana To Chelsea
Like Man United's acquisition of Sancho, Chelsea courted Fofana for a while before the deal was finalized. A sum that would surpass Harry Maguire's was discussed, but it never materialized. It goes without saying that he still costs a fortune (about £70 million).
Due to yet another severe injury, Fofana was only able to make 17 Premier League appearances in 22–23 and missed all of last season's games. Enzo Maresca made the smart choice to leave the Frenchman out of his Europa Conference League team, and the Blues had a great start to the season as Fofana only missed one of their first 13 Premier League games due to suspension.
It's really alarming that Fofana hasn't played since being sidelined with a hamstring injury on December 1. It's easier said than done, but he really has to stop being hurt.
7. Kai Havertz To Chelsea
Given his performance for the Blues, it was a small miracle that Chelsea was able to sell Kai Havertz to Arsenal for £65 million. His debut in north London was unimpressive, but after he turned into a striker, the contentious transfer seemed justified.
The Blues barely lost £7 million after spending over £72 million for Havertz, a player who was predicted to lose favor under Mauricio Pochettino. In addition to the poor standard and the fact that he occurred to score the solitary goal in a Champions League final, that is quite good business and one of the main reasons the guy is so high on this list.
Havertz's goal against Manchester City guaranteed his place at Stamford Bridge would never be forgotten. Without it, the German could end up being one of Chelsea's worst failures ever.
6. Enzo Fernandez To Chelsea
Enzo Fernandez, a British record transfer, joined the Blues in January 2023 and hasn't done anything wrong, although he wasn't really active until Maresca signed in the summer. Todd Boehly spent the whole 2023 winter transfer window attempting to buy Fernandez from Benfica after he was crowned Young Player of the Tournament for Argentina's outstanding performance at the 2022 World Cup, surpassing Croatia's Josko Gvardiol. In the end, they agreed on a record fee—reportedly close to £107 million—paid by a Premier League team.
I think the 23-year-old midfielder will be OK even though he still has a lot to prove in England. But living up to that cost is a different matter entirely. For the foreseeable future, he must essentially be the best in his role. Good luck, dude.
5. Josko Gvardiol To Manchester City
In the transfer market, Manchester City typically does well. Your Negredos and Nolitos, who were recruited for a small cost, are not under much pressure to perform, but the players who are brought in for huge sums of money usually make up for it in a season or two.
One of the best young defenders in the world, Josko Gvardiol's transfer to the Treble champions caused opposing supporters to sigh in disapproval since it appeared that they had managed to replace the remarkably reliable Nathan Ake. In the first part of 23/24, Ake performed better than the Croatian, but the 22-year-old adjusted to the Premier League before the year ended and was maybe the greatest defender in the division.
We aren't criticizing him too harshly because his performances have somewhat declined this season, but that is because the entire City team has lost their footballing skills.
4. Moises Caicedo To Chelsea
After a wild debut that left everyone perplexed, former Brighton player Moises Caicedo quietly flourished for Chelsea the previous season.
You essentially want your defensive midfielder to produce seven out of tens every week, but is that enough at a price that is anticipated to exceed £115 million? Fortunately for Caicedo and Chelsea, he has improved significantly this season. At Brighton, we adored this player.
3. Jack Grealish To Manchester City
Jack Grealish is on the podium for deals worth over £70 million, but the £100 million Manchester City paid for Aston Villa is still an outrageous amount.
Despite having a fantastic 22–23 Treble-winning season and a significant improvement over his debut season at City, Grealish still didn't appear to be a player worth £100 million. The one exception is that he cost Villa what he was worth, as he was their best player and club captain by a wide margin.
After City paid a record fee for a British player, the 29-year-old took his time adjusting to life at the Etihad, initially disappointing fans. Again, there is some leeway because it takes time to become a part of Pep Guardiola's machine, but at £100 million, you would hope for a much more seamless transition.
He more than played his part as the Cityzens won the Treble two seasons ago, playing 50 times across all competitions, which is impressive given how much Guardiola loves to rotate. Sixteen goal contributions may seem like a little lackluster, but this player is more than just numbers.
Due to City's weekly point losses, his lack of goal involvements is being scrutinized more than ever this season.
2. Declan Rice To Arsenal
The first player on this list who is unquestionably worth the money is Declan Rice, who has excelled in the Arsenal midfield. Arsenal supporters would not have thought this signing was feasible just a few years ago, but it demonstrates the extent of the team's transformation under Arteta.
Rice's optimum position in midfield remains in doubt, but being able to draw him in is a positive indication. Is he better suited as a box-to-box eight or an outright six? It isn't very important. No matter where her performs, he is outstanding.
1. Virgil Van Dijk To Liverpool
Anfield's switch was flipped when Virgil van Dijk arrived. The day the Dutchman arrived, they were past those pointless losses to bottom-place teams like Swansea City and West Brom. He handled their defense with ease, and six months after coming, he was joined by world-class goalkeeper Alisson, completing Klopp's puzzle and making the Reds European and Premier League champions.
Van Dijk has won eight trophies, been named PFA Players’ Player of the Year, Premier League Player of the Year, UEFA Men’s Player of the Year, Champions League Defender of the Season, Liverpool Fans’ Player of the Season, Liverpool Players’ Player of the Season, Football Supporters’ Federation Player of the Year, and been named to the PFA Team of the Year four and the UEFA Team of the Year three since joining Liverpool from Southampton in January 2018 for a reported £76 million. Not too bad.
He is one of the few Premier League signings worth over £70 million that doesn't end up being a complete bust.
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