Over the last few years, the Premier League has seen its record transfer fee smashed on multiple occasions. The dominance of Manchester City, who are already favourites with football bet uk odds to win their fifth consecutive league title, has left the other 19 teams playing catch up and, in a bid to rebuild their squads, they have simply had to splash the cash.
While not all big-money moves work out, there are those signings who have proved their worth when it comes to winning the biggest prizes. As we eagerly await the Premier League summer window, let’s reflect on some of the biggest transfers in England’s top flight.
Moisés Caicedo – Brighton to Chelsea
When Roman Abramovic sold Chelsea in 2022, not many would have envisioned new owner Tod Boehly splashing the same amount of cash as the Russian, but the Blues have made several high-profile signings and broke the Premier League transfer record last summer to bring Moisés Caicedo in from Brighton for £115 million.
The midfielder was initially looking like he would sign for Liverpool after the Reds bid for the Ecuadorian with just a few weeks left of the window, but a lengthy seven-year contract was enough to persuade Caicedo to trade the South Coast and the Seagulls for Stamford Bridge. While he flattered to deceive in his debut campaign, at 22 years old, there is still plenty of time to turn things around.
Declan Rice – West Ham United to Arsenal
It was always going to take a big money move to prise Declan Rice away from West Ham, but when Arsenal came calling and spent just over £105 million on the England international’s signature, it was clear the Gunner would become serious title contenders.
Indeed, Rice has added that protection in front of Mikel Arteta’s defence that ensured they conceded the fewest goals in the Premier League last term, and after another season growing in experience, it wouldn’t be a surprise if Rice is soon to be adding more medals to the collection he started in Prague when he lifted the UEFA Europa Conference League with the Irons.
Jack Grealish – Aston Villa to Manchester City
Pep Guardiola has a great reputation for developing players, and when he spent £100 million to bring Jack Grealish to City in 2021 to break the record transfer fee at the time, it looked as if he had found the missing piece of the puzzle to balance his side.
Having won the league in all three of his seasons at the Etihad Stadium, as well as a Champions League, Grealish has matured in his game despite lacking the creativity we saw from him at Aston Villa. The 2022-23 campaign was his most influential but injuries have caught up to the winger, who has perhaps enjoyed his best football at the top level and could be heading for the exit door this summer after getting just six goal contributions last term.
Paul Pogba – Juventus to Manchester United
The transfer that had the world stop in motion seemingly at the time, Paul Pogba became the most expensive player in the world when Manchester United forked out £89 million to sign the Frenchman from Juventus in 2016.
While Pogba was a superstar when he arrived in Manchester, his time under several managers was defined by injury and inconsistency. Pogba was a shadow of the player we saw in Turin but did enjoy a purple patch in 2018 where we caught glimpses of his excellence that earned him a World Cup with his country, in which he scored in the final.
There have been several other big moves that we may have missed out on due to the lengthy contracts and instalments required for the transfers to happen. The likes of Enzo Fernandez and Mykhailo Mudryk have joined Chelsea, while Darwin Núñez became Liverpool’s record transfer when he joined the Reds for a reported £78 million in total.
Expect plenty of other big transfers this summer as the likes of United and Tottenham Hotspur attempt to rebuild their squad, whilst newly promoted sides like Leicester City attempt to stay in the league.
