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With each passing window, Premier League clubs continue to splash the cash and raise the price tags forever more. Indeed, sides are frequently breaking their own transfer record in search of the next best player, with nine-figure sums now becoming commonplace among the elite.
New transfer records are likely to be set every window from now until the end of time, but who is each team’s record buy as it stands?
FFT runs through the list…
Arsenal: Nicolas Pepe (£72m, 2019)
It’s fair to say Nicolas Pepe hasn’t done quite as well at Arsenal as the Gunners previous record signing, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.
The Ivory Coast winger has shown flashes of brilliance since joining from Lille, but he’s just not produced his best nearly consistently enough. Mikel Arteta decided to loan him to Nice for the 2022/23 season, too, effectively ending Pepe’s ill-fated time in North London.
Aston Villa: Emi Buendia (£33m, 2021)
Aston Villa’s marquee signing of their busy 2021 summer transfer window, Emi Buendia earned his big move after tearing up the Championship with Norwich.
The Argentina international has provided plenty of creative spark for Villa, fashioning more big chances than anyone else for them in 2021/22. He hasn’t quite lived up to the price tag thus far, though, but he does show flashes of brilliance that are just waiting for that more consistent edge.
Bournemouth: Jefferson Lerma (£25m, 2018)
Jefferson Lerma might have left Bournemouth following their relegation from the top flight in 2020 – but he stayed put and played an important part in their return for 2022/23.
A no-nonsense presence in the Cherries midfield, the Colombia international has sometimes taken things a little too far – receiving a six-match ban for biting in the Championship during the 2021/22 campaign.
Brentford: Keane Lewis-Potter (£17m, 2022)
Signed from Hull City in the summer of 2022, Lewis-Potter has struggled to make as big an impact on the Brentford side as he would have liked in his debut campaign.
The England U21 international has had to settle for sporadic appearances in the first team, especially when considering his preferred left-wing position is irregularly used in Thomas Frank’s 3-5-2 system.
Brighton: Enock Mwepu (£20.7m*, 2021)
Part of a seemingly endless stream of talent rolling off the Red Bull Salzburg production line, Enock Mwepu brought Champions League experience to Brighton.
The Zambia midfielder settled in nicely with the Seagulls, winning the club’s Goal of the Season award for his stunning curling effort against Liverpool at Anfield. However, in October 2022, Mwepu retired from professional football at the age of 24 after being diagnosed with a rare hereditary heart condition.
*Reported (actual fee undisclosed)
Chelsea: Enzo Fernandez (£106.8m, 2023)
In June 2022, Benfica signed Enzo Fernandez for a fee that, including add ons, totalled just shy of £16 million. For a player born in January 2001, that would not be enough to break the British transfer record at any point in the Argentine’s life.
Just seven months later, a Todd Boehly-powered spending spree at Chelsea saw £90m added onto that valuation, and a signing that came in just under the wire on January 2023’s transfer deadline day brought the now-World Cup winner to Stamford Bridge.
Crystal Palace: Christian Benteke (£27m, 2016)
A Belgian international striker who has fared rather better following a record-breaking move, Christian Benteke left Liverpool for Crystal Palace six years ago.
He’s hit double figures twice in a campaign twice for the Eagles, with surely his most memorable goal a 95th-minute winner away to arch-rivals Brighton in February 2021.
Everton: Gylfi Sigurdsson (£45m, 2017)
Three years after signing Lukaku from Chelsea for £31.8 million, Everton smashed their transfer record with the capture of Gylfi Sigurdsson from Swansea.
But with the exception of 2018/19 – when he finished with 19 league goal contributions (13 goals, six assists) – the Icelandic set-piece specialist did not repay the incredible fee and leaves this summer a free agent.
Fulham: Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa (£27m, 2018)
Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa remains Fulham’s priciest-ever player, and, while the Cameroonian struggled to settle in England, he has since proven his worth by tearing up Serie A with the high-flying Napoli.
Anguissa arrived from Marseille upon promotion but when Fulham slid back down to the Championship, the tough midfielder went abroad on loan to Villarreal before a spell with Napoli. Napoli exercised that option to keep him in the summer of 2022, and Anguissa hasn’t looked back since.
Leeds: Georginio Rutter (£36m, 2023)
Leeds United signed promising French forward Georginio Rutter from Hoffenheim in the January 2023 transfer window on a five-and-a-half year contract, for a fee worth £36 million.
The France U21 international made his debut for the Lilywhites against Accrington Stanley in the FA Cup fourth round, and, with his physical stature, could be the answer to Leeds’ centre forward problem.
Leicester: Youri Tielemans (£35m, 2019)
As the man who scored the (stunning) goal which gave Leicester their first-ever FA Cup in 2021, Youri Tielemans arguably needn’t have done anything else to justify his price tag.
But the Belgian playmaker has become one of the Foxes’ standout players since signing from Monaco – he’s out of contract in the summer of 2023, and has already rejected multiple contract extensions to stay at the King Power Stadium.
Liverpool: Darwin Nunez (£85m, 2022)
As Sadio Mane departed Anfield, Liverpool moved to bring in one of the most prodigious forwards in Europe: Uruguay hotshot Darwin Nunez.
The then-22-year-old joined from Benfica – for whom he scored against his new club home and away in last season’s Champions League quarter-finals – and add-ons will see him surpass Virgil van Dijk as the Reds’ record acquisition.
Manchester City: Jack Grealish (£100m, 2021)
Not only Manchester City’s record signing but the most expensive British player of all time, it’s fair to say big things were expected of Jack Grealish when he left Villa for the Premier League champions.
And while the England entertainer took a little bit of time to get going, he’s come to look right at home in Pep Guardiola’s side. The arrival of Erling Haaland has certainly made things easier.
Manchester United: Paul Pogba (£89.5m, 2016)
Was this one of the biggest wastes of money in football history? Paul Pogba left Manchester United for the second time on a free transfer in the summer of 2022, after a seriously frustrating second spell at Old Trafford.
Now back at Juventus, maybe United could re-sign him once again in a few years for another hefty price tag?
Newcastle: Alexander Isak (£63m, 2022)
With Saudi millions ploughed into the club last October, it was only a matter of time before Newcastle broke their transfer record multiple times – and they did it by swooping to sign promising forward Alexander Isak from Real Sociedad, just six months after signing then-record signing Bruno Guimaraes.
While injuries have hampered his opening campaign at St James’ Park, Isak has still shown his worth to the club on the few occasions he has managed to make the pitch. Eddie Howe’s revolution could well centre around the Swede.
Nottingham Forest: Morgan Gibbs-White (£42.5m, 2022)
After 23 years away, Nottingham Forest returned to the Premier League with a bang by signing 29 players in the two transfer windows of the 2022/23 season. The club broke its transfer record on multiple occasions, before Morgan Gibbs-White’s astronomical fee – an initial £25m with £17.5m in add-ons – was finalised.
He has shone for Forest since his arrival, too, proving his worth in goals, assists and simply leading the team from the front.
Southampton: Kamaldeen Sulemana (£22m, 2023)
At just 20-years-old, Kamaldeen Sulemana had impressed so much at World Cup 2022 for Ghana that Southampton decided to smash their transfer record and pay £22 million for the left-winger.
Indeed, Sulemana had managed just 314 minutes for Rennes in Ligue 1 before his January switch to Southampton, but could prove everything the south-coast side need in their battle for survival.
Tottenham: Tanguy Ndombele (£63m, 2019)
A mercurial talent, Tanguy Ndombele has produced moments of sublime brilliance for Tottenham – such as his outrageous, half-volleyed lob against Sheffield United – but on the whole, he’s been a letdown.
Things came to a head as Spurs fans booed the Frenchman off the pitch during an FA Cup tie with Morecambe in 2022; he returned to Lyon on loan a few weeks later, before ending up on loan at Napoli in Serie A.
West Ham: Sebastien Haller (£45m, 2019)
Managing only 10 goals in 48 Premier League appearances, Sebastian Haller never really made his mark for West Ham – and he joined Ajax after only 18 months at the London Stadium.
He did, though, produce one moment which will be remembered forever: an incredible overhead kick against Crystal Palace, which proved to be his last goal for the Hammers.
Wolves: Matheus Nunes (£42.2m, 2023)
Another Portuguese star rocking up at Molineux, Nunes added some much needed creativity and energy to a lethargic Wolves midfield when he was signed from Sporting Lisbon for the 2022/23 season.
Arguably the perfect replacement for the ageing Joao Moutinho, Nunes has dovetailed nicely with Ruben Neves in the centre of midfield.
