Every Premier League club’s record signing: Chelsea, Man City top list; Liverpool, Man Utd, Arsenal playing catch up

Manchester United's Paul Pogba, Chelsea's Enzo Fernandez and Arsenal's Nicolas Pepe. TEAMtalk montage.

The Premier League remains the richest league in the world and English clubs continue to splash the cash on new signings.  

Remarkably, every Premier League club from the current 2022/23 season has broken their own transfer record in the last seven years.

But spending a lot of money on one player doesn’t always guarantee success as the price tag can be be a heavy weight on their shoulders.

Using figures from Sky Sports, we’ve taken a detailed look at every Premier League club’s most expensive signing of all time. Note: we’ve included potential add-ons in the total figures.

Arsenal – Nicolas Pepe (£72m)

After registering 22 goals and 11 assists in 38 Ligue 1 appearances for Lille in 2018/19, Pepe then completed his big-money move to Arsenal.

The winger lifted the FA Cup in his debut season but has failed to replicate his Lille form in an Arsenal shirt, providing just 16 goals and nine assists in 80 Premier League appearances.

Having been usurped by academy graduate Bukayo Saka, the 27-year-old now finds himself on loan at Ligue 1 side Nice and Arsenal are reportedly looking to terminate his contract.

Aston Villa – Emiliano Buendia (£38m)

Buendia attracted the attention of Aston Villa and Arsenal after winning the Sky Bet Championship Player of the Season award in 2020/21.

Villa ultimately won the race for his signature after outbidding the Gunners and agreeing to pay Norwich City an initial £33m with £5m in add-ons.

The Argentina international struggled for consistency under both Dean Smith and Steven Gerrard but has rediscovered his best form under Unai Emery.

Bournemouth – Jefferson Lerma (£25m)

Lerma joined Bournemouth from Levante in 2018 and has been an ever-present for the club, making over 150 appearances in all competitions.

But the Cherries look set to lose the Colombia international for nothing as he is out of contract at the end of the 2022/23 season.

Brentford – Keane Lewis-Potter (£20m)

Lewis-Potter joined Brentford from Hull City for an initial £16m in the summer of 2022 and the deal could rise to £20m with add-ons.

The 22-year-old winger has had a difficult debut season, starting just three Premier League games and making a further seven substitute appearances in the competition.

He will soon be replaced on this list by Kevin Schade, who is currently on loan at Brentford from Freiburg and will join the club in a £22m deal in the summer.

Brighton – Adam Webster (£20m)

Webster worked his way through the English football pyramid before joining Brighton in a £20m deal in the summer of 2019.

The centre-back has more than justified the price tag, making over 100 appearances in all competitions while playing a key role in Brighton’s recent success.

Chelsea – Enzo Fernandez (£106.8m)

Fernandez shot to prominence at the 2022 World Cup, where he helped Argentina lift the trophy and was also named young player of the Tournament.

Chelsea then agreed to trigger the huge release clause in his Benfica contract in January 2023, making him the most expensive signing in Premier League history.

The midfielder has shown glimpses of his potential and has been a bright spark for Chelsea during a turbulent few months at Stamford Bridge.

Enzo-Fernandez-of-Chelsea

Crystal Palace – Christian Benteke (£32m)

Benteke swapped Liverpool for Palace in a deal worth an initial £27m and enjoyed a successful debut season at Selhurst Park, netting 17 goals in all competitions in 2016/17.

But he failed to maintain that form, scoring just 20 goals over the following five seasons before joining MLS side DC United in 2022.

Everton – Gylfi Sigurdsson (£45m)

Sigurdsson joined Everton from Swansea in the summer of 2017 and went on to make 156 appearances in all competitions, registering 31 goals and 25 assists.

But he was left out of their Premier League squad for the 2021/22 season and was then released following the expiration of his contract.

Fulham – Jean Michael Seri (£27m)

After winning promotion to the Premier League in 2018, Fulham reportedly fought off interest from Borussia Dortmund and Chelsea to just sign Seri from Nice.

The midfielder failed to live up to expectations and made just 70 appearances for the club before being allowed to leave on a free transfer in 2022.

Leeds United – Georginio Rutter (£35.5m)

Despite only scoring 11 goals in 64 appearances for Hoffenheim, Rutter did enough to catch Leeds’ attention and joined them in a deal worth an initial £28m.

The 20-year-old striker has plenty of potential but is yet to make an impact at Elland Road, failing to score in his first 12 appearances for the club.

Leicester City – Youri Tielemans (£35m)

Since joining Leicester from Monaco in 2018, Tielemans has become an iconic figure at the King Power Stadium and famously scored the winner against Chelsea in the 2021 FA Cup final.

But he looks set to leave the Foxes on a free transfer at the end of the 2022/23 season after rejecting their offers of a new contract.

Liverpool – Darwin Nunez (£85m)

Nunez left Benfica in the summer of 2022 and cost Liverpool an initial £64m, with add-ons taking the potential final price to £85m.

While the striker has been guilty of some wasteful finishing on a number of occasions, he’s still scored 15 goals in all competitions and has endeared himself to the Anfield faithful with his work ethic.

Manchester City – Jack Grealish (£100m)

Grealish bid an emotional farewell to boyhood club Aston Villa in 2021 and joined Manchester City in a £100m deal, making him the most expensive English player of all time.

The 27-year-old had an underwhelming debut season at the Etihad but still picked up a Premier League winners medal and has now established himself as a key part of Pep Guardiola’s side.

Manchester United – Paul Pogba (£89.3m)

Pogba famously left United on a free transfer at the end of the 2011/12 season before developing into one of the best midfielders in the world at Juventus.

The Red Devils swallowed their pride and forked out a then-world record transfer fee to bring him back to Old Trafford in the summer of 2016.

But his second spell at United was plagued by injuries and inconsistent performances, and he joined Juventus on a free transfer once again in 2022.

Newcastle United – Alexander Isak (£63m)

The Public Investment Fund (PIF) have invested a lot of money in Newcastle and they spent an initial £58m to sign Isak from Real Sociedad in the summer of 2022.

After struggling with injury problems during the first-half of his debut season, the striker is now spearheading Newcastle’s charge for a top-four finish.

Nottingham Forest – Morgan Gibbs-White (£42.5m)

Forest made a lot of signings after winning promotion to the Premier League in 2022 and they agreed to pay Wolves an initial £25m for Gibbs-White, with a further £17.5m available in add-ons.

The 23-year-old has just seven direct goal contributions at the time of writing and is yet to justify that price tag but has still been one of Forest’s standout performers in 2022/23 as they look to avoid relegation.

Southampton – Kamaldeen Sulemana (£24.6m)

The Saints forked out an initial £22m to sign Sulemana from Rennes in January 2023 and the deal could rise to £24.6m with add-ons.

The 21-year-old winger is yet to showcase his best form in a Southampton shirt, failing to score or assist in any of his first 12 Premier League appearances.

Tottenham – Tanguy Ndombele (£63m)

After playing a key role in Lyon’s run to the Champions League semi-finals in 2018/19, Ndombele then joined Tottenham in a deal worth an initial £54m.

The France international endured a disastrous time in north London and his fitness and attitude problems soon became apparent, prompting public criticism from Jose Mourinho.

He was also deemed surplus to requirements by Antonio Conte and is spending the 2022/23 season on loan at Serie A side Napoli, who have an option to make the move permanent for £26.3m.

Tanguy Ndombele of Tottenham

West Ham United – Lucas Paqueta (£51m)

After playing against Paqueta in the Europa League quarter-finals in 2021/22, West Ham bought him from Lyon for £36.5m plus £14.5m of add-ons.

While he has shown some moments of real quality in a West Ham shirt, the Brazil international produces a lot of inconsistent showings and hasn’t yet had the desired impact at the London Stadium.

Wolves – Matheus Nunes (£42.2m)

Nunes earned plenty of plaudits at Sporting Lisbon and Wolves had to pay an initial fee of £38m plus £4.2m in potential add-ons in order to secure his signature in 2022.

The 24-year-old midfielder initially struggled to adapt to life in the Premier League but is now starting to rediscover his best form under Julen Lopetegui and recently scored a sensational goal against Chelsea.

READ MORE: Ranking the 20 Premier League teams by the market value of their squads: Liverpool above Man Utd…

Paul Pogba Jack Grealish Enzo Fernandez

Related Articles