Summary
Money in football has been redefined by Todd Boehly's investments, leading to record transfers for midfielders.
Chelsea secured talented players like Enzo Fernández and Moises Caicedo, changing the midfield landscape.
The top midfield signings, such as Pogba and Coutinho, showcase the high prices clubs are willing to pay for quality.
Take a look at the most successful football teams in history, and you'll recognise a common theme. They all had a world-class central midfielder, someone who dictated play and personified the heartbeat of the squad. Andres Iniesta, Xavi and Zinedine Zidane, to name a few, took the world by storm in this position and who knows how much they would be worth in today's market.
Todd Boehly's investment sparked a whole new conversation about money in football. Both Moises Caicedo and Enzo Fernandez moved to Stamford Bridge for a combined £220 million which has ineffectively changed the transfer market forever.
With that being said, you need the best players to win and, perhaps, Chelsea had recognised their opportunity to swoop in to secure two promising youngsters. Only time will tell if their new acquisitions will live up to expectation, but let's look at their competition and dive into the ten most expensive midfielders in football history.
10 Most Expensive Midfielders in Football History
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10 James Rodriguez
AS Monaco to Real Madrid (£63 million)
James Rodriguez
James Rodriguez became the poster boy of the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. Although his time at Porto and Monaco catapulted him up on the hot prospect list, he hadn't really been thrust into the limelight before the tournament. A World Cup Golden Boot secured him a move to Real Madrid for £63 million, with his outrageous volley against Japan being the pick of the bunch.
The Colombian was dealt a tricky card. Not only was he joining Los Blancos, but he was also gifted the number 10 - quite the feat to live up to. This prestigious kit had previously been worn by footballing legends such as Luís Figo and Ferenc Puskás, so it's fair to say he had very large boots to fill. His tenure in Madrid seemed like a battle against time, with Rodriguez looking more and more unsettled after every season.
James Rodriguez Real Madrid Stats
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9 Frenkie de Jong
Ajax to Barcelona (£65 million)
Frenkie de Jong waving
Ajax's 2018/19 Champions League run defied the odds and unveiled some incredible talent in the Dutch capital. Beating the reigning champions, edging past Juventus, and being agonisingly close to a Champions League final all pumped up the CV of Frenkie De Jong. He ended as the tournament's Midfielder of the Season after his mouthwatering performances as a deep-lying playmaker under Erik ten Hag.
De Jong's breakthrough season was enough for Barcelona to throw in a huge £65 million for his services. Ajax were seeing a mass exodus of their talent following their successful European run, with Hakim Ziyech, Matthijs de Ligt and Andre Onana also securing moves away from the club. De Jong secured the most attractive move out of them all and still remains in Spain, where Barcelona's fans have seen moments of brilliance from their Dutch magician.
Frenkie de Jong Barcelona Stats
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8 Aurélien Tchouaméni
AS Monaco to Real Madrid (£68.3 million)
Aurelien Tchouameni with the Champions League trophy
AS Monaco are clearly a club who get their scouting spot on. Kylian Mbappé, Bernardo Silva, James Rodriguez, and most recently, Aurélien Tchouaméni. He impressed thoroughly in red and white, raising the eyebrows of the continent's biggest teams.
The midfield at Real Madrid had started to age. Luka Modrić, Toni Kroos and Casemiro were entering the latter stages of their careers, and it was time to freshen up the middle of the park if they were going to continue their domination of European glory. Fending off interest from other clubs, Madrid signed Tchouameni for £68.3 million. It's been a fairytale start to his journey in the Spanish capital, clinching his first Champions League trophy last season.
Aurélien Tchouaméni Real Madrid Stats
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EPL_Solanke, Bellingham and Sancho Related
10 Most Expensive British Players in Football History by Total Transfer Fees [Ranked]
Some of these British stars have gone on to win a myriad of trophies, whilst others have moved around a lot and not lived up to their price tags.
7 Arthur Melo
Barcelona to Juventus (£72.5 million)
Juventus' Arthur in action with Salernitana's Pasquale Mazzocchi
Injuries play a massive role in defining whether talent ends up hatching into a brilliant footballer. Arthur Melo has never been a footballer that has been able to stay fit despite his undoubted quality on the ball. His career at Juventus was continuously shot down by consistent injuries - an absence of luck which was seen at Liverpool too.
Arthur's move to Turin was one of necessity rather than curiosity. Barcelona, and Juventus, for that fact, struggled financially during the COVID-19 pandemic and needed to balance the books in the summer of 2020. The Italian powerhouse came calling for Arthur, who was involved in a swap deal with Miralem Pjanic. Both clubs helped relieve economic worries in the midst of the transfer window, with neither move living up to the high pricetags placed on them.
Arthur Melo Juventus Stats
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6 Jude Bellingham
Borussia Dortmund to Real Madrid (£88.5 million)
MixCollage-01-Dec-2024-03-56-PM-9165
When Real Madrid come knocking, it's hard not to open the door to an unparalleled career of silverware. Gareth Bale, Michael Owen, and David Beckham - all among the best British players of all time - were a handful of British superstars who switched England for the Spanish giants. Jude Bellingham's move to Madrid showed they still had a pretty strong grasp of the footballing world despite their critics in recent times.
In three years, England's starboy went from playing on subpar pitches in the Championship to the pristine carpet of the Santiago Bernabéu. Birmingham's decision to retire the number 22 was made into a laughing stock following the midfielder's transfer to Germany, but it's turned into a move which looks pretty wise now. His £88.5 million switch to La Liga couldn't have got off to a better start, and Bellingham has formed a potent partnership with Kylian Mbappé.
Jude Bellingham Real Madrid Stats
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5 Paul Pogba
Juventus to Manchester United (£89 million)
Paul Pogba looks on
Leaving his questionable workrate aside, Paul Pogba is easily one of the most talented midfielders of the modern era. Upon seeing his blonde-tinted mohawk and black and white strip in the tunnel, opponents knew the game was over before it had even started.
Having been at Manchester United as a teenager, Pogba wanted to give back to his old club and made an emotional comeback in 2016. The nostalgic moment came at a significant cost, however, with Manchester United racking up a world-record £89 million for their academy graduate. Issues on and off the pitch for the Frenchman ruined his return to the Premier League, and he failed to make the impact that his mammoth fee reflected.
Paul Pogba Manchester United Stats
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4 Declan Rice
West Ham to Arsenal (£105 million)
Declan Rice celebrates scoring against Dinamo Zagreb in the UEFA Champions League
Winning a European trophy with his boyhood West Ham was the complete package for Declan Rice, who decided to move onto pursuing bigger challenges in London. The £105 million fee made him the most expensive British player of all time, with Mikel Arteta's side making a huge statement in their quest for domestic glory.
Arsenal have been the Premier League's 'nearly-men' in recent seasons and, despite the strong performances of Rice, have failed to get over the line. Supporters have flamed the squad's lack of experience as an issue whereas others target the manager. The absence of silverware shouldn't overshadow the impact Rice has had in North London, bolstering up their midfield options with quality and leadership.
Declan Rice Arsenal Stats
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3 Enzo Fernández
Benfica to Chelsea (£106.8 million)
Chelsea's Enzo Fernandez
Benfica would have been licking their lips when Chelsea's gigantic £106.8 million bid came through the door. Remember, they had only signed Enzo Fernández just six months prior for an acute £8.8 million. The profit margins were too good to turn down for the Portugese club and Todd Boehly had secured his dream midfield signing.
Fernandez's performances at the winter World Cup became the selling point for the London club, who really needed new faces through the door in January. A complete overhaul of the squad was never going to get off to the best of starts and the Argentine's first season at the club left Chelsea in 12th place, their lowest ever Premier League tally. Under new manager Enzo Maresca, things have looked on the up for the Blues and the Conference League seems as though it has Chelsea's name etched into it already.
Enzo Fernandez Chelsea Stats
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Grealish, Pogba and Fernandez Related
9 Most Expensive Transfers in Premier League History
Premier League clubs have spent big on several world-class players over the years.
2 Moises Caicedo
Brighton to Chelsea (£115 million)
Moises Caicedo in action for Chelsea.
Much like AS Monaco, Brighton are transfer geniuses. The Seagulls seem to pluck footballing talents out of thin air and move them on for extortionate fees. Moises Caicedo's move to Chelsea was no different considering Boehly was spending money like it was free.
It's unfair to judge a player on their pricetag as it's realistically something out of their control, however, Caicedo hasn't had the prettiest of starts in London. Granted, the Ecuadorian has started to find his feet in the heart of the Chelsea midfield, but his £115 million talent is yet to be seen.
Moises Caicedo Chelsea Stats
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1 Philippe Coutinho
Liverpool to Barcelona (£146 million)
Philippe Coutinho
Liverpool, and Premier League fans for that matter, had grown to love Philippe Coutinho. Whether it was a peach of a free-kick from long-range, or a suitcase of tricks on the edge of the box, Coutinho had it all. Despite Liverpool's strong performances, the Brazilian put in a transfer request when he heard of Barcelona's interest. Who would turn down a chance to play with Lionel Messi?
His first six months in Spain resulted in a domestic double at the Camp Nou, but injuries stagnated his overall progress at the club. Back at his old team in Merseyside, Coutinho's fee was reinvested into the squad with the successful additions of Virgil Van Dijk and Alisson.
Philippe Coutinho Barcelona Stats
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Stats taken from Transfermarkt and are correct as of 27/02/25