Reuters/Matthew Childs
Inflation is rife in the Premier League at the moment, with prices skyrocketing to ludicrous levels in recent years. The financial might of England's top flight has never been this powerful, and this only looks set to continue over the coming years as the division pulls away from the rest of Europe as the de facto Super League.
Mid-table clubs are paying astronomical prices for players outside of the elite bracket, while at the top, deals over £100 million are no longer a rarity.
Declan Rice was bought by Arsenal for £100 million in the summer of 2023, a fee that at the time was only eclipsed by Enzo Fernandez as the most expensive Premier League signing ever. Today, the England international doesn't even make the most expensive Premier League eleven.
With that said, here is the eleven of players (3-5-2) bought for the highest fee by English top-flight clubs in each position.
Goalkeeper and Defence
Harry Maguire
Chelsea decided to spend an absurd fee on Kepa Arrizabalaga back in 2018, paying Athletic Club a whopping £71.6 million for the Spaniard's services. It's safe to say this investment hasn't been justified based on the outcome, with the shot-stopper holding the number one position for just three of his five seasons at Stamford Bridge. He's now David Raya's deputy at Arsenal, joining the Gunners for £5 million last summer.
This £71.6 million fee was paid at a time when spending big on goalkeepers was trendy. Both Ederson and Alisson Becker broke the world-record transfer sum for this position in the 13 months before Kepa's move. Eight years later, the Basque man still holds this record, suggesting clubs have learned not to be as reckless in their recruitment in between the sticks.
Making up a third of the back three, Harry Maguire's £80 million move to Manchester United remains the most expensive defensive signing ever made. The Englishman had enjoyed an impressive season at Leicester in 2018/19 before the Red Devils bought him, but nobody expected the north-west club to fork out a record transfer fee for the player.
Manchester City's £77 million investment in Josko Gvardiol in 2023 was much more sensible. Not only had prices risen significantly by that point, but the Croatian was widely regarded as the best young defender in the world when City forked out the money. It's gone rather well for Gvardiol in Manchester, and he could end up being sold for an even greater fee.
Virgil van Dijk's stunning £75 million switch to Merseyside in 2018 made waves as it established the Dutchman as the most expensive defender on the planet at the time, and by some margin. He leapfrogged David Luiz, whom Paris Saint-Germain paid £50 million for in 2014, and it's fair to say Liverpool can now stoutly defend their decision to splash this cash.
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Position Player Selling Club Buying Club Fee
GK Kepa Arrizabalaga Athletic Club Chelsea £71.6m
CB Harry Maguire Leicester City Manchester United £80m
CB Josko Gvardiol RB Leipzig Manchester City £77m
CB Virgil van Dijk Southampton Liverpool £75m
Midfield
REUTERS/Ian Walton
Manchester City and Chelsea dominate the midfield of the most expensive Premier League eleven. The two clubs have led the craze of frivolity in the middle of the park, arguably trailblazing the drive to spend big on elite ball progression and opposition transition prevention machines.
First, Chelsea shocked the world by signing Enzo Fernandez for £106.8 million off the back of a promising World Cup. This deal trounced every previous fee for a central midfielder, with Paul Pogba's £89 million move seven years earlier the closest sum for a player in this position at the time.
This proved to be the first domino to fall, as selling clubs started citing the Fernandez deal in future negotiations. Chelsea swiftly spent another £115 million on a midfielder, signing Moises Caicedo six months after their acquisition of the Argentine.
Three years later and Elliot Anderson has been acquired by City for £116 million — a fee people are questioning at the moment, but may pale in comparison to deals for similar players in four or five years' time.
Out wide, Manchester City broke the English transfer record and the £100 million barrier when they landed Jack Grealish for £100 million in 2021. While he delivered a treble in his second season at the Etihad, his output arguably hasn't validated the fee that was paid for him.
Morgan Rogers followed in Grealish's footsteps by leaving the West Midlands for an exorbitant amount five years later. The Englishman recently signed for Chelsea in an astounding £117 million switch.
Position Player Selling Club Buying Club Fee
RW Morgan Rogers Aston Vila Chelsea £117m
CM Moises Caicedo Brighton Chelsea £115m
CM Elliot Anderson Nottingham Forest Manchester City £116m
CM Enzo Fernandez Benfica Chelsea £106.8m
LW Jack Grealish Aston Villa Manchester City £100m
Virgil van Dijk in action for Liverpool
Virgil van Dijk in action for Liverpool
Attack
REUTERS/Phil Noble
Liverpool went bonkers last summer and decided to spend more money on an attacking midfielder and a striker than any club has in the history of the Premier League. Eager to retain their crown, the Reds bit the bullet and uncharacteristically got the cheque book out.
Florian Wirtz arrived from Bayer Leverkusen as the most coveted young number ten on the planet. Liverpool paid the £116.5 million fee required to snatch him from the German club. So far, the jury is out on the 23-year-old, although he has plenty of time to change the sentiment towards him.
Alexander Isak is miraculously the third most expensive footballer of all time. Only Kylian Mbappe and Neymar have gone for more money than the Swede.
Desperate to land one of the hottest strikers on the market last summer, Liverpool gave Newcastle £125 million for their prized possession, ending a ridiculously drawn-out and convoluted saga. Four goals in an injury-ridden debut campaign at Anfield don't reflect well on the Merseysiders, although like Wirtz, the 26-year-old still has ample opportunity to prove himself.