The Premier League has become the highest-spending league in world football, with the 2023 summer transfer window seeing a staggering total of £2.36bn being spent.
It is known as the richest league in the world for a reason, with each club seeing huge levels of money come their way through the Premier League’s various TV deals – and only looks set to increase.
Spending continues to rise; the likes of Chelsea were responsible for spending a grand total of £424.8m over the summer alone as Todd Boehly’s ownership of the club continues to amaze – at least off the pitch.
And there were some record-breaking deals concluded last summer which will feature later on this list as Football FanCast takes a look at each club’s record transfer deal.
Arsenal – Declan Rice
£105m
Mikel Arteta saw his Arsenal side bolstered in the summer of 2023 having come close to pipping Manchester City to the Premier League title.
The north London club’s board backed their manager following an impressive campaign and smashed their record transfer fee with the addition of Declan Rice from West Ham United, replacing the £72m Nicolas Pepe as the Gunners’ most expensive recruit.
Rice cost the club in excess of £100m and signed on a five-year deal. The England international has made a strong start to life at the Emirates having played slotted into Arteta’s midfield as one of the first names on the teamsheet.
Aston Villa – Moussa Diaby
£51.9m
Aston Villa make it two out of two on our list for setting their club-record transfer fee in last summer’s window. Unai Emery’s side have, perhaps, been one of the surprise packages thus far in the Premier League and Moussa Diaby has been a key part of their success.
Indeed, the France international made the move to Villa Park from Bayer Leverkusen and smashed their previous record fee for a player, which was £33m for Emiliano Buendia.
Much like Rice for Arsenal, Diaby has become a key player for Villa having provided an impressive return of 10 goal contributions in his first 20 Premier League games.
Bournemouth – Jefferson Lerma
£25m
You have to go back over five years to 2018 to find Bournemouth’s record deal, which saw Jefferson Lerma land on the south coast from La Liga side Levante.
But it is a signing Bournemouth certainly got their money’s worth from, with the Colombian having racked up 184 appearances for the Cherries during his time at the club.
However, last summer, Lerma departed the Vitality Stadium following the end of his deal, and remains playing in the Premier League with Crystal Palace, who picked him up on a free.
Brentford – Nathan Collins
£23m
Back to what has become the regular theme, last summer saw Brentford set a new record transfer fee when they prised Nathan Collins away from Wolverhampton Wanderers.
Collins had made 26 Premier League appearances for Wolves in the 2022/23 campaign, but the Bees were able to swoop in and bring him to west London.
Although it has not been the 2023/24 campaign Thomas Frank will have hoped for so far, Collins has played a big role in the starting XI with a regular spot secured in the side.
Brighton & Hove Albion – Joao Pedro
£30m
Another club who broke their transfer record in the summer was Brighton & Hove Albion with the signing of Joao Pedro from Watford.
And with the first half of the campaign now behind us, the Brazilian forward is – arguably – proving to be one of the signings of the summer, having posted an impressive return of 15 goals in his first 28 appearances for the Seagulls.
At just 22 years of age, Joao Pedro shone in Brighton’s Europa League group games with a stunning tally of six goals in six appearances. Just another example of Brighton’s fine recruitment system.
Burnley – James Trafford
Up to £19m
Goalkeeper James Trafford became Burnley’s biggest-ever outlay after signing from Manchester City in summer 2023. Having shone on loan at Bolton Wanderers and won the Under-21 European Championship with England, Trafford capped a remarkable year by making it into the Premier League with the Clarets.
His arrival from the Etihad set Vincent Kompany’s side back a cool £15m upfront, with a potential £4m in add-ons, which allowed Trafford to surpass the fees paid for the likes of Chris Wood and Ben Gibson – Burnley’s previous record deals.
Chelsea – Enzo Fernandez
£107m
Although Mauricio Pochettino’s side spent a staggering amount of cash last summer and splashed a whopping £100m – with the option to rise to £115m – on Moises Caicedo, their current record deal was set in January of 2022 with Enzo Fernandez.
After an impressive World Cup campaign, Chelsea made the move for the Argentine midfielder and he has gone on to rack up just under 50 appearances as we turn into 2024.
There may be question marks surrounding whether the 22-year-old is proving his worth thus far, but having signed on an eight-and-a-half-year deal, there is still plenty of time for him to shine at Stamford Bridge.
Crystal Palace – Christian Benteke
£27m
You have to go back seven and a half years to find Crystal Palace’s record signing in the form of Belgian striker Christian Benteke, who arrived from Liverpool in August 2016.
The deal had the potential to rise by a further £5m in add-ons, and the Eagles certainly got a lot of action out of him, with the Belgian making 177 appearances during his time at Selhurst Park.
Benteke remained at the club for six years, where he scored just 37 goals across all competitions before making the move to MLS side D.C. United in 2022.
Everton – Gylfi Sigurdsson
£45m
You also have to go a fair way back for Everton’s record transfer arrival, which came back in the summer of 2017 through the signing of Gylfi Sigurdsson from Swansea City.
The Icelandic midfielder arrived having also spent time with the likes of Tottenham Hotspur, but left the club following 156 appearances for the Toffees and scoring 31 goals on top of his 25 assists.
This deal surpassed Everton’s previous record of £31.8m in 2014 when the Merseyside club signed Romelu Lukaku from Chelsea.
Fulham – Jean Michael Seri
£25m
Going back to the summer of 2018, Fulham broke their transfer record with the signing of Jean Michael Seri from Ligue 1 side Nice.
Seri played just one season for the Cottagers before being sent out on loan to Turkish giants Galatasaray. However, he did return a year later to play in their Championship-winning campaign in 2021/22.
The Ivorian played 70 times for Fulham during his time at the club, but he departed permanently in the summer of 2022 for Championship side Hull City.
Liverpool – Darwin Nunez
Up to £85m
Jurgen Klopp saw his Liverpool side bolstered with the addition of Darwin Nunez from Benfica in the summer of 2022 in a deal worth an initial £64m, which could rise to £85m.
Nunez has already played over 70 times for the Reds and provided more than 20 goals across those games in all competitions (via Transfermarkt).
However, having scored more than double that during his 85 games for Benfica, there may be some question marks over whether the Uruguayan is living up to the huge fee paid for him.
Luton Town – Ryan Giles
£4m
Having secured promotion to the Premier League, Luton Town splashed the cash in the summer – relatively speaking – with their top six arrivals all coming in the summer of 2023.
The most expensive of those was the signing of Ryan Giles from Wolves, with the left-back costing just £4m. Unlike other record signings, Giles has not exactly been a regular in the starting XI for Luton this season.
However, the signing does show the extreme difference in budgets from the likes of Luton to the bigger clubs in the league.
Manchester City – Jack Grealish
£100m
Returning to the big-money signings, Manchester City broke the British transfer record in 2021 by signing Jack Grealish from Aston Villa for £100m.
That record has since been eclipsed, but Grealish was filling big boots by taking on the number 10 shirt left behind by club legend Sergio Aguero.
Grealish has since got his hands on multiple titles under Pep Guardiola, but the 2023/24 campaign has not been an easy one for him thus far with his first league goal of the term only coming in December (via Transfermarkt).
Manchester United – Paul Pogba
£89m
In what will go down as one of the worst, if not the worst transfer on this list, Manchester United brought Paul Pogba back to Old Trafford in what was a world-record deal of £89m.
After six years with United following the world-record signing, Pogba returned to Juventus on a free transfer following the conclusion of his contract with the Red Devils.
The Frenchman had a turbulent time during his 233 appearances for United and his relationship with José Mourinho was certainly one of the low points.
It was apparent the two did not have the best of relationships and that was seen through the frosty stare-down between the pair in a United training session.
Newcastle United – Alexander Isak
£63m
After becoming the wealthiest club in world football, it did not take Newcastle United long to break their transfer record by bringing in Alexander Isak from Real Sociedad.
And what a signing the Sweden international has proven to be thus far. Isak provided an impressive return of 10 Premier League goals in the second half of 2022/23 – and he is on target to surpass that already this season (via Transfermarkt).
Injury issues have been a concern for the striker, however, when fit, he has shown his worth on the pitch by spearheading Eddie Howe’s attack.
Nottingham Forest – Ibrahim Sangaré
£32m
After a staggering summer of spending in 2022 upon their return to the Premier League, Nottingham Forest broke their transfer record in 2023 by signing Ibrahim Sangaré from PSV Eindhoven.
The Ivorian midfielder has been a mainstay in the Forest side this season when available, but injuries have meant his ability to play regularly has been an issue (via Transfermarkt).
But in signing the 26-year-old on a five-year deal, it is apparent he is a player they consider a big part of their future.
Sheffield United – Rhian Brewster
£23.5m
After winning the Champions League with Liverpool in 2019, Rhian Brewster became Sheffield United’s club-record signing the following year.
But it has to be said, the transfer has been nothing short of a disaster for the Blades, with the 23-year-old having only found the back of the net five times in his 71 appearances for the club.
As a result, the Englishman has struggled to secure a spot in the starting XI this season, and with just over 12 months remaining on his deal, his future at Bramall Lane does not look overly promising.
Tottenham Hotspur – Tanguy Ndombele
£54m
From one disastrous signing to another, Tottenham Hotspur have been left with egg on their face with their club-record signing of French midfielder Tanguy Ndombele.
After signing as a promising midfielder from Lyon, Ndombele’s time in north London has been one all parties will be keen to forget. The 27-year-old has not proven a success and was subject of public criticism from Jose Mourinho after hooking the midfielder off at half-time during a clash away at Burnley.
Ndombele is currently spending time on loan with Galatasaray, but again, with a matter of months left on his deal, it is surely just a matter of time until Ndombele leaves N17 for good.
West Ham United – Lucas Paqueta
£51m
You don’t have to go too far back to find West Ham United’s record arrival of Lucas Paqueta. Signing from Lyon in 2022, the midfielder has proven to be an impressive buy from the Hammers.
This season alone, Paqueta has returned over 10 goal contributions already, which is probably why the likes of Manchester City have reportedly shown an interest in signing him.
With Declan Rice’s summer move to Arsenal in mind, perhaps it is only a matter of time before Paqueta moves on to something bigger.
But he will always have a place in West Ham history after helping them win the Europa Conference League last season.