The ten most expensive PL players ever.With news emerging today that Manchester United could spend as much as £100m in total to sign Real Madrid winger Angel Di Maria, CaughtOffside looks at how the Argentine star could compare with other big-money signings in Premier League history.
With Di Maria’s transfer fee expected to be around £50m, with the remaining half going towards his wages of £200,000 per week for five years, this deal would put the 26-year-old level with Chelsea striker Fernando Torres, who is currently the most expensive signing made by a British club ever.
See below for the full list:
1) Fernando Torres (Chelsea, £50m)
Moving from Liverpool to Chelsea for a fee of £50m back in 2011, it is fair to say that Spanish striker Fernando Torres has not looked quite the same player since, going down as one of the most expensive transfer mistakes in history. Still, Torres had been world class during his time at Anfield, and as such cost the British record transfer fee when he moved from the Reds to one of their most fierce rivals.
2) Carlos Tevez (Manchestre City, £47m)
At £47m, Carlos Tevez is the second most expensive Premier League player of all time, when he was bought by Manchester City from Media Sports Investment (MSI), who owned his rights at that stage. As well as being expensive, this was a highly controversial move as the Argentine striker had spent the previous two seasons on loan at local rivals Manchester United, neglecting to make the move permanent in favour of joining City.
3) Mesut Ozil (Arsenal, £42.5m)
One of the big stories of last summer, it is hard to believe Arsenal have an entry this high in the all-time British transfer record list, with the Gunners normally so careful with their money and choosing investment in youth over world class names. Still, Mesut Ozil is third at £42.5m after he moved to Arsenal from Real Madrid on deadline day last year.
4) Sergio Aguero (Manchester City, £38m)
A superb signing for Manchester City, Sergio Aguero is arguably the most successful of big-money investments in English football, having contributed greatly to his side’s success in recent years. The £38m man fired in the title-winning goal in his first season at the Etihad Stadium, and has continued to star for the team as they won the league again in 2013/14.
5) Juan Mata (Manchester United, £37m)
One of the newer entries on this list, Juan Mata became one of the all-time big-money signings made by a Premier League club when he moved from Chelsea to rivals Manchester United in January, commanding a fee of £37m. The Spaniard has not yet found his best form at Old Trafford, but established himself as a world class playmaker during his time at Stamford Bridge.
6) Rio Ferdiand (Manchester United, £35.8m)
Taking the modern rate into account, Rio Ferdinand comes sixth on this list for his move to Manchester United from Leeds United back in the summer of 2002. One of the best centre-backs this country has seen in the modern era, it’s fair to say Ferdinand was well worth the investment and his superb displays at the back helped United to six Premier League titles and the 2008 Champions League during his time at the club.
7) Alexis Sanchez (Arsenal, £35m)
The most recent entry to this list, and it’s Arsenal again with their new-found spending power, signing exciting Chilean forward Alexis Sanchez from Barcelona in a £35m deal. The 25-year-old made his debut for the Gunners in their Community Shield win over Manchester City, and big things are expected of him this season.
8) Andriy Shevchenko (Chelsea, £35m)
Another expensive flop signed by Chelsea, things didn’t quite work out as planned when Andriy Shevchenko made the £35m move from AC Milan to Stamford Bridge back in 2006. The Ukranian remains one of the greatest centre-forwards of his generation, but he unfortunately couldn’t take his best Serie A form with him to the Premier League.
9) Juan Sebastian Veron (Manchester United, £34m)
Another player on this list that would suggest approaching big-money deals with caution: Juan Sebastian Veron was long up there with the most expensive Premier League players of all time after a £34m move to Manchester United back in 2001. The Argentine playmaker looked world class during his time at previous club Lazio, but simply couldn’t settle into life in England, failing in a short spell at Chelsea later as well.
10) Robinho (Manchester City, £34m)
Once more, a big-money signing that went wrong, Manchester City striker Robinho was an exciting purchase from City when he joined from Real Madrid in the summer of 2008, becoming the first signing of the Sheikh Mansour era at the Etihad Stadium. Sadly, the Brazilian forward was lazy and inconsistent during his time in England, later being flogged off to AC Milan as the club used their financial power to sign much better players.
(Transfer fees as listed by Wikipedia)
Angel Di Maria Manchester United
Read more Manchester United transfer news.
SEE ALSO: Top 10 smoking footballers