Here’s a look at the most expensive Premier League XI – the most costly signing for each position in a 4-4-2 formation of players currently in the division.
Unsurprisingly, Manchester City dominate, but some recent signings at Liverpool and Chelsea are also in along two of Manchester United’s star names.
Here’s the actual XI, which certainly looks pretty strong on paper, even if many of the league’s best names like Harry Kane, Mohamed Salah and Eden Hazard obviously don’t come anywhere close to making it in.
Here we run through each player in the team and rate how well they’ve actually done and if they’ve justified those hefty price tags (courtesy of Wikipedia)…
Goalkeeper: Kepa Arrizabalaga
Signed for £71.6million from Athletic Bilbao this summer, Kepa Arrizabalaga has big gloves to fill at Chelsea after replacing Thibaut Courtois.
For all his quality, the 23-year-old doesn’t arrive with too much top level experience, but has suddenly become the most expensive goalkeeper of all time.
We’re yet to truly see him challenged after a dominant start to the new season by Chelsea, who’ve won four out of four and enjoyed the bulk of possession in every game, so the jury’s still out on this one.
Centre-back: Virgil van Dijk
Costing a whopping £75m, a few eyebrows were raised when Liverpool made Virgil van Dijk the most expensive defender in history back in January.
However, the former Southampton man arguably looks a bargain now after some commanding displays at the back for the Reds, helping turn them into a solid outfit at the back at long last.
Possibly future captain material as well, Van Dijk’s signing looks well worth it for Liverpool as it puts them in a good position to finally win the Premier League title after such a long drought.
Centre-back: Aymeric Laporte
Another January signing, Aymeric Laporte has done well enough at Manchester City, though he hasn’t always been a guaranteed starter.
The Frenchman shone in La Liga so should prove himself a decent purchase before too long, but at the moment you’d possibly argue City slightly overpaid here.
Right-back: Kyle Walker
Another City defender, Kyle Walker has looked well worth the £50m investment from Tottenham last season, improving even more under Pep Guardiola at the Etihad Stadium.
A superb defensive player with a great engine and the technique to contribute going forward, Walker is absolutely ideal for the way Guardiola likes City to play.
The exact moment @kylewalker2 told me he was going to score a screamer ?? #YouOnlyCanWinWhenKyleScores #WeKeepEating ? pic.twitter.com/QFfkXDiT05
— Benjamin Mendy (@benmendy23) September 1, 2018
Left-back: Benjamin Mendy
A Premier League champion and World Cup winner, it’s been a hell of a year for Benjamin Mendy despite not actually playing that much football.
The left-back has done well whenever used for City, and should prove worth the £52m price tag at some point after initially impressing at Monaco.
Also, his Twitter game is absolutely on point, so for banter points alone he’s pretty good value for money.
Central midfield: Paul Pogba
A player who divides opinion, Paul Pogba was briefly the most expensive player in the world when he joined Manchester United from Juventus in 2016 for £89m.
The France international has not, however, reproduced his best form in a Juve or France shirt for his club, leading many (especially Graeme Souness) to question if he was really worth such an astronomical transfer fee.
Pogba has shown what he can do at his best, but it’s time for him to start doing that in the Premier League too.
MORE: Jose Mourinho already pushing Man United board to replace Paul Pogba with ambitious January transfer
Central midfield: Naby Keita
Another exciting signing by Liverpool, Naby Keita officially joined this summer for £52.75m, but looks worth every penny.
The Guinea international fits perfectly into Jurgen Klopp’s rock and roll football, and has all the attributes to be a big hit in the Premier League.
It’s early days yet, but we already can’t wait to see more of Liverpool’s new number 8.
Attacking midfield: Kevin De Bruyne
A big loss through injury this season, Manchester City star Kevin De Bruyne now looks an absolute bargain despite costing his club £55m a few years ago.
The Belgium international flopped at Chelsea earlier in his career before impressing at Wolfsburg, and one imagines if City had bought him just a few years later he’d have cost close to double that fee.
De Bruyne has become one of the club’s most important players and was unlucky to miss out on PFA Player of the Year last season.
Attacking midfield: Riyad Mahrez
Yet another City player, Riyad Mahrez moved from Leicester for £60m this summer and should prove a very worthwhile purchase.
The Algerian was unplayable for much of the Foxes’ shock 2015/16 title win, when he picked up the PFA Player of the Year prize after some dazzling displays.
Mahrez won’t quite be the stand-out star in this City squad full of world class names, but he can make his contribution as Guardiola’s men go for the title again this term.
Striker: Romelu Lukaku
Another United signing who divides opinion somewhat, Romelu Lukaku, in truth, is probably another player who could’ve cost significantly more if the timing of his transfer had been different.
Joining from Everton for £75m, Lukaku’s move was before the Neymar madness of last summer, when lesser players started moving for crazier fees.
Although he hasn’t been a consistently prolific performer for the Red Devils, one imagines the Belgian could do a great deal better in a more successful, attack-minded side than the one struggling to hit top form under out-of-sorts manager Jose Mourinho right now.
Striker: Alvaro Morata
Surely the biggest flop on this list by some way, Alvaro Morata has been a big disappointment since his £58m move to Chelsea last summer.
Only ever really an impact sub at Real Madrid, perhaps the Blues should have seen this coming for a player moving to a new league and becoming first choice for the first time in his career.
Morata scored only 15 goals in all competitions and missed some big chances, and there’s not much sign of improvement this season either. The new Fernando Torres?