Premier League club record transfers – from Chelsea to Luton

The Premier League is one of the most competitive and demanding divisions in world football and clubs are constantly looking to sign new players in a bid to gain and maintain success.

Last summer was a notable example of this and the 20 top-flight clubs spent a combined total of £2.1 billion pounds on new recruits and a further figure of around £600 million in the January transfer window.

The Blues were one of a number of clubs who smashed their all-time record transfer fee in the last 12 months and they have been joined in recent months by the likes of Newcastle United, Wolves and most recently Brighton.

Chelsea have been one of the biggest spenders in world football for the last 20 years and they have carried on that trend under new owner Todd Boehly.

In the last two transfer windows, The Blues have spent over £600 million on new recruits and the biggest of those signings was former Benfica star Enzo Fernandez who arrived in January 2023.

Fernandez was one of the standout performers in the 2022 World Cup and he helped Argentina to their first World Cup title since 1986.

The midfielder is tipped to become one of the biggest stars in world football and he was just 22-years-old when he arrived at Stamford Bridge.

Manchester City were the first English club in history to exceed the £100 million mark and they did so with the signing of England international Jack Grealish.

The former Aston Villa captain is renowned for his flair and creativity and he has helped Pep Guardiola’s side win the Premier League title in both of his first two seasons.

Paul Pogba’s Manchester United return was one which sent shockwaves around the footballing world and at the time it was the most expensive transfer fee in world football, before Neymar’s move to PSG.

The French midfielder spent a total of six seasons at Old Trafford and he helped the club to lift two trophies in that time – the Carabao Cup and the Europa League.

Pogba’s time at Man United was hugely affected by injuries and his most successful individual campaign came in 2018/19 when he made the PFA Team of The Season.

The midfielder ultimately left on a free transfer in 2022 and he is now playing for another former club in Juventus.

Arguably the best signing in this list, Virgil Van Dijk arrived at Liverpool mid-way through the 2017/18 campaign and he has gone on to establish himself as one of the best defenders in the club’s history.

The towering Dutch defender has been included in the PFA Team of The Year on three occasions and he also lifted the Premier League, Champions League, FA Cup and League Cup during his time at Anfield.

Nicolas Pepe arrived at the Emirates Stadium with a great deal of expectation after an impressive spell at Lille.

However, the Ivory Coast international has struggled to establish himself as a first team regular in his four year spell at Arsenal and he spent last season on loan at Nice.

Newcastle United have enjoyed a huge revival under the guidance of manager Eddie Howe and their new Saudi owners.

A great deal of that success can be attributed to the investment within the club, and record signing Alexander Isak enjoyed a strong showing in his debut campaign with 10 goals from 22 games.

Isak’s debut season was largely affected by injury but he has shown huge signs of promise in both the centre forward and wide areas and he is likely to remain a key player in the Champions League next season.

Tanguy Ndombele proved to be one of the final big money signings of Maurico Pochettino’s tenure as Tottenham boss.

The French midfielder was also a regular fixture in the team under Jose Mourinho, but he has struggled for first team football since his departure and he has spent the last 18 months on loan at Lyon and Napoli respectively.

Gylfi Sigurddson arrived at Everton for a club record of £45 million shortly after the takeover from Farhad Moshiri.

The Icelandic midfielder spent a total of five seasons at Goodison Park and he was released in 2022 on a free transfer.

The former Swansea and Reading midfielder remains without a club and it is over two years since his last appearance.

Ivory Coast international Sebastian Haller remains West Ham’s record transfer despite the signings of Lucas Paqueta and Gianluca Scamacca.

Haller arrived with a big reputation after a strong showing at Frankfurt but he scored just 10 goals in 48 appearances across 18 months.

He left West Ham to join Ajax in January 2021 and has impressed since then – earning a move to Borussia Dortmund.

Morgan Gibbs-White’s big money move to Nottingham Forest was one which raised a few eyebrows at the time but he has proved a good performer for Steve Cooper’s side in their first season back in the top-flight.

The English midfielder scored a total of five goals and provided 12 assists as Forest avoided relegation.

Matheus Nunes was signed for Wolves shortly after the departure of Morgan Gibbs-White and he has enjoyed a solid first season at Molineux.

The Portuguese midfielder has only scored one goal and made one assist but he has been a regular fixture in the side and is viewed as a key player going forward under the management of Julen Lopetegui.

Emiliano Buendia was signed from Norwich for a record fee of £33 million and he has shown signs of promise in his first two seasons with Aston Villa scoring a total of nine goals in the Premier League.

The Argentine midfielder has featured in every game this season for Unai Emery’s side although he is often deployed as a substitute in an attempt to change the game.

He will be hoping to establish himself as a regular starter next season as the club prepares for European football.

Brighton fans are eagerly anticipating the prospect of European football next season and they have welcomed in a new striker to lead the line in the form of Joao Pedro.

The former Watford striker was heavily linked with Newcastle last season and at 21-years of age he looks to be a prospect for the future alongside fellow youngster Evan Ferguson.

Christian Benteke remains Crystal Palace’s most expensive Premier League player and he spent a total of six years with the club before his move to MLS in 2022.

The Belgian enjoyed a strong first season with The Eagles scoring 15 goals but he struggled to hit the same heights in the following five years.

Newly promoted Fulham won the race to sign Jean Michael Seri in 2018 and they beat off competition from a host of Europe’s biggest clubs.

The Ivory Coast midfielder suffered relegation from the Premier League in his first season and spent the following two campaigns out on loan.

The midfielder was a squad player in the 2021/22 season as Fulham won the title under Marco Silva but he joined Hull City on a free transfer shortly after their promotion.

Jefferson Lerma is Bournemouth’s record signing and he arrived during Eddie Howe’s tenure with the club in 2018.

The Colombian international has been a regular fixture in the midfield for The Cherries since his arrival and he was one of the club’s best performers last year following their return to the top-flight.

Rhian Brewster arrived at Sheffield United in 2020 for a club record fee of £23.5 million as the club aimed to survive in the Premier League for a second season.

Brewster arrived with huge expectations after winning the golden boot for England in the under 17 World Cup, but he is yet to find his goal scoring touch for The Blades in his opening three seasons.

Overall Brewster has scored just four league goals in three seasons and Blades fans are hoping for a better record next season as they prepare for life back in the top-flight.

Brentford have been praised for their shrewd recruitment in recent years but they are yet to see a Premier League goal from club-record signing Keane Lewis Potter.

The youngster arrived on a six year deal from Hull City and failed to score in his first 10 appearances during an injury hit season.

At 22-years of age he remains one for the future and he will be hoping to have a bigger impact this season following the suspension of Ivan Toney.

 Burnley operated under a tight budget for many years under the management of Sean Dyche but they spent a club record fee of £15 million to sign Chris Wood in 2017.

The New Zealand forward was a consistent goal scorer for The Clarets and he hit over 10 goals in all of his first four seasons before joining Newcastle for £25 million in January 2022.

Luton Town are back in the top-flight for the first time since 1992. The club have the smallest stadium in top-flight history in Kenilworth Road and they have exceeded the £1 million mark on just three occasions – making their underdog story even more remarkable.

Luton’s biggest signing came in 2022 when they acquired Barnsley striker Carlton Morris for a fee of £2 million.

The signing has proved a bargain for the club and he scored an impressive 20 goals in his first season to help the club reach the heights of the Premier League.