The Ruble is rolling in the Premier League. Over 3.55 billion Euros have been spent by the clubs from England’s top football league this summer – a new global transfer record. However, to the delight of the other top leagues in Europe, quantity does not always necessarily mean quality.
In other words: The PL clubs burn millions annually for stars who ultimately end up as flops. Reason enough to put together a top eleven that did not live up to their transfer fee. ‘transfermarkt.de’ was used as the source for the transfer sums.
Goal
André Onana (Manchester United)
The goalkeeper came in the summer of 2023 for around 50 million Euros from Inter Milan. After only two years, he is not even number one anymore and, according to transfer expert Fabrizio Romano, is about to be loaned to Trabzonspor.
Defense
Matthijs de Ligt (Manchester United)
The Bavarians are said to have cashed in 45 million for the Dutchman. A deal that apparently only paid off for the record champion. The defender could not prevent the disaster season with 16th place. And so much can already be revealed: United will appear more often in this top eleven.
Shkodran Mustafi (Arsenal)
But let’s first come to Arsenal: The Gunners transferred 41 million Euros for the former DFB player to Valencia. Just five years later, the defender moved to Schalke on a free transfer. That should say it all.
Kalidou Koulibaly (Chelsea)
FC Chelsea also knows how to burn money and players. The defender was signed for almost 42 million Euros, he now has a market value of six million Euros and plays in Saudi Arabia.
Midfield
Casemiro (Manchester United)
The Brazilian also suffered a similar downfall in terms of market value. United forked out over 70 million Euros for Casemiro; at the time of his transfer, he had a market value of 40 million Euros. It has now dropped to 10 (!) million.
Jadon Sancho (Manchester United)
While Casemiro has not yet been able to cut ties with United (or the money), the former Dortmund player has made a run for it. Sancho cost 85 million Euros in 2021, he has now moved to Aston Villa on loan.
Tanguy Ndombele (Tottenham)
Did the Spurs take a leaf out of United’s book? After the Frenchman moved from Lyon to Tottenham for 62 million Euros in 2019, many loans followed shortly afterwards. This season he moved to Nice on a free transfer and now has a market value of eight million Euros.
Mykhaylo Mudryk (Chelsea)
The offensive player had hoped for a world career after his 70-million-Euro move to Chelsea. But everything turned out differently: Instead of celebrated appearances, Mudryk has been suspended since November 2024 due to a doping suspicion. He could even face a four-year ban.
Attack
The Gunners wasted even more money on Pépé: Arsenal paid 80 million Euros to Lille in 2019. But he could only shine in Ligue 1, and so the club terminated his contract a year before it expired.
📸 Catherine Ivill – 2021 Getty Images
Rasmus Højlund (Manchester United)
What would this eleven be without United stars in the attack? A bit like a night of partying without a hangover in the morning – something would be missing. The Red Devils, on the other hand, are missing almost 78 million Euros, the sum they paid for the striker to Atalanta in 2023. This summer, Højlund was loaned out to Napoli.
Antony (Manchester United)
After Paul Pogba, the striker is the second most expensive transfer in club history. United transferred 95 million Euros to Napoli in 2022. For a huge transfer deficit, the Brazilian has now moved to Real Betis. The LaLiga club is said to have paid 22 million Euros.
This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇩🇪 here.
📸 DARREN STAPLES – AFP or licensors
