Enzo Fernandez next? The 16 Premier League record transfers & how they fared

by — January 5, 2023 in TOP NEWS


The Premier League is the richest league in the world and we have seen some of the biggest ever transfer fees spent by English clubs over the years.

If Chelsea manage to land a £112million deal for Benfica midfielder Enzo Fernandez, he’ll become the league’s most expensive transfer and break the current record of £100million.

We’ve scrolled back through the archives and picked out the 16 Premier League record transfers since the founding of the Premier League back in 1992.

Alan Shearer (Southampton to Blackburn) 

The record Premier League goalscorer was snapped up by Blackburn for £3.6million (the kids of today will be gobsmacked that fee once landed the Premier League’s most expensive player) and he went on to score 130 goals for the club across four seasons and he guided them to the 1994–95 Premier League title. They even made a profit when they eventually sold him.

Roy Keane (Nottingham Forest to Man Utd)

Keane broke the Premier League transfer record just one year after Shearer had moved to Blackburn as he completed a £3.75million deal to Manchester United in July 1993.

That one turned out alright.

roy keane man utd 2003

READ: Ranking every Man Utd captain of the PL era from worst to best

Chris Sutton (Norwich to Blackburn)

Blackburn’s renowned forward partnership of Sutton and Shearer were paired together in 1994 after Sutton completed a £5million move from Norwich in 1994. It didn’t take long before they were tearing Premier League defences apart together.

The duo scored a remarkable 49 league goals between them in the 1994–95 season as Blackburn clinched the league title by a single point.

Andy Cole (Newcastle to Man Utd)

“For the treble season alone, Yorke and [Andy] Cole were the best [strike partnership I played with at Manchester United],” Gary Neville told Sky Sports. “They were sensational, the way they played together. They lit up the whole league, they lit up Europe.”

United landed a £7million deal for Cole in January 1995 and what a signing it proved to be. The forward went on to score 121 goals for Manchester United in 275 appearances.

Dennis Bergkamp (Inter Milan to Arsenal)

Bergkamp defined an era at Arsenal as his effortless style of play left fans breathless each week.

In June 1995, the Gunners splashed out £7.5million on the Dutch forward, who went on to win three league titles with the club.

Stan Collymore (Nottingham Forest to Liverpool)

Collymore ended 1995 as the Premier League record transfer as his move to Liverpool set them back £8.5million. The forward quickly struck up a partnership with Robbie Fowler but was then swiftly overtaken by a young Michael Owen.

Alan Shearer (Blackburn to Newcastle)

Shearer is one of only two players to have twice broken the Premier League transfer record, this time with his £15million move to boyhood club Newcastle in July 1996.

Sir Alex Ferguson tried to persuade Shearer to instead join Manchester United, but the forward has no regrets over his choice. “It was a really tough decision, but this place, I grew up here, Shearer told the Overlap.

“I watched my hero Kevin Keegan every single weekend. So I thought, I’ve got to go home, and they were willing to pay a world-record fee for me.

“I didn’t sign just for Kevin. I know he was the manager, and he was brilliant at selling Newcastle United, but he didn’t have to for me. I knew what it was. Everyone knew what Newcastle meant to me.”

The legendary striker never lifted any silverware at his boyhood club, but he scored bagfuls of goals and left a lifetime’s worth of memories. Shearer eventually surpassed Jackie Milburn to become the Magpies’ all-time top scorer with 206 goals in all competitions.

Rio Ferdinand (West Ham to Leeds)

Not only was Ferdinand the most expensive transfer in Premier League history in 2000, but his £18million move to Leeds also made him the most expensive defender in the world at that time.

Ferdinand continued to excel at Elland Road, captaining the Whites during that unforgettable Champions League run. Despite the club’s demising financial situation at the time, they managed to sell him for a sizeable profit just two years after he had joined.

Ruud van Nistelrooy (PSV to Man Utd)

Has a player ever made goalscoring look so effortless? Van Nistelrooy joined United for a fee of £19million in April 2001 and was one of the finest goalscorers in Premier League history.

Scoring 95 league goals in just 150 matches, Van Nistelrooy was truly one of a kind.

But surprisingly enough, he only won the Premier League once during his five years at Old Trafford.

Juan Sebastian Veron (Lazio to Man Utd)

Things never quite panned out for Veron at Manchester United after his record £28.1million move in July 2001. We can’t help but feel like he was the right man at the wrong time.

Manchester United's Juan Sebastian Veron celebrates his goal against Maccabi Haifa. Old Trafford, September 2002.

READ: An ode to Juan Sebastian Veron, Man Utd’s right man at the wrong time

Rio Ferdinand (Leeds to Man Utd)

Manchester United dominated the English transfer market in the early-2000s and they broke the record once again in 2002 to land a deal for Ferdinand from Leeds. In the end, the Red Devils splashed out £29.1million to land the defender.

After making 455 appearances for the club across a 12-year span and winning 14 trophies, including six league titles, we can put this one down as a huge success.

Andriy Shevchenko (AC Milan to Chelsea)

The expectations were sky-high on the 2004 Ballon d’Or winner after Chelsea had broken the Premier League transfer record to land him in a deal worth £30.6million in July 2006.

A series of injuries hampered his time at Chelsea and he ultimately struggled to replace his prolific form from AC Milan. The striker left the club after just two years, having scored 22 goals.

Robinho (Real Madrid to Manchester City)

This one seemed like a seismic moment at the time. Sure, the Brazilian didn’t live up to expectations in the end, but the fact that City had got the deal done in the first place showcased that they now meant business.

They forked out £32.5million for the Brazilian in 2008 and he only stuck around in England for 18 months before seeking a move elsewhere.

Fernando Torres (Liverpool to Chelsea)

It still feels weird that he played 30 more games for Chelsea than Liverpool, doesn’t it?

The Chelsea striker curse was in full effect with Torres after his shock deadline day move in 2011 which was worth a whopping £50million. It took the Spanish forward 14 matches until he finally found the back of the net for Chelsea.

To be fair to Torres, he did produce several memorable moments in Europe for Chelsea, even if his overall goal tally was somewhat lacking.

Paul Pogba (Juventus to Man United)

We’re still getting over the fact that Manchester United lost Pogba on a free transfer, bought him back for a record £89million fee, to then lose him once again on a free transfer six years later.

Pogba was an opinion splitter at Old Trafford and while he was capable of producing moments of brilliance, he was often criticised for not showcasing his talents on a consistent basis. There’s probably also a case to be made that United themselves didn’t know how to get the best out of him.

Jack Grealish (Aston Villa to Manchester City)

Grealish is the current Premier League record transfer after his £100million move to Man City in the summer of 2021.

The former Aston Villa man did win the league title during his first season with the club, but he is yet to live up to his lofty price tag. Watch this space.

READ NEXT: Every world record transfer since 1990: Baggio to Neymar via Ronaldo

TRY A QUIZ: Can you name the last 20 players to break the world transfer record?





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