As club football winds to a close across Europe, it’s a great time to look back and see how the big-name and big-money transfers fared. Some have flourished — Jude Bellingham, for instance, has played a crucial role in Real Madrid’s season, helping Los Blancos reach the Champions League Final — and getting some Ballon d’Or shouts along the way. Others? Not so much.
With that being said, here are my rankings of the ten most expensive transfers around the world. All ten of these signings cost at least €70 million and will be ranked compared to each other, taking into account their individual success, team success, and price tag.
10. Neymar Jr. to Al Hilal, €90m
Al Hilal paid a whopping €90 million to bring in Neymar Jr. from PSG: a marquee signing to promote the Saudi Pro League and compete against Cristiano Ronaldo and Al Nassr. The result? An ACL injury limited the Brazilian to just five appearances, where he did play well, to be fair, recording a goal and three assists. There have been rumors he may be looking elsewhere already, too — reports of a reunion with Messi and Suarez at Inter Miami seem to have at least some truth to them.
This isn’t necessarily an awful move from Al Hilal. The money, while a club record, is a drop in the bucket for a club that spent roughly €375 million in transfer fees this year alone. Additionally, the signing still brought plenty of coverage and attention, while they rolled to an easy league title — undefeated after 33 league games so far this season. But they will be disappointed in their return on investment so far.
9. Randal Kolo Muani to PSG, €95m
A perfect example of a transfer that didn’t need to happen, as well as what a strong international tournament can do for a player’s stock. Kolo Muani joined Eintracht Frankfurt for free in 2022, and, one great season and one great World Cup tournament later, PSG shelled out €95 million for the French forward. And where exactly did Kolo Muani fit into the attack, especially with the addition of Marco Asensio, Bradley Barcola, Ousmane Dembélé, and Gonçalo Ramos?
He didn’t, really. Kolo Muani started just 21 matches, scoring nine goals and assisting six. He sat on the bench for most of PSG’s biggest matches of the season — he played 42 minutes of Champions League soccer in the knockout round, despite PSG reaching the semi-finals — and struggled to make an impact. With Mbappé leaving in the summer, maybe PSG will have a bigger role planned for Kolo Muani next season, but he’ll need to show he deserves it.
8. Dominik Szoboszlai to Liverpool, €70m
Few players have had a weirder season than Szoboszlai. The Hungarian international joined from RB Leipzig for €70 million, and, on paper, he looked like exactly what Liverpool’s midfield needed: a creative, energetic, and very technical presence. At first, he looked the part, putting in some impressive performances and scoring twice and assisting two more goals in the Premier League by the start of January.
After January, however, his form plummeted. He recorded only one more goal contribution the rest of the Premier League season — a header in a 4-1 victory over Chelsea — and his spot in the starting eleven. Injuries didn’t help, and he found himself playing fewer and fewer minutes as the season progressed. Szoboszlai arguably ended up being Liverpool’s third-best addition to the midfield, with Alexis Mac Allister and Wataru Endo putting in stronger, more consistent performances.
Szoboszlai will have a fresh start under Arne Slot next season, and all signs point towards an improved second season for the Hungarian.
7. Rasmus Højlund to Manchester United, €74m
Højlund was one of many big-money signings for Manchester United last summer (although he’s the only one that cracked the top ten), and he was by far the most difficult player to rank. In the first half of the season, he struggled for significant minutes at times and also failed to score in the Premier League. Then again, he recorded five goals in the Champions League, so it wasn’t exactly a goal drought, either.
Once he finally scored his first Premier League goal — he had to wait until December 26th — he came alive, ending the Premier League season with ten goals. Maybe not necessarily mind-blowing stats, but very solid considering Manchester United’s struggles. Højlund, too, struggled with injuries — an increasingly common problem caused by fixture congestion — but once he got in a rhythm, he was impressive and scored more goals than any other United player.
All in all, Højlund had a good debut season and showed plenty of promise. This deal may look better in a few years, once he’s fully adjusted to the Premier League, but for now it’s just a solid transfer.
6. Moisés Caicedo to Chelsea, €116m
Early in the season, this looked like Brighton had absolutely scammed Chelsea. Brighton was thriving, Chelsea was struggling, and Caicedo was not doing too well. At times, the Ecuadorian midfielder looked slightly out of his depth outside of the Brighton system, and people doubted he was worth the immense price tag.
However, as the season went on, Caicedo improved, and rapidly. His improvement was a huge reason why Chelsea climbed up the table, going from 14th at one point in the season to finishing sixth — and, crucially, in a European spot. Bizarrely, Chelsea dismissed Maurizio Pochettino at the end of the season, so he will have to adjust to a new manager next season — but if he keeps improving, he’ll definitely justify the price tag. For now, however, it still looks too high.
5. Kai Havertz to Arsenal, €75m
On more than one occasion, chants of “60 Million Down The Drain, Kai Havertz Scores Again” were heard at the Emirates Stadium in London. The chant refers to Havertz’s price tag — in pounds, not euros — and how rival fans accused him of being a flop and overpriced. Because, at first, he did look a little overpriced. Arteta tried him in many positions — although none as bizarre as Germany boss Julian Nagelsmann sticking him at left-back in a friendly — and he didn’t exactly show why he cost €75 million at any of them.
However, in the second half of the season, the German thrived as Arteta gave him more minutes in advanced positions, largely at striker. At one point, Havertz scored in four consecutive league matches and finished the season with 13 goals and seven assists as Arsenal fell agonizingly short of the Premier League title. He had a far from flawless season, but he has already proven to be a good signing and has turned things around after struggling at Chelsea.
4. Joško Gvardiol to Manchester City, €90m
Fans around the globe were stunned when Manchester City forked over €90 million for RB Leipzig center-back Joško Gvardiol. The Croatian defender had impressed both in the Bundesliga and at the World Cup, but the deal — which made him the second-most expensive defender in history, behind Harry Maguire — seemed both overly expensive and unnecessary. After all, how could Gvardiol earn minutes at center-back behind John Stones, Manuel Akanji, and Ruben Dias? The answer: he wouldn’t.
Instead, the left-footed Gvardiol moved to left-back, where, at first, he didn’t look entirely comfortable. However, as Pep gave him more freedom to attack, Gvardiol oddly turned into a goalscoring threat — prior to April, he had zero goals for Manchester City, but by the end of the season, he had scored five goals (including an impressive strike against Real Madrid). By the end of the year, he was a locked-in starter and played a crucial role for City’s Premier League-winning side.
Gvardiol already looks like a strong signing, and he will only continue to get better in Manchester. Expect big things from him next season.
3. Declan Rice to Arsenal, €117m
Arsenal desperately wanted West Ham’s standout midfielder Declan Rice, along with nearly every other major club in Europe. In the end, the Gunners had to pay an incredible €117 million for the England international, making him not only a club-record signing but also the most expensive British player of all time. And yet, Rice hasn’t seemed at all weighed down by this pressure.
While Rice and Arsenal fell just short of winning the Premier League, it was still a strong season for the English midfielder. In addition to his strong defensive performances and quality in midfield, he also had 16 goal contributions in the Premier League — seven goals and nine assists — and helped his side pick up crucial points to stay in the race for the league title. A race, of course, which they ultimately lost. Despite the cost, this is one of the signings of the season.
2. Harry Kane to Bayern Munich, €95m
Bayern paid a club-record €95 million to bring in Harry Kane to fill the gap left by Robert Lewandowski’s departure to FC Barcelona in 2022. And, in theory, he did that. Kane scored 44 goals in all competitions and assisted twelve, and finished as the top scorer in the Bundesliga. It wasn’t his fault that Bayern missed out on the Bundesliga, DFB Pokal, Supercup, and Champions League titles.
However, he was unfortunately quiet against Real Madrid in the second leg of the Champions League, ultimately exiting early with a back injury. He was also quiet in Bayern’s second meeting with Leverkusen in the Bundesliga, recording just 18 touches — the fewest on the field out of any starter that match. Bayern lost 3-0, which basically handed Leverkusen the title. Neither loss was his solely his fault, but Bayern bought him for big moments and he has to show up in those games.
This is still an great signing, and Kane is still a great player who is currently in contention for the Ballon d’Or. However, the fact that he has no major trophies to his name remains a blemish on what has been a legendary career, and that didn’t change this season. He’ll hope to change that next year, although that becomes harder as Bayern won’t be in the Supercup.
1. Jude Bellingham to Real Madrid, €103m
What is there to say about Jude Bellingham?
He’s not a typical midfielder, and yet he’s not a forward either. That hasn’t stopped him from recording 35 G/A this season. He’s lost his head at times this season — just ask Valencia — and yet he’s mature enough to be leading one of the biggest clubs in the world. He’s one of the most unique players in the world right now.
Bellingham has already won La Liga and could still win the Champions League — and against his former club, Borussia Dortmund, no less. This has already been a spectacular debut season but we could be talking about him as one of the best signings in Madrid’s history in a few years, and the talks could start as soon as this summer if he wins both the Champions League and Ballon d’Or.
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Image via arsenal.com.