It is no secret that the leading European football clubs have to spend a lot of money to get new players. Unlike a couple of years ago, even the average player costs a lot, so only the rich clubs can afford to get new signees all the time. Of course, some clubs spent more than others, and it seems like it has an effect on their performance.
Thanks to the data summarized by the football expert Veselin Ignatov from Nostrabet, we can see that Manchester City has spent around €1.45B on transfers since 2008. This amount is impressive, to say the least, and it is the main reason why the club’s results have been outstanding. “There is no arguing that the amount of money City has spent is jaw-dropping. Yet, it was worth it because the club became the most dominant team in the English Premier League”, said Veselin.
When talking about City and expensive transfers, Jack Grealish’s arrival from Villa for €117.5M in Season 2021/2022 holds the record. Kevin De Bruyne from Vfl Wolfsburg for €76M is second, and Rubes Dias from Benfica for €71.6M is third. Interestingly, City paid only €60M for Erling Haaland in 22/23 when they got him from Dortmund. Despite that, he quickly became the world’s best striker.
When you compare Manchester City to Arsenal, the team fighting for this year’s EPL trophy, we can see that City has spent double the amount. That said, several other big football clubs also spent an insane amount of money, so let’s learn more about them.
Manchester United – €1.27B
Some of you may be surprised, but the second place on the list for transfer spending is for Manchester United. Football fans who don’t follow the EPL up close may find it hard to believe, considering United’s results in the last couple of years. However, the data shows that one of the legendary English football clubs has spent more than €1.27B since 2008.
Unlike City, whose transfers allowed it to win all sorts of trophies, United has had a lot of problems. Since Sir Alex Ferguson left Old Trafford, The Red Devils haven’t been able to find the formula for success. Even the arrival of Cristiano Ronaldo wasn’t enough for the team to win the English Premier League.
In terms of expensive transfers, Paul Pogba’s move from Juventus in 2016/2017 for €105M still holds the record. Interestingly, the second place belongs to Antony, the Brazilian Right Winger who came here from Ajax in 2022/2023 for €95M. The third place is for Harry Maguire for €87M, followed by Jadon Sancho for €85M and Romelu Lukaku for €84.7M.
Chelsea – €1.12B
Even though some of you probably expected to see a club from a different country here, the third place is also for an English football team. According to the data, Chelsea has spent more than €1.12B from 2008 until now. While it’s true the team won many trophies over the years, the last couple of seasons haven’t been the best, especially the current one, where Chelsea finished 12th and will miss out on all big tournaments, such as the UEFA Champions League.
Speaking of football transfers, the most expensive one happened this season, and it’s the arrival of Enzo Fernandez from Benfica. Chelsea paid €121M for the World Cup Champion with Argentina, but even he wasn’t enough to help the club win.
The second big transfer is Romelu Lukaku, and Chelsea paid Inter €113M for his signature in 21/22. Up next, we have Wesley Fofana, where Chelsea had to pay €80M to Leicester for the player’s signature. Speaking of €80M, Chelsea paid the same amount for Kai Havertz and Kepa Arrizabalaga.
Paris Saint-Germain – €1.07B
After addressing the three big spenders from England, the next name on the list is France. What’s interesting about Paris Saint-Germain is that the club has spent around €1.07B, and most of this amount was used in the last five years. People who have been following the events around the club are not surprised because it got acquired by the Emir of Qatar.
When it comes down to transfers, PSG holds the record after it spent more than $222M for Neymar in 2017/2018. The Brazilian’s arrival from Barcelona made him the most expensive player in the world, and he still holds this record. Interestingly, Kylian Mbappe’s transfer from Monaco in 2018/2019 for €180M is the second-most expensive football transfer in the world, and it also belongs to PSG.
Aside from those two players, the French club has also spent €68M for Achraf Hakimi, €64.5M for Edinson Cavani, and €64M for Angel Di Maria.
FC Barcelona – $825M
It was about time to see a club from Spain, and its name was FC Barcelona. Despite the recent controversy around the club’s relationship with the referees in Spain, it lifted the La Liga trophy again. The club lost some of its signature players over the years, but thanks to good transfers worth around $825M since 2008, it remained one of the best in Spain.
While talking about transfers, the record belongs to Ousmane Dembélé and his arrival from Dortmund in 2018/2018 when Barcelona paid around €140M. The second place goes to Philippe Coutinho from Liverpool because Barcelona paid around €135M in the same season.
Number 3 is for the transfer of Antoine Griezmann when he joined the club in 2019/2020 for €120M. Interestingly, Barcelona paid only €88M for Neymar, but the transfer occurred in 2013/2014.
Arsenal – €766M
The last football club on the list is Arsenal, which was supposed to win the EPL in 2022/2023. Even though it was first for several weeks, in the end, the club finished second, 5 points away from City.
In terms of transfers, Arsenal has spent around €766M since 2008. The club’s most expensive player is Nicolas Pépé, and he became a part of the team in 2019/2020 for €80M. The next spot on the list is for Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang because he joined Arsenal from Borussia Dortmund in 2017/2018 for €63.75M. Number 3 on the list is for Ben White and his move from Brighton for €58.5M.
Is it worth betting on these clubs?
If you want to bet on football, you will probably be interested in one of the above-listed clubs. They are among the leaders in their respective competitions, so most bookies will consider them the favourites. Yet, you should not bet right away because you need to check all of the important information about them.
The fact that some clubs have spent billions on transfers doesn’t mean they are undefeatable. On the contrary, football is a fantastic sport because we always see interesting results. So, make sure to do your research before deciding which of these teams to bet on.
