\n<\/p>\n
Three of the six most expensive ever moves down the Premier League table have been to Spurs \u2013 but the biggest of all might never be beaten.<\/p>\n
One simple rule: these are the most expensive transfers in which the selling team finished higher in the Premier League table than the buying club, with a mid-season deal chucked in for good measure.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
It is not often a player can leave the popular, newly-crowned miracle champions for a loathed mid-table team with barely an eyebrow raised or an unkind word spoken. But the combination of Kante\u2019s inherent likeability and the Freaky Friday scenario Leicester and Chelsea found themselves locked in a decade ago led to one of the strangest yet most straightforward transfers imaginable<\/strong>.<\/p>\n Chelsea, at the start of their rebuild under Antonio Conte, faced basically no competition for very possibly the best player of the previous season, although Arsene Wenger inevitably fluttered his eyelashes<\/strong> and PSG sniffed around.<\/p>\n Eight players moved to Premier League teams for bigger fees than Chelsea paid Leicester for Kante in the same summer. Arsenal spent more on Granit Xhaka, Spurs invested as much on Moussa Sissoko and Manchester United paid about three times the amount for Paul Pogba. Phenomenal work from all involved.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Marco Silva kept a straight face when describing Iwobi as \u201cone of our main targets\u201d, despite the Toffees having to rush through a move in the final two hours of the 2019 transfer window after finally abandoning their summer-long pursuit of Wilfried Zaha.<\/p>\n Iwobi\u2019s future was intrinsically linked to that of the Crystal Palace talisman either way. The Nigerian said he would have to consider leaving Arsenal if Zaha joined the Gunners<\/strong> due to the added \u201cstress\u201d of competing for places, with that pressure enough to evoke panic even when it was only Nicolas Pepe who moved to north London.<\/p>\n Everton had finished 16 points behind Arsenal but in the midst of a period of lavish spending reached up the table to make Iwobi the third-most expensive player in their history at the time.<\/p>\n The gap was actually closed to seven points in 2019\/20, with Iwobi a late substitute in an abysmal game watched from the stands by incoming managers Mikel Arteta and Carlo Ancelotti<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n A slightly different case: Hall\u2019s marriage with Newcastle was arranged when the Magpies were eight places higher than Chelsea, but by the time that loan was made permanent a year later the Blues were one position and three points ahead.<\/p>\n It is unknown whether or indeed how many of the \u00a37m add-ons included in the deal have been triggered, but 80 appearances, an actual trophy and a handful of England caps will have gone a long way.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n This was a step sideways rather than down in reality. Brentford had finished below Bournemouth by three goal differential points, with both punching well above their weight.<\/p>\n In a restructuring of their pillaged attack, Brentford saw the Premier League experience of Ouattara as key. The forward scored seven goals in 32 games in his last Bournemouth season, then matched that record in his first campaign with the Bees.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n While Manchester United were officially Premier League champions for a little under four more soul-sapping months, their star had already fallen by the time Mata\u2019s helicopter landed at Carrington.<\/p>\n David Moyes welcomed the Spaniard with unsurprisingly open arms, hoping he could galvanise his fading first season at Old Trafford as Manchester United sat seventh, a point clear of Newcastle.<\/p>\n Chelsea were third at the time the deal went through, much to the chagrin of Wenger. \u201cSome teams have already played twice against one opponent and some others not. I think if you want to respect the fairness for everybody exactly the same, that should not happen.\u201d<\/p>\n He would loan Kim Kallstrom later that month in protest<\/strong>.<\/p>\n Mata, on the other hand, will probably forever remain the top scorer of Ryan Giggs\u2019 entire career as a club manager.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n The first of a great many awkward midfield keys signed to unlock Pogba, it was Matic who Jose Mourinho described as having \u201ceverything he wants in a footballer\u201d in what was presumably intended as a compliment but is actually a damning indictment beyond about 2015.<\/p>\n Conte was furious and for once entirely justified<\/strong> as Chelsea used the funds to restock their cupboards with Tiemoue Bakayoko and Danny Drinkwater before Ross Barkley arrived in January.<\/p>\n The Blues fell to fifth in what amounted to a solid title defence considering their previous efforts, beating Manchester United in the FA Cup final after Mourinho secured his self-identified greatest achievement of finishing second to Manchester City and waiting patiently for the title to be reallocated years later<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Enough steaming missiles have been launched at the walls of Stamford Bridge, Cobham and any other property Chelsea have sold to themselves over the years for some to stick. Yet Palmer is still probably the one unqualified success story for Clearlake\u2019s recruitment strategy<\/strong>.<\/p>\n How wasteful it would have been had he heard Pep Guardiola out and decided to stay at Manchester City on the promise of a steady increase in minutes. Palmer felt he was already better than the 13 starts afforded to him in two seasons as a first-teamer and backed himself for a lead role elsewhere instead of playing a part in a supporting cast.<\/p>\n Chelsea provided that platform and their sole regret will be that Palmer\u2019s contract only runs for another 427 years.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n It was a self-described \u201cgreat step forwards in my professional career\u201d, a move to \u201cone of the most important clubs in England\u201d and a \u201cdream come true\u201d to even just train with Richarlison.<\/p>\n There was little doubt as to whether the Roberto De Zerbi pull existed, but definitive proof of how strong it could be came when relegation-adjacent Spurs reacted to becoming the first Premier League club to finish 17th in consecutive seasons by luring a Europa League qualifier\u2019s defensive leader.<\/p>\n Brighton had quite inevitably finished above Spurs in the previous two campaigns, have won three and drawn two of their last six games against the north Londoners, and offer a far more stable platform for players to develop and thrive.<\/p>\n But Spurs clearly made some absurd promises to De Zerbi that need to be fulfilled<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n The game went in the summer of 2017 and Walker was held responsible by many<\/strong>.<\/p>\n The mere concept of a full-back being sold for upwards of \u00a350m caused a thousand think-pieces about the sport\u2019s spiralling finances, followed by weeks of introspection as everyone pondered what part they had played in this and how they could possibly have stopped it.<\/p>\n Kyle Walker. \u00a350m. Entire heads fell off across the country.<\/p>\n Forgotten in the ensuing madness was the fact that Walker had ostensibly taken a step down. He helped Spurs claim the Put The Pressure On Cup, securing his place in the PFA Team of the Year in the process, before being dropped by Mauricio Pochettino for the FA Cup semi-final, a north London derby and a match with Manchester United. Those seven minutes in a 2-1 win at White Hart Lane in May 2017 happened to mark Walker\u2019s last in a Spurs shirt.<\/p>\n The right-back joined Manchester City that summer \u2013 for \u00a350m! \u2013 and immediately explained that he moved to a team which finished eight points behind Spurs and was knocked out in the last 16 of the Champions League in Pep Guardiola\u2019s debut trophyless season \u201cto go on and pick up silverware\u201d.<\/p>\n Walker left the Etihad last summer with 17 winner\u2019s medals in eight years. Listen, fair play.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n It is an unflattering reflection of both club and player that Kudus signed a West Ham contract containing an \u00a380m release clause in the summer of 2023 and left for \u00a325m less two years later.<\/p>\n There were flashes of something exceptional over those 80 Hammers appearances under three different managers, but that wonderful first season being shown tapes of Steven Pienaar by Moyes had faded long before Spurs swooped.<\/p>\n Thomas Frank identified the Ghanaian as his priority signing, Kudus picked out Spurs as the only club he wished to join, West Ham swallowed their pride to fund much-needed squad improvements, and every party involved in that paragraph was considerably worse for the experience.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n There was indelible proof of Manchester United\u2019s perennial transfer pull\u00a0when what could have been a summer-long auction between a number of potential suitors was reduced to a staring contest between Ruben Amorim\u2019s side and Brentford.<\/p>\n Manchester United were frustrated<\/strong> but all involved felt they got the best out of a deal which took about two months to construct between the rejected opening bid and accepted third offer.<\/p>\n Manchester United brought Brentford to the table at \u00a355m and left with Mbeumo in tow once the eventual numbers surpassed \u00a370m.<\/p>\n For a player only beaten in terms of combined goals and assists in the 2024\/25 Premier League season by Mo Salah and Alexander Isak, it was a fair price for an apparent overpay<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n It was not in the playbook of Saudi global domination that almost five years into this PIF rule, one of Newcastle\u2019s best players would have their head turned by a team which was roughly another two Igor Tudor caretaker games away from being consigned to the Championship.<\/p>\n But the Big Six is eternal<\/strong>the aforementioned De Zerbi and London lures are real, and some will never be convinced that Tonali has moved for anything other than that sweet lucre<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n The Liverpool copium was remarkably strong<\/strong> when their ambitious midfield transfer overhaul was slightly undermined by the panicked \u00a3111m bid Chelsea duly hijacked with a \u00a3115m offer of their own shortly after.<\/p>\n Their frustration and consternation was broadly understandable. Chelsea had just finished in the bottom half under Frank Lampard in what was until recently an unthinkably embarrassing crash through the glass ceiling the Big Six clubs installed long ago; Spurs would probably take 12th right now.<\/p>\n Liverpool were far from the peak of their powers, finishing fifth and suffering early exits from the three knockout competitions, but they had Jurgen Klopp and a clear plan moving forward.<\/p>\n That centered around the midfield and when Jude Bellingham inexplicably chose Real Madrid instead, the money the Reds put aside was thrown in the general direction of Caicedo.<\/p>\n Brighton, who ended the 2022\/23 just a place behind Liverpool, were happy enough to watch the auction unfold and escalate.<\/p>\n <\/div>\nAlex Iwobi \u2013 from Arsenal (5th) to Everton (8th) for \u00a334m<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Lewis Hall \u2013 from Chelsea (6th) to Newcastle (7th) for \u00a335m<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Dango Ouattara \u2013 from Bournemouth (9th) to Brentford (10th) for \u00a337m<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Juan Mata \u2013 from Chelsea (3rd) to Manchester United (7th) for \u00a337.1m<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Nemanja Matic \u2013 from Chelsea (1st) to Manchester United (6th) for \u00a340m<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Cole Palmer \u2013 from Manchester City (1st) to Chelsea (12th) for \u00a342.5m <\/strong><\/h2>\n
Jan Paul van Hecke \u2013 from Brighton (8th) to Spurs (17th) for \u00a352m<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Kyle Walker \u2013 from Spurs (2nd) to Manchester City (3rd)<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Mohammed Kudus \u2013 from West Ham (14th) to Spurs (17th) for \u00a355m <\/strong><\/h2>\n
Bryan Mbeumo \u2013 from Brentford (10th) to Manchester United (15th) for \u00a365m<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Sandro Tonali \u2013 from Newcastle (12th) to Spurs (17th) for \u00a392.5m<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Moises Caicedo \u2013 from Brighton (6th) to Chelsea (12th) for \u00a3115m<\/strong><\/h2>\n