The 10 most expensive English players of all time

27 Mar 2023 13:13 BST |
Updated: 12 Oct 2026 20:23 BST |
5 min read

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England may not have won the World Cup since 1966, but they have produced some of the most talented footballers in the sport’s history.

The Three Lions also have some of the most exciting youngsters in the world at their disposal, with many of these moving club teams for huge transfer fees over the past decade.

Below, FootballTransfers runs through the 10 most expensive English players of all time.

10. Eberechi Eze – €69.3m (Crystal Palace to Arsenal, 2026)

Arsenal moved for Eberechi Eze after the attacking midfielder had shown several seasons of excellent form at London neighbours Crystal Palace.

While at Selhurst Park, Eze accumulated a wealth of top-flight experience and scored 10+ goals in successive seasons before bagging eight plus eight assists in 2024/25. This persuaded Mikel Arteta to add the former QPR man to his ranks for a substantial fee.

Eze had a mixed first season at the Emirates, with a relatively modest offensive output of 10 goals and six assists in 52 appearances as the Gunners reached the Champions League final and won the Premier League.

9. Anthony Gordon – €80m (Newcastle to Barcelona, 2026)

Perhaps the most surprising transfer of the 2026 summer window, Newcastle winger Anthony Gordon joined Barcelona after strong links with Bayern Munich and Arsenal.

The Catalans, who were assumed to still be struggling financially at the time, paid a whopping €80m to sign him, which only made this deal stranger. However, it now looks like a smart piece of business.

Gordon spoke fluent Spanish at his unveiling and revealed that he had been practising for this moment his entire life. The fulfilment of his childhood dream has seen him take his game to a new level.

8. Jadon Sancho – €85m (Borussia Dortmund to Man Utd, 2021)

Jadon Sancho was wanted by every club in Europe following an excellent spell at Borussia Dortmund, in which he registered over 100 goal contributions in less than 160 appearances.

However, he missed his penalty kick in the Euro 2020 final shootout just days before his move to Man Utd was confirmed, and it set the tone for his time at Old Trafford.

He was exiled by manager Erik ten Hag in 2024 and subsequently embarked on a series of loans, playing for Dortmund, Chelsea and Aston Villa. In 2026, he was released with just 12 goals in 83 Man Utd appearances to his name.

7. Harry Maguire – €87m (Leicester to Man Utd, 2019)

Harry Maguire impressed during his debut Premier League campaign at Hull City, and he subsequently earned a move to Leicester City as a result.

An impressive two-year stint at the King Power Stadium, and an eye-catching 2018 World Cup, convinced Man Utd to make him the most expensive defender in world football at the time.

Maguire was soon named Red Devils captain by Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, and he did well in his first two seasons at the club.

However, he was stripped of the captaincy by Erik ten Hag following an immense drop in form. He bounced back to some extent under Ruben Amorim and Michael Carrick, regaining his status as a trusted starter.

6. Harry Kane – €95m (Tottenham to Bayern Munich, 2023)

Harry Kane finally left Tottenham in 2023, with England’s all-time record goalscorer moving to Bayern Munich in a bid to finally win a major trophy.

Kane departed Tottenham as the club’s highest goalscorer in history, with 280 strikes in 435 games for the Lilywhites, and the club have yet to really replace him.

He has been a prolific scorer since joining Bayern and is widely held as the best No.9 in the world.

5. Jude Bellingham – €103m (Borussia Dortmund to Real Madrid, 2023)

Birmingham City were widely mocked for retiring Jude Bellingham’s No.22 shirt upon his departure for Borussia Dortmund in 2020, but they will have received some relief when he joined Real Madrid three years later.

Every single elite team in Europe wanted Bellingham, however, Real Madrid won the race for his signature after agreeing an initial €103m deal with Dortmund.

Bellingham enjoyed a stunning debut season in Spain, winning both La Liga and the Champions League. He has continued to be an important player, which has benefited Dortmund as they have received substantial bonus payments from Real Madrid in the years since his move.

4. Declan Rice – €116.6m (West Ham to Arsenal, 2023)

After being released by Chelsea, Declan Rice found a home at West Ham United, and he progressed through the ranks before eventually becoming club captain following Mark Noble’s retirement.

Courted by a host of top Premier League clubs, including Man City, Rice ended up joining Arsenal for a club-record fee of €116.6m. He left West Ham with 245 appearances and a Conference League title under his belt.

He was crucial as Arsenal ended their Premier League trophy drought in 2026.

3. Jack Grealish – €117.5m (Aston Villa to Man City, 2021)

For five years, Jack Grealish was the most expensive English footballer of all time after leaving Aston Villa to join Pep Guardiola’s Man City in 2021.

Grealish had emerged as a fan favourite at Villa Park, having come through the club’s academy, and he departed having made over 200 appearances for the Birmingham-based outfit.

The Englishman won the Premier League title during his debut season at Man City, before helping Guardiola’s side win the treble the following year. However, his stint at the club has been viewed critically as his creativity suffered as a result of playing in the Spaniard’s system.

He was loaned to Everton in 2025 and again in 2026 despite Guardiola having left his role as manager that summer.

2. Elliot Anderson – €135m (Nottingham Forest to Man City, 2026)

Having been forced to leave boyhood club Newcastle because of their financial issues in 2024, Elliot Anderson emerged as one of the Premier League’s best all-action midfielders at Nottingham Forest.

Energetic and equipped with an exceptional range of passing, the midfield dynamo enjoyed two outstanding personal campaigns at the City Ground even when the club at large was battling against relegation.

Man Utd were among the clubs keen to sign him in the summer of 2026, but it became clear quite early on that they would not be able to compete with the economic muscle of their Abu Dhabi-owned rivals. Man City shelled out a whopping €135m to sign Anderson.

1. Morgan Rogers – €138m (Aston Villa to Chelsea, 2026)

Morgan Rogers joined Chelsea in a surprising move while he was playing for England at the 2026 World Cup. Having developed into one of the Premier League’s standout attackers at Aston Villa, Rogers was initially expected to join reigning champions Arsenal.

However, the Gunners were unwilling to break the bank on him, which allowed Chelsea to swoop. The fact that they immediately offered €138m even caught Villa by surprise, as they did not expect to receive that much for the attacking midfielder.

They were reluctant to sell, but the offer was too good to turn down. In the process, Rogers became the most expensive English player of all time.

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Carlo Garganese is a highly-respected football writer, broadcaster and editor with more than 15 years of experience working at the highest level for major global brands. Garganese spent 12 years at Goal.com, where he played a significant role in building and developing the website into one of the largest football media organisations in the world.

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