Tottenham's 10 most expensive transfers of all time

1 Jul 2022 09:20 BST |
Updated: 21 Sept 2026 16:15 BST |
6 min read

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Tottenham Hotspur are one of the richest clubs in world football, yet this is not always reflected in their position in the Premier League pecking order.

Despite reaching the Champions League final in 2019, Spurs have been unable to establish themselves as a team to be feared domestically and they endured a 17-year trophy drought between 2008 and 2025.

Daniel Levy, a shrewd businessman who was reluctant to spend big, was the man calling the shots behind the scenes for a quarter of a century. He was sacked in 2025, but the club’s fortunes are yet to improve.

Below, FootballTransfers runs through Tottenham’s 10 most expensive signings in history.

10. Brennan Johnson – €55m (from Nottingham Forest, 2023)

Tottenham did the unthinkable in the summer of 2023 as they sold their record goal-scorer and club legend Harry Kane to Bayern Munich. Needing a replacement, Spurs moved for exciting young Nottingham Forest attacker Brennan Johnson in the closing hours of the transfer window.

Although not a like-for-like replacement for Kane, Johnson had impressed in his first season in the Premier League with Forest, netting eight league goals as Steve Cooper’s side avoided relegation.

However, despite scoring 18 goals in his second season, including the winning strike in the 2025 Europa League final, Johnson eventually lost his place in Spurs’ starting XI and he was sold to Crystal Palace for €40m in January 2026.

9. Richarlison – €58m (from Everton, 2022)

Richarlison was keen to leave Everton after four years at the club, during which time he scored 53 goals in 152 games, and his potential availability attracted the attention of Spurs, who wanted to sign an able backup for Kane.

The forward had also scored 14 goals in 36 Brazil caps at the time of his arrival at Tottenham. However, the €58m initial fee spent on Richarlison didn’t quite work out as intended.

He played consistently under a host of different managers, scoring several important goals along the way, before being cast aside by Roberto De Zerbi in the summer of 2026.

8. Jan Paul van Hecke – €60m (from Brighton, 2026)

After breaking into the Brighton team following Levi Colwill’s return to Chelsea, Jan Paul van Hecke soon cemented his place as one of the Premier League’s most reliable defenders.

The Dutchman racked up 131 first-team appearances for Brighton during his time at the AMEX Stadium, and despite interest from Chelsea, Tottenham were able to secure a €60m deal, with Van Hecke’s former Brighton boss Roberto De Zerbi playing a key role in the transfer.

In exchange, Spurs sold talented young centre-back Luka Vuskovic in the opposite direction.

7. Tanguy Ndombele – €62m (from Lyon, 2019)

It was actually seen as a coup when Spurs snatched Tanguy Ndombele away from Lyon for a cool €62m in the summer of 2019.

The Frenchman had been superb for the French side during the previous season, with his performance against Barcelona at Camp Nou particularly memorable. He was a player with marvellous close control who arguably looked like he belonged on a Futsal pitch rather than a football one.

Unfortunately for Ndombele, he fell out with manager Jose Mourinho and was dropped from the starting XI for a prolonged period of time, while he also faced accusations over his weight.

He was unable to find decent form under Nuno Espirito Santo or Antonio Conte, either, and after three loan spells away from the club, he left on a Bosman deal in 2024.

6. Mohammed Kudus – €63.8m (from West Ham, 2025)

It came as a major surprise when Mohammed Kudus left Ajax for West Ham for €43m in 2023 after being courted by Manchester United and several other Premier League giants.

After two successful seasons in east London, Tottenham, in need of attacking reinforcements, signed him for €63.8m after a hugely disappointing 2024-25 campaign.

Kudus endured an injury-hit first campaign as a Spurs player.

5. Dominic Solanke – €64.3m (from Bournemouth, 2024)

Dominic Solanke was signed as Harry Kane’s replacement 12 months after the Spurs icon left for Bayern Munich, with Ange Postecoglou’s side sparing no expense to capture the centre-forward, who was coming off a career-best year with Bournemouth.

He had scored 19 goals for the Cherries in 38 league outings – more top-flight strikes than he had netted in his entire career before then – and Spurs were desperate to fight off strong competition for his signature.

In fact, Tottenham were so confident in his ability that a club-record fee was spent to capture him. He scored 16 goals in all competitions during his first season in north London, but suffered with major injury issues in his second.

4. Xavi Simons – €65m (from RB Leipzig, 2025)

Spurs broke their transfer record – by just under €1m – when they pounced on Chelsea’s indecision to sign RB Leipzig star Xavi Simons.

The Blues had been in talks with Simons all summer but refused to cough up the money required to sign him, which allowed Tottenham to swoop in. Simons had been one of the Bundesliga’s most exciting players in his first season in the league.

However, he suffered from second-season syndrome, and that form has carried over into his Tottenham career, with the Netherlands international struggling to acclimatise to the Premier League.

3. Savio – €87.7m (from Man City, 2026)

After two underwhelming seasons at Manchester City, Savio completed a shock move to Tottenham for a whopping €87.7m.

The move was seen as vastly overpriced at the time, with the Brazil winger arriving in north London having only scored two Premier League goals in 53 games during his spell at the Etihad Stadium.

However, the Spurs hierarchy believed in his ability and were willing to make him their third-priciest signing of all time in order to complete a deal.

2. Mateus Fernandes – €99m (from West Ham, 2026)

Mateus Fernandes arrived at West Ham following Southampton’s relegation to the Championship and he was one of their standout performers during the 2025-26 campaign.

Following their 18th place finish in the Premier League, he once again had no interest in playing second-tier football and despite strong interest from Manchester United, Spurs won the race to sign him.

Tottenham paid €99m to acquire his signature, making him their second-most expensive signing in history.

1. Sandro Tonali – €108m (from Newcastle, 2026)

Sandro Tonali became Spurs’ all-time record signing when he completed a €108m switch from Newcastle United in 2026.

The Italian had established himself as one of the best midfielders in the Premier League during his time at St James’ Park, following a gambling ban, and Spurs beat arch-rivals Arsenal to his signature.

He became Newcastle’s second-biggest sale upon completing the move, with Tottenham revamping their midfield with the signings of both Tonali and Fernandes.

The 10 most expensive Tottenham signings of all time