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The Premier League is the most widely followed football league in the world. This translates to a lot of money in terms of matchday revenue. As a result, Premier League clubs are some of the richest in the world.
Premier League top six have made a few blunders in the transfer market
England's top-flight top six clubs are renowned for flexing their financial muscle in every transfer window. At times, they are bang on the money with their signings, but there have been times when big-money signings have not worked out for them.
It's quite common for Premier League sides to break the bank to make marquee signings every summer transfer window.
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Without further ado, let's take a look at five of the most overpaid Premier League transfers of all time.
#5 Alvaro Morata to Chelsea - €66 million
Alvaro Morata had outgrown the role of deputy striker at Real Madrid and looked set for his big move in the summer of 2017. Both Manchester United and Chelsea were reportedly in the race to sign him. Both clubs were also interested in Romelu Lukaku and the Red Devils stole the march on the Blues and signed the Belgian from Everton.
Chelsea acted immediately and signed Morata from Real Madrid. They paid €66 million to secure his services. He got off to a decent start and even scored a hat-trick within the first two months of his arrival. But it was all downhill from there.
Morata scored just 15 goals and provided six assists in 45 appearances across all competitions for Chelsea in the 2017-18 season. He had another underwhelming half-season for Chelsea before he was shipped out to Atletico Madrid on loan.
In July 2019, Atletico Madrid signed Morata on a permanent basis for close to €68 million. Chelsea can take solace in the fact that they recouped all the money they invested in him, at the very least.
#4 Benjamin Mendy to Manchester City - €57.5 million
Benjamin Mendy was a vital cog in the AS Monaco side that made an exciting run to the semi-finals of the Champions League 2016-17 season. He was also part of the mass exodus that happened at Monaco that summer. Manchester City signed Mendy for €57.7 million in the summer of 2017.
Mendy has now been at Manchester City for four seasons. He has made just 49 appearances in the Premier League so far. The left-back is extremely injury prone and is yet to produce much of note for Pep Guardiola's side.
Manchester City made him the most expensive defensive signing in the history of the Premier League. They have now spent plenty more to nurse his multiple injury problems.
#3 Nicolas Pepe to Arsenal - €80 million
Nicolas Pepe was Arsenal's marquee signing of the 2019 summer transfer window. He was brilliant for Lille in the 2018-19 season, scoring 23 goals and providing 12 assists in 31 appearances across all competitions. But even then paying €80 million for a mercurial winger seemed a bit much.
Arsenal still decided to go for it. They made Pepe their most expensive signing by a country mile. Their second-most expensive signing is Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang who was signed for €63.75 million.
Pepe is yet to justify his price tag after two seasons at Arsenal. He scored just eight goals and provided 10 assists in 42 appearances across all competitions in his debut season in the Premier League.
Pepe did better in the 2020-21 season, scoring 16 goals and providing five assists in 47 appearances. But that's not the kind of returns Arsenal would expect from a player they've spent €80 million on.
#2 Andy Carroll to Liverpool - €41 million
Liverpool are no strangers to the hype train either. €41 million was quite a big sum in 2011. But Liverpool were ready to shell out big money in order to sign Carroll. The Merseysiders were looking to replace Fernando Torres and that was not going to be an easy task. Spending €41 million on Andy Carroll only made it tougher.
They signed him in January 2011 making him the second most expensive footballer to play for a British club, after Torres. He also became the most expensive British signing at the time.
Carroll scored just two goals for Liverpool from January up until the end of the 2010-11 season. In his first full season with Liverpool, Carroll scored nine goals and provided six assists from 47 appearances.
He did produce a few match-winning performances for Liverpool in the 2011-12 season. However, his haul of seven goals and four assists from 26 appearances across all competitions wasn't enough for the Merseysiders to retain him.
He was subsequently sent out on loan to West Ham United for the 2012-13 season. West Ham United then signed him on a permanent basis in 2013 for a sum in the ballpark of €18 million.
#1 Kepa Arrizabalaga to Chelsea - €80 million
With Thibaut Courtois securing his dream move to Real Madrid, Chelsea had to find a player who could match the Belgian's heroics between the sticks. They were ready to spend big and shelled out €80 million to sign Kepa Arizzabalaga from Athletic Bilbao.
What Chelsea got instead was a young, nervy goalkeeper with an attitude problem. Once tipped to replace David de Gea as the Spain's no.1, he is currently playing second fiddle to Edouard Mendy at Chelsea.
A slew of grave goalkeeping errors and a public on-the-field fallout with then manager Maurizio Sarri distanced him from the Chelsea fanbase. It remains to be seen if Arizzabalaga will be able to revive his Chelsea career. But for now, he is their biggest transfer flop.
