It’s no secret that English players will not be cheap, and the news that Arsenal are approaching £ 50 million for Brighton defender Ben White is just the latest proof of that.
Some huge sums of money have been thrown at English players over the years and 90 minutes have been spent watching the most expensive of them all.
So without further ado, here are the 15 most expensive Englishmen of all time, a list that White looks to be about to join …
James Milner cost Manchester City £ 26 million / Alex Livesey / Getty Images
James Milner’s career never seems to end and even at the age of 35 he does a job for Liverpool when needed.
He has made a couple of big moves in his career, the biggest of which saw him move from Aston Villa to Manchester City in 2010 for a reported £ 26m.
His time with the club saw him land two Premier League crowns, an FA Cup and a League Cup before moving to Anfield in 2015 where his trophy addiction has continued.
Luke Shaw moved to United 2014 / Maja Hitij / Getty Images
Can you believe Luke Shaw has been a Manchester United player for seven years?
The English champions have had their struggles since moving to old Trafford – with Jose Mourhino’s time proving to be a particularly difficult time – but given that he has returned to form in the last 12 months, his £ 27m move looks like a bit of a bargain .
Jordan Pickford cost Everton £ 30 million / Pool / Getty Images
Following a fantastic breakthrough campaign with Sunderland during the 2016/17 season, Jordan Pickford earned a £ 30m move to Everton.
The switch saw him become the most expensive English goalkeeper of all time, and while he had his dubious moments in a Toffees shirt, Everton can now proudly boast a national hero in their group thanks to his Euro 2020 heroes.
Michael Keane cost Everton £ 30m / Marc Atkins / Getty Images
Everton have been no stranger to splashing cash in recent years and their £ 30m signing of Michael Keane is one of their most expensive.
Honestly, it feels rather strange that the former Burnley man is one of the most expensive English football players of all time … but Keane has been a relatively solid presence at Goodison since his transfer in 2017 and has even won 12 England internationals.
Rio Ferdinand moved to Manchester United in 2002 / Alex Livesey / Getty Images
The fact that Rio Ferdinand is on this list even though he moved to United 19 years ago tells you everything you need to know about what a superstar he was.
Leeds’ purchase of the defender two years before leaving for the Red Devils hardly came cheap – with the whites paying £ 18 million for their services – but they sold him just two seasons later for a huge £ 12 million profit.
White suit on his cover aside, he did not disappoint United.
Ollie Watkins moved to Aston Villa from Brentford / Richard Heathcote / Getty Images
Ollie Watkins is already well on his way to repaying Aston Villa after they took a big chance to pay Brentford £ 33 million to land the striker.
Watkins scored 14 goals in his maiden Premier League season and made her England debut after leading Villa’s impressive start to the 2020/21 season.
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain moved to Liverpool for around £ 35 million / Clive Brunskill / Getty Images
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain’s move to Liverpool has not been fully planned, with injuries hampering his attempt to cement a place in start XI.
Nevertheless, the England international has shown glimpses of his quality throughout his career and is now a medal winner in the Champions League and Premier League.
Andy Carroll is introduced along with Luis Suarez / Alex Livesey / Getty Images
Andy Carroll’s move to Liverpool is one of the older transfers in this list and it is fair to say that it really was not possible to plan.
After the departure of Fernando Torres, Kenny Dalglish saw the renewal of his strike force with the arrival of Carroll and Luis Suarez.
One of them scored just six league goals for Liverpool and left after 18 months, while the other almost alone drew them to Premier League glory – you do not have to remind which one which one.
Danny Drinkwater’s Chelsea career has not taken off / Justin Setterfield / Getty Images
Sorry what?
Yes, that’s right, the lost Chelsea midfielder Danny Drinkwater is the seventh most expensive English player of all time.
After playing alongside N’Golo Kante in Leicester’s Premier League winning season, Waterwater made a move to Chelsea following the Foxes’ poor title defense the following year.
Since then, he has, is, just disappeared. Last season he was sent on loan to Kasımpaşa where he played 11 gigs in the Turkish Super Lig.
Ben Chilwell joined Chelsea from Leicester 2020 / Marc Atkins / Getty Images
Frank Lampard’s transfer before the 2020/21 season saw him splash around £ 220 million, of which £ 45 million was paid to Leicester for Ben Chilwell.
The left-back managed his first season with the Blues without really justifying his huge price tag. Still, he is a Champions League winner now.
Kyle Walker cost Man City £ 47.5 million / MB Media / Getty Images
Pep Guardiola absolutely loves to spend lots of money on slopes.
Kyle Walker arrived at the Etihad Stadium in 2017 for £ 45 million and immediately got his hands on the Premier League trophy in his first season at the club.
Since then, he has added two more league titles to his name along with countless other cutlery, but the Champions League crown continues to avoid both him and City.
John Stones costs City £ 47.5 million / Alex Grimm / Getty Images
Another of Guardiola’s eye-catching purchases.
After Everton signed John Stones for 3 million pounds from Barnsley in 2013, they sold him on to City just over three years later for 47.5 million pounds.
The Stones have been through a turbulent time since moving to the Etihad and have struggled to eradicate mistakes in their game, although his partnership with Ruben Dias last season saw him play the best football of his career.
Aaron Wan-Bissaka secured big money for Manchester United from Crystal Palace / Clive Brunskill / Getty Images
Manchester United have been desperately trying to strengthen their defenses for a number of years and the signing of Aaron Wan-Bissaka was one of the first real signs that they would get anywhere.
The former Crystal Palace man will definitely have to offer more in the future, but in a one-on-one situation, there are not many better tackles in the Premier League.
Raheem Sterling used to be the most expensive Englishman ever / Matthew Ashton – AMA / Getty Images
Raheem Sterling may not look like the most technically talented footballer, but his figure of 114 goals in 292 games since joining City for £ 49m in 2015 cannot be beat.
Sterling fell out of favor with Guardiola towards the end of last season and was rumored to be available for sale, but after his brilliant Euro 2020 campaign with England, he may just want his chances of working his way back to the City boss’s plans.
Harry Maguire is the most expensive Englishman ever / Marc Atkins / Getty Images
Last but not least, the most expensive defender of all time and the most expensive English player of all time.
£ 78 million for Harry Maguire may be a bit steep but there is no doubt that he is a quality defender.
The 28-year-old has added leadership to United’s backline and if Ole Gunnar Solskjaer can bring in a first-class defender to work with him next season, United’s defensive elements can be a thing of the past.
