Jack Grealish joins Man City for £100m: Who are the top 10 most expensive British transfers in football history?
Jack Grealish’s move from Aston Villa to Manchester City became the most expensive British transfer in football history after the Premier League champions confirmed they had signed the midfielder for £100 million yesterday.
After enjoying yet another superb season for Villa and emerging as one of England’s brightest sparks during their Euro 2020 campaign, Grealish has quickly become one of the Premier League’s best.
Despite committing his future to his hometown club last year, a move to Pep Guardiola’s side was too tempting for the 25-year-old to resist this summer and he has finally completed a move away from Birmingham.
With such a hefty price-tag comes great responsibility and to be the most expensive British signing ever doesn’t guarantee success for Grealish, with many previous transfers in the same bracket ending up as flops.
Some can't hack the pressure, while some will thrive off it and I fully expect the midfielder to do the latter.
Following Grealish’s move, we take a look at the top 10 most expensive British signings in football history.
1. Alisson - £66.8m
Alisson signed for Liverpool from Roma for £66.8 million in 2018 - becoming the most expensive goalkeeper ever (at the time). Since his arrival at Anfield he has been superb and played a key part in their Champions League and Premier League trophies, and lets not forget his brilliant injury-time winning goal last season. Rating: 9/10 Photo: Laurence Griffiths
2. Kai Havertz - £70m
There was a lot of excitement around Kai Havertz when he arrived in Chelsea for £70 million last year, but the German didn't quite live up to the hype during his first season in the Premier League. The 22-year-old scored nine goals for the London club and most importantly bagged the goal that won them the Champions League. Havertz improved towards the end of the season and I expect him to have a stellar second campaign. Rating: 6.5/10 Photo: David Ramos
3. Kepa Arrizabalaga - £71.6m
Kepa joined Chelsea in 2018 for £71.6 million, becoming the most expensive goalkeeper in football history - a title he definitely hasn't lived up to. The Spaniard was brought in to become Petr Cech's long-term successor, however his Chelsea career so far couldn't have gone much worse. It wasn't long before Edouard Mendy was brought in to take Kepa's place in the starting XI. Rating: 3/10 Photo: Catherine Ivill
4. Nicolas Pepe - £72m
Nicolas Pepe arrived at Arsenal with a lot of pressure on his shoulders and many fans thought he wouldn't live up to the expectations - and they were correct. Pepe has disappointed since his move to England, however has shown flashes of the quality he is capable of showing. The winger's move to the Emirates Stadium wouldn't look quite so poor if it wasn't for the price-tag. Rating: 6/10 Photo: Pool