Where does Arsenal new boy Declan Rice rank in the all-time most expensive Premier League transfers?

The Gunners have a new star, but he’s not quite the most expensive player ever

July 16, 2023 at 10:54 am GMT+1

Declan Rice finally completed his long-awaited move to Arsenal over the weekend, joining the Gunners for a fee believed to be £100m plus a further £5m in easily achievable add-ons.

Long-touted as a player who would break the British transfer record when he eventually left West Ham, Hammers boss David Moyes predicted back in January that the midfielder would ‘blow it out of the water’.

It was a record move for Arsenal, with the £105m package overtaking the £72m that they paid for Nicolas Pepe all the way back in 2019, and they will be hoping that this investment ends up serving them better than the move for the Ivorian did.

It was also a record sale for West Ham, whose previous most expensive departure had been a measly 29m euros that they received for Dimitri Payet in 2017 (as per transfermarkt), meaning that this move smashes that record by over 3x.

However, Moyes didn’t get his wish. The move was not an all-time record move for a Premier League club, with that honour still belonging to Rice’s boyhood club Chelsea. The Blues forked out a massive £106.8m in January for Enzo Fernandez, who they signed on deadline day in January.

London, UK. 18th February 2023; Stamford Bridge, Chelsea, London, England: Premier League Football, Chelsea versus Southampton; Enzo Fernandez of Chelsea acknowledging the fans during warms up. Credit: Action Plus Sports Images/Alamy Live News 2NGM463 London, UK. 18th February 2023; Stamford Bridge, Chelsea, London, England: Premier League Football, Chelsea versus Southampton; Enzo Fernandez of Chelsea acknowledging the fans during warms up. Credit: Action Plus Sports Images/Alamy Live News (Alamy Stock Photo)

Rice does, however, slot nicely in behind the Argentine should all of the add-ons be met, just ahead of fellow Englishman Jack Grealish, who moved to Manchester City for a fee of £100m back in 2021.

Behind him, Chelsea and Manchester United both feature, with the pair both having signed Romelu Lukaku for mammoth fees (£97.5m for Chelsea and £90m back in 2017 for Manchester United). Sandwiched between them is a certain Paul Pogba, whose £93.25m move to the Red Devils caused shockwaves when it happened in 2016, and left him the most expensive Premier League player in history for five years.