How a lot is an excessive amount of? That query would have crossed Liverpool proprietor John W Henry’s thoughts on a lot of events in current months, not least when, at an in-person assembly in Boston, he sanctioned a big-money transfer for Florian Wirtz.
The Anfield membership are near pulling off the switch coup of the summer season after beating Bayern Munich and Manchester Metropolis to the signing of the German famous person.
After stories revealed that the 22-year-old had chosen to hitch the Premier League champions, all that was left was to agree a price with Bayer Leverkusen for the playmaker.
Weeks of negotiating lastly yielded an settlement. A base £100m price, which might rise to £116m relying on bonuses together with profitable the Premier League and Champions League.
The switch, which may very well be accomplished subsequent week following a medical, will see Wirtz develop into the tenth participant in world soccer to value £100m or extra. And it is honest to say a lot of his predecessors haven’t fared significantly effectively.
There are 9 different stars to fetch 9 figures – however not all have offered a bang for his or her buck.
Liverpool are closing in on the £116million signing of German famous person Florian Wirtz from Bayer Leverkusen
The acquisition of the 22-year-old is a transparent sign of intent from the Premier League champions
Neymar – Barcelona to PSG, £200m
The Brazilian’s 2017 transfer to Paris ended one interval in soccer’s historical past and marked the beginning of one other. Nevertheless, when the monied Ligue 1 membership greater than double the then-world file £89m price Manchester United paid to signal Paul Pogba, they’d have hoped for extra trophies, effectively, one in significantly.
It’s greater than a little bit ironic and effectively mentioned that PSG lastly achieved their final aim of profitable the Champions League after eliminating world superstars like Neymar.
However regardless of by no means profitable Europe’s greatest prize in Paris, it’s unfair to characterise his time in France as a whole failure. Neymar was a phenomenon in Paris, racking up 118 targets and 79 assists in 173 matches for the aspect.
His greatest difficulty was harm. Ligue 1 defenders had little urge for food for his audacious methods and flicks, which had been usually met with mistimed or outright malicious tackles. The end result was that Neymar missed the defining portion of the season a number of years on the bounce.
Add in his love for events and his steadfast dedication to his sister’s birthday and you’ve got one poor deal. The one saving grace for PSG is that they managed to hoodwink Al-Hilal into signing him for £78m in 2023, which turned out to be the worst switch of all time.
Neymar’s switch to PSG in 2017 utterly broke the market and has eternally altered the valuation of gamers
Kylian Mbappe – Monaco to PSG, £163m
Even PSG could not make the funds of signing Neymar and Mbappe work in the identical summer season so the Frenchman was initially introduced in on a season-long mortgage in 2017 earlier than finishing a £163m switch the next 12 months.
The actual fact his price is never mentioned seven years on reveals the promise of his startling marketing campaign in Monaco has been fulfilled. Nevertheless it shouldn’t go with out saying simply how ludicrous it was for the Parisians to go so massive on a participant so younger with little first-team expertise.
However PSG had been proved proper, with Mbappe turning into the face of the membership, French soccer and one of many world stars of the game. His file of 256 targets makes him the membership’s all-time prime scorer, whereas his 108 assists means he registered 364 aim involvements in 308 matches.
With numbers like that it is laborious to label his time within the French capital as something aside from a hit, even along with his tumultuous exit and the failure to win the Champions League.
Remarkably, PSG signed Kylian Mbappe in the identical summer season as Neymar, initially on a season-long mortgage
Regardless of not profitable the Champions League, Mbappe develop into the membership’s all-time main scorer
Philippe Coutinho – Liverpool to Barcelona, £105m
Liverpool followers would despise Coutinho if they didn’t significantly admire what his sale to Barcelona meant for the membership’s current historical past. It is not an exaggeration to say that with out Coutinho’s exit, there could be no Virgil van Dijk, Alisson Becker and maybe no Premier League and Champions League trophy.
In fact, Barca had been solely capable of sanction a deal – and be ripe for exploitation – as a result of Neymar had been snatched away by PSG. So in that sense, Liverpool had been the largest beneficiaries on the largest switch in historical past.
Whereas PSG followers will possible cherish some recollections from their time with Neymar, the Barcelona trustworthy are unlikely to have any heat emotions in the direction of the Brazilian, who by no means managed to settle in Catalunya.
To be honest, Coutinho’s first half season after his January 2018 transfer urged he would possibly show to be a strong addition however his manufacturing dried up in subsequent seasons, resulting in a mortgage spell with Bayern Munich in 2019-20 the place he scored a brace in an 8-2 quarter-final demolition of his guardian membership.
Shaken by the seize of Neymar six months prior, Barcelona went massive on the signing of Philippe Coutinho
Joao Felix – Benfica to Atletico Madrid, £113m
Atletico took a leaf out of PSG’s playbook and took a punt on an thrilling attacker after a formidable marketing campaign domestically and in Europe. However sadly for the LaLiga aspect, they wager on the flawed horse.
Felix is with out query one of the vital irritating skills in prime stage soccer right now, given his undesirable mixture of immense expertise and common no-shows.
Six years on from the switch to Diego Simeone’s aspect, Felix is but to discover a dwelling amongst Europe’s elite regardless of spending time with a number of prime golf equipment. Chelsea took an opportunity on a mortgage transfer in 2023, after he had fallen out with Simeone, however did not fancy signing him completely and he made a brief swap to Barcelona.
Oddly, the Blues got here again in for the attacking midfielder in 2024 however shortly shipped him off to AC Milan on mortgage however they too have been unimpressed with what they’ve seen.
Nonetheless on 25, Felix must act shortly to protect his profession on the prime stage. The price Atletico paid to signal him appears to have completed extra hurt than good.
Joao Felix attracted curiosity from a number of prime golf equipment after starring for Benfica however was snapped up by Atletico Madrid
Enzo Fernandez – Benfica to Chelsea, £107m
Fleecing Europe’s elite for extremely rated expertise is a follow Benfica have elevated to an artwork kind and their work within the late 2010s and early 2020s was a number of the best ever witnessed.
Six months after signing the midfielder from River Plate for round £15m, the Portuguese giants agreed a £107m sale for the teenager after his spectacular World Cup.
The 24-year-old has made a very good impression at Stamford Bridge and produced a number of massive moments for the membership however at this stage it is laborious to say he is lived as much as the astronomical price paid to accumulate him.
Nevertheless, there’s nonetheless loads of time for him to meet that promise particularly with Chelsea returning to the Champions League this season.
Benfica managed to promote Enzo Fernandez to Chelsea for an eye-watering £107m simply six months after signing him from River Plate for £15m
Antoine Griezmann – Atletico Madrid to Barcelona, £107m
One other disastrous post-Neymar switch for the Catalan membership noticed the French star stroll by the doorways on the Nou Camp in 2019. Griezmann established himself as among the best gamers on the earth throughout his five-year keep within the Spanish capital however he didn’t make his mark at Barca.
His tasked was not aided by the monetary mess that had begun to engulf the membership following their horrible response to Neymar’s departure or the poor match alongside Lionel Messi.
Griezmann managed simply 35 targets and 17 assists in 102 appearances for the LaLiga giants earlier than returning to Atletico on mortgage forward of a everlasting swap in 2022 for simply £17m.
As transfers go, they do not come a lot worse than that.
Antoine Griezmann’s 2019 transfer to Barcelona was one other poor post-Neymar switch from the Catalan membership
Jack Grealish – Aston Villa to Manchester Metropolis, £100m
The primary £100m Premier League participant, Jack Grealish lastly bought his likelihood with a big-six membership in 2023 after tearing it up for a number of seasons along with his boyhood aspect Aston Villa.
In Manchester, Grealish is much-changed. He nonetheless reveals the mesmerising dribbling skill that made him beloved amongst followers throughout the nation and the uncanny knack of profitable free-kicks that paradoxically made him hated. However his manufacturing has by no means been elite, nor does he seem to have improved in any significant means.
His debut marketing campaign was actually his greatest, scoring 5 and offering seven assists from 23 Premier League begins as he performed an important half within the aspect’s historic Treble-winning marketing campaign.
However the numbers have solely gone in a single path since then, culminating on this time period when he managed a solitary aim and help from 20 league appearances.
Grealish is ready to depart the membership this summer season after being basically frozen out by Pep Guardiola, being an unused substitute within the FA Cup ultimate and omitted from Metropolis’s Membership World Cup squad.
I feel it is honest to say that this signing by no means actually labored out.
Jack Grealish loved his most efficient and profitable season within the 12 months he signed for Man Metropolis
Declan Rice – West Ham to Arsenal, £105m
‘Declan Rice, we bought him half value’, sing the Arsenal trustworthy in recognition of the supreme expertise they acquired from their London rivals West Ham in the summertime of 2023.
Rice has one of many strongest instances on this record to be thought-about a hit. Although, you are feeling main trophies are obligatory for his signing to be firmly established as such.
On a person stage, Rice has been excellent for the north London membership and is coming off his most spectacular season for Mikel Arteta’s males. His stand out contribution was a pair of breathtaking free-kicks within the Gunners’ Champions League quarter-final first-leg win over Actual Madrid.
Ought to he be a part of the Arsenal crew that ends the membership’s lengthy look ahead to a league title or declare’s their first-ever European Cup, many might be echoing that favoured Emirates chant.
Declan Rice has proved to be a serious hit in north London since his big-money switch in 2023
Fellow Premier League midfielder Moises Caicedo accomplished a mega switch in the identical summer season
The 23-year-old has begun to point out the shape that persuaded the Blues to half with £115m
Moises Caicedo – Brighton to Chelsea, £115m
Two years after their failed try and signal Caicedo and break the British switch file, Liverpool look set to make historical past with Wirtz. However again in 2023, they had been left with egg on their face after an ill-advised late swoop for the Ecuador worldwide.
Brighton could not consider their luck when the Reds entered the bidding for the defensive midfielder after they’d failed to succeed in an settlement with Chelsea. After accepting Liverpool’s supply, Caicedo insisted on his want to transfer to Stamford Bridge, paving the way in which for the £115m price.
Caicedo made a sluggish begin to life in Chelsea blue amid a rocky first half of the season for the membership however he has begun to point out the shape that made him extremely wanted on the Amex.
His performances final time period noticed him win the membership’s Participant of the Season and he is effectively on his option to making everybody neglect concerning the sum shelled out to take him to west London.
