10 Most Expensive English Premier League Signings

The trend of paying immense transfer fees will not seem to change anytime soon even though FIFA has already taken a measure, through the Financial Fair Play rule, to somehow regulate such indiscretions and level the playing field.

In any case, huge sums of money used to acquire players shows strength and more importantly, ambition, to clubs, which will definitely produce a direct positive effect to respective supporters, who in turn are one of the major sources of profits.

Hence, the 10 most expensive signings of one of Europe's biggest domestic competitions - the English Premier League.

10. Eliaquim Mangala (£35m, Porto to Manchester City, 2014)

This 23-year-old imposing French centre-back did not really feature heavily on the rumour mill before moving to Manchester City from Porto in August 2014.

Perhaps his steady three-season stint with the Dragons, in which he won two Primeira Liga medals, were enough achievement to convince the Sky Blues to pair him up with skipper Vincent Kompany.

9. Andy Carroll (£36m, Newcastle to Liverpool, 2011)

The former Newcastle United standout had so much promise when he made a move to anfield in 2011, but apparently, he turned out to be one of the biggest flops, figuratively and literally - since he stands 6'4", in Premier League history.

8. Juan Sebastian Veron (£38m, Lazio to Manchester United, 2001)

An in demand shot-stopper during his heydays, Veron never lived up to his billing during his two-year stint at Manchester United.

He was plagued with injuries and found it hard to adapt to England's style of play.

7. Robinho (£38m, Real Madrid to Manchester City, 2008)

A statement signing exemplified, Robinho was the cue that the blue side of Manchester were no longer going to be pushovers following the takeover of an Abu Dhabi-based corporation owned by Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan.

6. Juan Mata (£39m, Chelsea to Manchester United, 2014)

The Spanish international was on his way to having a decent long-term spell at Stamford Bridge after arriving in 2011, but Jose Mourinho thought otherwise and sold to a rival club, no less.

5. Sergio Aguero (£40m, Atletico Madrid to Manchester City, 2011)

Kun, as he is fondly called, made an immediate impact upon arriving at the Etihad in 2011, tallying 30 goals and 12 assists in all competitions for the Eastlands outfit.

Regarded as one of the deadliest strikers of his time, injuries have hindered him from reaching his full potential.

4. Rio Ferdinand (£41m, Leeds to Manchester United, 2002)

The thing speaks for itself. Ferdinand's price-tag was definitely justified by his quality performances and longevity as a Red Devil.

3. Andriy Shevchenko (£41m, AC Milan to Chelsea, 2006)

Disappointment is an understatement to describe the Ukranian's spell at west London, recording only 9 goals in total in the Premier League for two seasons.

The 2004 Ballon d'Or recipient was loaned back to the Rossoneri during the 2008/09 season, where he was held goalless in the Serie A, before he moved back to his boyhood club - Dynamo Kiev - on a free transfer.

2. Mesut Ozil (£44m, Real Madrid to Arsenal, 2013)

Perceived to be a steal, the World Cup winner has yet to prove his worth at the Emirates.

Playing primarily as a playmaker, his 14 assists (10 in the Premier League) in all competitions during the 2013/14 campaign was definitely definitely a far cry from what was expected of him.

1. Fernando Torres (£52m, Liverpool to Chelsea, 2011)

Like Rio Ferdinand's case, Torres' ongoing stint at Stamford Bridge need not much explanation, only that the Vicente Calderon hero is on the opposite end.

After leaving the Reds midway of the campaign, Torres failed to find the back of the net donning the blue shirt in the premiership until the end of the season.

Thereafter, he went on to tally 6, 8, and 5 goals, respectively, in three full terms.

As can be observed from the foregoing, splurging on a single player in the transfer market will not necessarily translate to having a better squad since it can obviously be a case of hit-or-miss.

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