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Progression of the British football transfer fee record

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Bryan Robson (pictured in 1992) was the subject of a record transfer in 1981.

The progression of the British football transfer fee record tracks the increases in the record for the highest transfer fee paid or received by British association football clubs. A transfer fee is the sum of money paid by one club to purchase the contract, and therefore the playing services, of a professional footballer. Fees are not generally formally disclosed by the clubs involved, and discrepancies can occur in figures quoted in the press. Trevor Francis, for example, is regarded as Britain's first £1m player but was officially transferred for £975,000. The generally reported figure of £1,180,000 included Value Added Tax, fees to the Football League and Francis' signing fee.[1] Discrepancies may also occur due to deals which involve additional sums to be paid at a later date after a player has made a certain number of appearances, joint fees for two or more players, or deals in which one player is exchanged for a sum of money plus another player.

The first three-figure transfer fee was the £100 paid by Aston Villa in 1893 for Willie Groves. Eleven years later, Alf Common joined Middlesbrough for the first four-figure fee, a sum which caused a national sensation and outrage amongst the football authorities.[2] The £5,000 mark was first reached in 1922 when Falkirk paid that amount for West Ham United's Syd Puddefoot, and six years later Arsenal paid the first £10,000 fee to acquire David Jack of Bolton Wanderers. After the Second World War, the spending power of clubs in mainland Europe outstripped that of British clubs for the first time, resulting in several substantial jumps in the transfer record. John Charles became the first player from Britain to command a fee of £50,000 when he joined Juventus in 1957, and four years later Denis Law joined Torino in the first £100,000 transaction involving a British club.

The 1970s saw a rapid increase in transfer fees. Martin Peters became the first £200,000 player in 1970, but by 1977 Kevin Keegan's move to West Germany's Hamburger SV had taken the record to £500,000. In January 1979 David Mills became the first player to be purchased for £500,000 by a British club, but just one month later Nottingham Forest paid twice that amount to acquire Birmingham City's Trevor Francis. In 1981 Bryan Robson cost Manchester United £1,500,000, but fees paid by British clubs lagged behind those paid by clubs in Italy, France and Spain. The fees paid by the Premier League's top clubs began to increase at a rapid rate, with Alan Shearer commanding the first £15,000,000 fee in 1996, and the new millennium heralding the first £30,000,000 transfer, although sources differ as to whether this barrier was broken by Rio Ferdinand's move to Manchester United in 2002 or Andriy Shevchenko's transfer to Chelsea four years later.

On 1 September 2008, Manchester City agreed a reported £32,500,000 fee for Robinho,[3] which remained the record amount paid by a British club until 31 January 2011, when Liverpool paid £35,000,000 for Andy Carroll from Newcastle United, which was also a new record amount paid for a British player. A few hours later, the record amount paid by a British club was broken again when Chelsea paid £50,000,000 for Fernando Torres from Liverpool.

On 11 June 2009, Manchester United announced that they had accepted an £80,000,000 bid from Real Madrid for Cristiano Ronaldo. The transfer was completed on 1 July 2009, setting not only a new British transfer record, but also a new world record (either in pounds or euros).[4] In turn, that record was broken on 1 September 2013 when Real announced that their £85.3 million (€100 million) purchase of Gareth Bale from Tottenham Hotspur had been completed.[5]

This record was broken on 8 August 2016, when Manchester United signed Paul Pogba from Juventus for a fee of £89 million, again on 6 January 2018, when Philippe Coutinho moved to Barcelona from Liverpool for a reported initial fee of £106 million, which could rise to £142 million with various clauses being met, and lastly on 31 January 2023, when Chelsea signed Argentine player Enzo Fernández for a reported deal of £106 million.

Record progression

[edit]
Date Player From To Fee Reference
18931893 Scotland Willie Groves England West Bromwich Albion England Aston Villa £100 [6]
1899April 1899 England Jimmy Settle England Bury England Everton £400 [7]
1903October 1903 England Benny Green England Barnsley England Small Heath £500 [8]
1904January 1904 Scotland Andy McCombie England Sunderland England Newcastle United £700 [9]
1905February 1905 England Alf Common England Sunderland England Middlesbrough £1,000 [10]
1907November 1907 Scotland George Wilson England Everton England Newcastle United £1,600 [11]
1911 (1)February 1911 England John Simpson Scotland Falkirk England Blackburn Rovers £1,800 [12]
1911 (2)October 1911 England Billy Hibbert England Bury England Newcastle United £1,950 [13]
1913November 1913 England George Utley England Barnsley England Sheffield United £2,000 [14]
1914February 1914 England Percy Dawson Scotland Heart of Midlothian England Blackburn Rovers £2,500 [15]
March 1920 England Joe Lane England Blackpool England Birmingham £3,650 [16]
May 1920 Scotland Johnny Crosbie Scotland Ayr United England Birmingham £3,700 [17]
November 1920 England Stan Fazackerley England Sheffield United England Everton £4,000 [18]
December 1920 England David Mercer England Hull City England Sheffield United £4,500 [19]
1922 (1)February 1922 England Syd Puddefoot England West Ham United Scotland Falkirk £5,000 [10]
1922 (2)March 1922 England Warney Cresswell England South Shields England Sunderland £5,500 [10]
1923November 1923 Scotland Andy Wilson England Middlesbrough England Chelsea £6,500 [20]
1927April 1927 Scotland Jimmy Gibson Scotland Partick Thistle England Aston Villa £7,500 [21]
1928October 1928 England David Jack England Bolton Wanderers England Arsenal £10,647 [22]
1938March 1938 Wales Bryn Jones England Wolverhampton Wanderers England Arsenal £14,500 [10]
1947 (1)September 1947 Scotland Billy Steel Scotland Morton England Derby County £15,500 [23]
1947 (2)November 1947 England Tommy Lawton England Chelsea England Notts County £20,000 [24][25]
1948February 1948 England Len Shackleton England Newcastle United England Sunderland £20,500 [26][27]
1949 (1)February 1949 England Johnny Morris England Manchester United England Derby County £24,000 [10]
1949 (2)December 1949 England Eddie Quigley England Sheffield Wednesday England Preston North End £26,500 [10]
1950October 1950 Wales Trevor Ford England Aston Villa England Sunderland £30,000 [28]
1951March 1951 England Jackie Sewell England Notts County England Sheffield Wednesday £34,500 [28]
1955July 1955 Italy Eddie Firmani England Charlton Athletic Italy Sampdoria £35,000 [28]
1957April 1957 Wales John Charles England Leeds United Italy Juventus £65,000 [28]
1961June 1961 England Gerry Hitchens England Aston Villa Italy Internazionale £85,000 [28]
1962July 1962 Scotland Denis Law Italy Torino England Manchester United £115,000 [28]
1968January 1968 England Martin Chivers England Southampton England Tottenham Hotspur £125,000 [29]
1968June 1968 England Allan Clarke England Fulham England Leicester City £150,000 [28]
1969June 1969 England Allan Clarke England Leicester City England Leeds United £165,000 [28]
1970March 1970 England Martin Peters England West Ham United England Tottenham Hotspur £200,000 [28]
1971December 1971 England Alan Ball England Everton England Arsenal £220,000 [28]
1972August 1972 England David Nish England Leicester City England Derby County £225,000 [30]
1974January 1974 England Alan Hudson England Chelsea England Stoke City £240,000 [31]
1974February 1974 England Bob Latchford England Birmingham City England Everton £350,000 [32]
1977June 1977 England Kevin Keegan England Liverpool Germany Hamburger SV £500,000 [33]
1979 (1)January 1979 England David Mills England Middlesbrough England West Bromwich Albion £516,000 [33]
1979 (2)February 1979 England Trevor Francis England Birmingham City England Nottingham Forest £1,180,000 [28]
1979 (3)September 1979 England Steve Daley England Wolverhampton Wanderers England Manchester City £1,450,000 [28]
1979 (4)September 1979 Scotland Andy Gray England Aston Villa England Wolverhampton Wanderers £1,469,000 [28]
1981October 1981 England Bryan Robson England West Bromwich Albion England Manchester United £1,500,000 [28]
1984May 1984 England Ray Wilkins England Manchester United Italy Milan £1,500,000 [28]
1986May 1986 Wales Mark Hughes England Manchester United Spain Barcelona £2,300,000 [28]
1987June 1987 Wales Ian Rush England Liverpool Italy Juventus £3,200,000 [28]
1989July 1989 England Chris Waddle England Tottenham Hotspur France Marseille £4,250,000 [28]
1991July 1991 England David Platt England Aston Villa Italy Bari £5,500,000 [28]
1991August 1991 England Trevor Steven Scotland Rangers France Marseille £5,500,000 [34]
1992June 1992 England Paul Gascoigne England Tottenham Hotspur Italy Lazio £5,500,000 [28]
1995 (1)January 1995 England Andy Cole England Newcastle United England Manchester United £7,000,000 [35]
1995 (2)June 1995 Netherlands Dennis Bergkamp Italy Internazionale England Arsenal £7,500,000 [28]
1995 (3)June 1995 England Stan Collymore England Nottingham Forest England Liverpool £8,500,000 [36]
1996July 1996 England Alan Shearer England Blackburn Rovers England Newcastle United £15,000,000 [37]
1999August 1999 France Nicolas Anelka England Arsenal Spain Real Madrid £22,500,000 [28]
2001July 2001 Argentina Juan Sebastián Verón Italy Lazio England Manchester United £28,100,000 [38]
2002July 2002 England Rio Ferdinand England Leeds United England Manchester United £29,100,000[a] [42]
2006July 2006 Ukraine Andriy Shevchenko Italy Milan England Chelsea £30,800,000 [43]
2008September 2008 Brazil Robinho Spain Real Madrid England Manchester City £32,500,000 [44]
2009July 2009 Portugal Cristiano Ronaldo England Manchester United Spain Real Madrid £80,000,000 [4]
2013September 2013 Wales Gareth Bale England Tottenham Hotspur Spain Real Madrid £85,300,000 [45]
July 2016 France Paul Pogba Italy Juventus England Manchester United £89,000,000 [46][47][48]
2018January 2018 Brazil Philippe Coutinho England Liverpool Spain Barcelona £105,000,000 [49]
2023January 2023 Argentina Enzo Fernández Portugal Benfica England Chelsea £106,800,000 [50]

Notes

  1. ^ Ferdinand's fee was also quoted as £30m,[39] with the potential to rise to £33.3m based on additional clauses.[40] Also reported as £29.3m, the total amount paid was eventually reduced by £1.75m to help Leeds avoid entering administration.[41]

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Simon Briggs (9 February 2009). "The day Trevor Francis broke football's £1m mark". The Daily Telegraph. London. Retrieved 5 January 2012.
  2. ^ Davies, Hunter (2003). Boots, Balls and Haircuts: An Illustrated History of Football from Then to Now. Cassell Illustrated. p. 75. ISBN 1-84403-261-2.
  3. ^ "Manchester City did not pay £47 million for Carlos Tevez, says Kia Joorabchian". London: telegraph.co.uk. 12 September 2009. Retrieved 5 January 2012.
  4. ^ a b "Ronaldo completes £80m Real move". BBC Sport. 1 July 2009. Retrieved 1 July 2009.
  5. ^ "Bale completes Real Madrid move". BBC Sport. 1 September 2013. Retrieved 1 September 2013.
  6. ^ "Groves leads the droves to Villa". The Independent. London. 24 January 1998. Archived from the original on 7 September 2009. Retrieved 12 April 2009.
  7. ^ Sunderland Daily Echo and Shipping Gazette 17 October 1903 p.5
  8. ^ Aberdeen Evening Express 14 April 1899 p.4
  9. ^ Helen Rae (18 October 2006). "Toon nostalgia on the cards for fans". Evening Chronicle. Retrieved 14 July 2008.
  10. ^ a b c d e f Barnes (2007), p. 309.
  11. ^ Everton Transfers: 1907/08, EFC Statto
  12. ^ "Jock Simpson: Blackburn Rovers: Biography". Archived from the original on 24 October 2011.
  13. ^ Newcastle United - a statistical history Billy Hibbert
  14. ^ Glenn Moore; James Mariner (5 April 2008). "Their last FA Cup final ... the glorious pasts of this year's four semi-finalists". The Independent. Retrieved 5 January 2012.
  15. ^ "Tynecastle Stadium: 1892–1914". Heart of Midlothian F.C. Archived from the original on 21 March 2008. Retrieved 11 March 2008.
  16. ^ Star Green 'un 06 November 1920 p.3
  17. ^ Matthews, Tony (1995). Birmingham City: A Complete Record. Derby: Breedon Books. p. 80. ISBN 978-1-85983-010-9.
  18. ^ "Everton Minute book". www.evertoncollection.org.uk/. Retrieved 11 November 2022.
  19. ^ "England Players – David Mercer". www.englandfootballonline.com. Retrieved 25 November 2017.
  20. ^ "Andy Wilson". Chelsea Football Club. Retrieved 22 January 2018.
  21. ^ John Litster (October 2012). "A Record of pre-war Scottish League Players". Scottish Football Historian magazine. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  22. ^ James, Josh; Andrews, Mark; Kelly, Andy (2018). Arsenal - The Complete Record. deCoubertin Books. p. 151. ISBN 9781909245754.
  23. ^ "The History Of Derby County Football Club". Derby County F.C. 19 November 2011. Archived from the original on 28 December 2011. Retrieved 5 January 2012.
  24. ^ Phil Shaw (7 November 1996). "Football: Tommy Lawton dies at age of 77". The Independent. Retrieved 5 January 2012.
  25. ^ Ivan Ponting (7 November 1996). "Obituary: Tommy Lawton". The Independent. Retrieved 5 January 2012.
  26. ^ Brian Glanville (29 November 2000). "Len Shackleton". The Guardian. Retrieved 5 January 2012.
  27. ^ Louise Taylor (18 February 2011). "The five non-league teams to reach FA Cup fifth round before Crawley". The Guardian. Retrieved 5 January 2012.
  28. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v Barnes (2007), p. 310.
  29. ^ Holley & Chalk 2003, pp. 494–495.
  30. ^ Jonathan Stevenson and Dan Warren (26 January 2007). "Were you there...when the Rams beat the Gas?". BBC. Retrieved 11 March 2008.
  31. ^ Stoke City 101 Golden Greats. Desert Islands Books. 2002. ISBN 1-874287-55-4.
  32. ^ James Corbett (5 March 2006). "Bob Latchford". The Observer. London. Retrieved 11 March 2008.
  33. ^ a b Albert Sewell (22 March 2002). "Ask Albert – Number 59". BBC. Retrieved 11 March 2008.
  34. ^ "Whatever happened to Trevor Steven?". Football Transfer Tavern. 23 December 2009. Retrieved 6 March 2015.
  35. ^ "Cole's fresh challenge". BBC. 29 December 2001. Retrieved 11 March 2008.
  36. ^ "Collymore quits football". BBC. 7 March 2001. Retrieved 11 March 2008.
  37. ^ "Injury forces Shearer retirement". BBC. 22 April 2006. Retrieved 11 March 2008.
  38. ^ "Veron seals £28.1m Man Utd move". BBC. 12 July 2001. Retrieved 11 March 2008.
  39. ^ "Rio reaches deal". BBC Sport. 21 July 2002. Retrieved 31 August 2017.
  40. ^ "Rio seals deal". BBC Sport. 22 July 2002. Retrieved 31 August 2017.
  41. ^ "Leeds accept cut-price Rio deal". The Guardian. 28 January 2004. Retrieved 5 July 2023.
  42. ^ Stuart Roach (22 July 2003). "Duff is worlds apart". BBC. Retrieved 11 March 2008.
  43. ^ "Chelsea deny Shevchenko reports". BBC. 7 December 2006. Retrieved 11 March 2008.
  44. ^ "Man City beat Chelsea to Robinho". BBC. 5 January 2012. Retrieved 2 September 2008.
  45. ^ Jeremy, Wilson (2 September 2013). "Gareth Bale joins Real Madrid from Tottenham for a world record fee of £86m". The Telegraph. Retrieved 6 March 2015.
  46. ^ "Paul Pogba signs with Manchester United for £89 million". Al Jazeera. 9 August 2016. Retrieved 1 October 2018.
  47. ^ Lake, Jefferson (9 August 2016). "Paul Pogba joins Manchester United for world-record £89m". Sky Sports. Retrieved 1 October 2018.
  48. ^ "Paul Pogba completes Man Utd transfer for world-record fee". The Daily Telegraph. 9 August 2016. Retrieved 1 October 2018.
  49. ^ "Philippe Coutinho: Liverpool agree £143m deal with Barcelona for Brazil midfielder". BBC. 6 January 2018. Retrieved 6 January 2018.
  50. ^ "Enzo Fernandez: Chelsea sign midfielder in £106.8m British-record transfer deal from Benfica".

Bibliography

[edit]
  • Barnes, Stuart (2007). News of the World Football Annual 2007/2008. Invincible Press. ISBN 978-0-00-725555-9.
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