As the amount of money thrown about by clubs continues to grow every single year, and fees spent on players inflate, there are more and more instances of teams spending way more than they probably should on certain players.
In fact, you very rarely see a side actually underpay these days. More often than not, they splash more cash than a player is necessarily worth. There have been loads of examples of this happening this summer, so much so that we've actually got a full XI here of the most overpriced players signed this summer throughout the transfer window.
Based on their values that we've picked up from Transfermarkt and compared to how much their respective teams paid for them, here is the most overpriced XI of the summer transfer window this year.
GK - Andre Onana - Manchester United
Player value: £30m
How much United spent: £47.2m
With the departure of David de Gea, Manchester United needed to find a worthy replacement for him. The Spaniard had spent over a decade at Old Trafford as the side's number-one goalkeeper and left a pretty big hole behind. Andre Onana was the man the Red Devils identified for the task and as such, were willing to spend more than he was necessarily worth to get him through the doors at the club.
The former Inter Milan man is perfectly suited to Erik ten Hag's style of play and has already demonstrated his shot-stopping ability early in his career in England. If the move proves to be successful, overpaying for his services by about £17m won't be too bad at all.
CB - Josko Gvardiol - Manchester City
Player value: £64m
How much City spent: £77.6m
One of the most promising young defenders in the world, Josko Gvardiol made his way to England this summer when he joined Manchester City for £77.6m. A player of his talent, it was always going to take Pep Guardiola's side overpaying for his services with RB Leipzig reluctant to let go of him.
Having spent just under £14m more than his value, the deal is classed as an overpay, but considering how young Gvardiol is and how talented he is, it will likely be looked back on as a major bargain in the years to come.
CB - Axel Disasi - Chelsea
Player value: £25.6m
How much Chelsea spent: £38.7m
Chelsea have become known for their willingness to splash the cash lately, and it was no different when they signed Axel Disasi this summer. The Frenchman, who has impressed in Ligue 1 recently, has a market value of just over £25m, but the Blues spent close to £40m to secure his signature.
Having scored on his debut against Liverpool, Disasi has already hit the ground running at Chelsea and could be an impressive signing in the future. The club have spent a fortune on the squad, though, and there's plenty of competition at Stamford Bridge right now, so don't be too surprised if he ends up getting lost in the shuffle.
CB - Micky van de Ven - Tottenham Hotspur
Player value: £25.6m
How much Spurs spent: £34.2m
As Ange Postecoglou's reign at Tottenham Hotspur gets underway, the Australian made Micky van de Ven one of his first signings at the club and paid just under £10m more for the defender than he's actually valued at.
The 22-year-old had a solid breakout season at VfL Wolfsburg last year in the Bundesliga, and it was enough to convince Spurs to overpay for his services. Time will only tell how wise the move was for the north London club, but it's been a pretty promising start to the season so far for the Dutchman.
RM - Jeremy Doku - Manchester City
Player value: £24m
How much City spent: £55.5m
If anyone has been prone to overspending in the past, it's City, and they've done so again here. After making a name for himself in France, Jeremy Doku was on the radar of several major clubs, which prompted Guardiola's side to splash out on him. Despite being valued at £24m, the Cityzens spent over £30m more than his value to bring him to the Etihad, but in doing so, they bagged one of the most promising attacking players in the world right now.
Known for his blistering pace, Doku's been brought in to serve as a replacement for the departing Riyad Mahrez and will take some time to find his feet in England. The jury is still out on whether the move is a good one, and whether the decision to pay so much more than his value was wise, but patience will be necessary for the time being.
| Jeremy Doku - Rennes | Stats |
|---|---|
| Appearances | 92 |
| Goals | 12 |
| Assists | 10 |
| Yellow cards | 3 |
| Red cards | 1 |
| Sats according to Transfermarkt | |
CM - Declan Rice - Arsenal
Player value: £77m
How much Arsenal spent: £100m
Arsenal finally got their man this summer as Declan Rice joined the side after a lengthy spell pursuing him. The former West Ham United man has been one of the best midfielders in England for years, so it was no surprise to see the Gunners overspend to get the deal over the line.
Late interest from City pushed the fee higher than it initially would have been, but considering how big an impact the 24-year-old has already had on Mikel Arteta's midfield, it's probably going to be worth every penny of the deal. Including the £23m they paid more than this actual value.
| Declan Rice - West Ham | Premier League stats |
|---|---|
| Appearances | 204 |
| Goals | 10 |
| Assists | 10 |
| Yellow Cards | 26 |
| All statistics via Transfermarkt | |
CM - Moises Caicedo - Chelsea
Player value: £64.2m
How much Chelsea spent: £115m
I think you all knew Moises Caicedo would be included in this team. The former Brighton & Hove Albion man had an incredible season last year on the south coast, and it was enough to convince Chelsea to make him the most expensive Premier League transfer of all time this summer.
Liverpool were also interested in his services which likely played a part in the eventual fee being paid for him reaching such monumental figures. Again, the Blues have had no problem throwing money about lately, so it's no real surprise that they overspent by about £50m on Caicedo.
Despite a rough debut, there's still plenty of time for the 21-year-old to repay the club's faith and if things go right, the Blues will have a long-term solution in the heart of their midfield. In that sense, this might not look too bad in the future.
CM - Romeo Lavia - Chelsea
Player value: £27.4m
How much Chelsea spent: £58m
After a strong campaign at Southampton, Romeo Lavia convinced Chelsea to overspend by about £30m for his signature. That's pretty wild, and it's an indication of where the transfer industry is going that he's commanded such a lofty fee.
He's obviously a raw prospect who could go on to do wonderful things for Mauricio Pochettino's side, but there's just as big a chance that he fails to find his stride at Stamford Bridge and this deal may go down as a bit of a miss.
LM - Neymar - Al-Hilal
Player value: £51.4m
How much Al-Hilal spent: £77m
Once regarded as one of the very best players in the world, Neymar's spell at Paris Saint-Germain ended up being a little bit disappointing if truth be told. Injuries and the arrival of Kylian Mbappe and Lionel Messi prevented the Brazilian from really making the team his own.
His spell in France came to an end this summer and despite several disappointing seasons, he still managed to command a fee of around £77m. His star-power will be huge for the Saudi Pro League, which may have played a part in Al-Hilal overspending by about £26m on him.
He's also almost certainly going to tear the league apart, so this won't seem like too big an overpay when he's terrorising defenders this season.
ST - Rasmus Hojlund - Manchester United
Player value: £38.5m
How much United spent: £72m
United have been searching desperately for a new striker for what feels like forever now. The club need serious help in front of goal and they've finally got their man. The Red Devils signed Rasmus Hojlund from Atalanta this summer but had to overpay by about £34m for him.
The boyhood Red Devils fan will be thrilled to have made the move, but considering how young he still is, there's a good chance he'll take some time to find his feet at Old Trafford. Injuries have prevented him from actually making his debut so far, so it's hard to really judge the deal just yet.
Hojlund has shown on numerous occasions just how talented he is, though, so this may end up being a bit of a bargain if everything falls into place. It could also go very wrong, though, as most big money transfers seemingly have for United in recent years.
ST - Aleksandar Mitrovic - Al-Hilal
Player value: £24m
How much Al-Hilal spent: £45m
Al-Hilal make their second appearance in this team, spending £45m on Fulham striker Aleksandar Mitrovic. The forward has been a huge hit for the Cottagers over the last few years and his goals were vital in their fortunes. It was quite a surprise then when he revealed he wanted to leave for the Saudi Pro League, becoming the latest name to move to Saudi Arabia.
Fulham were clearly reluctant to sell their star man, though, which is why Al-Hilal went on to overpay for him by about £21m. If he can replicate the goalscoring form he's shown in the past for the Saudi side, though, he'll earn back every single penny of the deal.