The five most valuable Premier League transfers adjusted for current prices

Paul Pogba became the most expensive player in the world when he signed for Manchester United

Paul Pogba might be the most expensive player in Premier League history, breaking the world record when he switched from Juventus to Manchester United last summer for £89m, but when the market is adjusted for the price of the average player, the France international does not even break into the top five deals since 1992-93.

Research completed by SmartBets shows that the 24-year-old is only the seventh most expensive deal of all time when that adjustment is made.

Didier Drogba’s transfer from Marseille to Chelsea, for example, was only £24.4m by 2004’s prices, but that is represented at £90.4m in the current age. His deal is ranked sixth in this regard.

So who are the top five? Here is the list.

Note: Worth today is found by dividing the avg. price per player in the 16/17 market by the avg. price per player in the player's given transfer season, then multiplied by the original transfer fee.

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#5 Michael Essien (Lyon to Chelsea) – £93.8 million

Essien was worth every penny Chelsea spent on him

Powerful midfielder Essien made the jump from the Ligue 1 champions to Stamford Bridge in 2005 for £24.4m but proved to be value for money as he stayed nine years with the Blues, albeit one on loan with Real Madrid. 

He was a strong and energetic player in the heart of the midfield, where he was noted for possessing a powerful shot. Indeed, he might have only scored 25 times for Chelsea, but two of these won the club’s Goal of the Season prize. He won the Premier League twice and four FA Cups, yet the peak of his career came in 2011-12 when he was a Champions League winner.

At 34 years old, he is still an active player, turning out in Indonesia with Persib Bandung.