Stats: Which clubs have spent the most in transfer fees in the last 10 years?
With transfer prices of players skyrocketing every year, it doesn't seem much of a surprise when top teams pay big to land their targets. Over the past few years, teams and their rich owners have pumped millions in order to buy desired players in the hope of landing more trophies.
This injection of money hasn't necessarily translated to more silverware, with some teams reaping the rewards of their buys and others looking to offload their expensive failures.
In the following table, we look at the transfer expenditure and the number of trophies won by some of the top teams in Europe over the course of the past ten years, from the 2005-06 season to the 2014-15 season.
Real Madrid top the list of teams who have spent the most money, followed by Manchester City and then Chelsea. With regards to the number of trophies won, Barcelona lead with a staggering 23 trophies won in the past ten seasons alone. Bayern Munich are second with 19 trophies while Manchester United and Inter Milan are tied at third with 15.
The team who have spent the most and have the least to show for it on this list are Tottenham Hotspur, who have won only one trophy, and have spent about £100 million in total (accounting for the difference between money spent and earnings).
Juventus have seen the most influx and departure of players, with 475 having come to the club, and 427 have left the club. Bayern Munich are the club who have signed the least number of players in the last 10 years, indicating the stability that exists at the club. It also talks about how good a youth network and how they look to fast-track the progress of promising youngsters and integrate them with the senior squad.
This list clearly proves that money does not necessarily equate to silverware won.
Note: Only major trophies and cups have been taken into consideration.
| S.No | Club |
Expenditure (£ M) |
Earnings (£ M) |
Arrivals / Departures | Trophies won |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Real Madrid | 828.87 | 376.25 | 115 / 112 | 10 |
| 2 | Manchester City | 728.58 | 218,33 | 332 / 321 | 5 |
| 3 | Chelsea FC | 639.15 | 356.81 | 381 / 362 | 13 |
| 4 | Liverpool FC | 560.69 | 364.42 | 306 / 302 | 4 |
| 5 | FC Barcelona | 551.25 | 228.19 | 105 /103 | 23 |
| 6 | Manchester United | 539.01 | 210.32 | 337 /340 | 15 |
| 7 | Tottenham Hotspur | 477.02 | 370.88 | 388 / 381 | 1 |
| 8 | Juventus FC | 427.73 | 258.95 | 475 / 427 | 8 |
| 9 | Inter Milan | 400.00 | 293.48 | 445 / 407 | 15 |
| 10 | Atletico Madrid | 391.32 | 317.77 | 195 / 187 | 7 |
| 11 | Paris Saint-Germain | 386.50 | 86.47 | 153 / 156 | 11 |
| 12 | Bayern Munich | 345.52 | 154.53 | 94 / 94 | 19 |
| 13 | Arsenal FC | 330.35 | 260.19 | 306 / 298 | 4 |
| 14 | AC Milan | 327.18 | 279.36 | 412 / 390 | 11 |
| 15 | AS Roma | 314.37 | 230.46 | 399 / 375 | 3 |
Stats courtesy Transfermarkt.com