Check out the top 20 leagues!
Since its reformatting in 1992, the Premier League has grown into one of the most-viewed football divisions globally. Top talent from around the world has come to showcase their skills in England’s premier league. In recent years, it has also secured its status as the richest league, spending the most on player transfers. Currently, the Premier League boasts a market value of €11.49 billion among its 20 clubs, far surpassing La Liga, which stands at €5.37 billion.
From 2020 onwards, Premier League clubs have invested over €10 billion in new signings—more than double that of any other league during this period. But where does all that money go? In a detailed analysis by Transfermarkt, we’ve tracked the leagues from which Premier League clubs have spent the most on players since the 1992/93 season, and there are definitely some surprising findings!
Top Leagues Where Premier League Clubs Have Invested the Most in Players
The league from which Premier League teams have invested the most is France’s Ligue 1, with a total of €3.38 billion spent on players from the French top tier. An impressive 322 players have made the switch from Ligue 1 to the Premier League, with the highest transfer recorded being Nicolas Pépé’s €80 million move from Nice to Arsenal in 2019. Following closely is the Championship, where Premier League clubs have spent €3.22 billion on players since 1992. One of the latest notable transfers was Archie Gray’s £41.25 million move from Leeds to Tottenham last summer, with a total of 515 players transferring between these two leagues.
Next on the list is La Liga, with 228 signings summing up to €3.13 billion in transfer fees, the most notable being Chelsea’s €80 million acquisition of Kepa Arrizabalaga from Athletic Club in 2018. Fourth is the Bundesliga, which saw €2.77 billion spent on 176 players, including this summer’s record-breaking €125 million signing of Florian Wirtz by Liverpool. Completing the top five is Serie A, where €2.75 billion has been spent on 214 players, with Chelsea re-signing Romelu Lukaku from Inter Milan for €113 million being the standout deal.
In sixth place is Liga Portugal with Premier League clubs spending €1.62 billion on 110 players, followed by the Netherlands’ Eredivisie, totaling €1.44 billion for 148 players. Eighth is the former English First Division, which ran until the 2003/04 season, where Premier League teams have spent €576 million on 289 players. Ninth is the Belgian Jupiler Pro League, with €541 million spent on 70 players since 1992. Rounding off the top 10 is Brazil’s Serie A, with €453 million spent on 46 players.