Tottenham Hotspur is a football club steeped in the tradition and history of the English game. In recent years, they have become a mainstay in the top six of the Premier League. While some fans have criticised the club hierarchy for a lack of spending, Spurs have spent some big money in recent years. Here are the top ten most expensive players in the history of Tottenham:
Richarlison (Bought from Everton for £60m)
The Brazilian international arrived for a club-record fee from Everton in the summer of 2022. The forward had played a vital role in the Toffees maintaining their Premier League status in season 2021/22 and moved to Tottenham in order to play Champions League football.
The Brazilian scored a respectable 54 goals in 154 appearances for the men from Merseyside. The versatile forward will be hoping for more success in front of goal, but this time in the white shirt of Tottenham.
Tanguy Ndombele (Bought from Lyon for £54m)
The midfielder arrived at Tottenham in 2019 from French club Lyon for a fee of £54m, a then-club record transfer fee. The signing was perceived as something of a coup by Spurs, as Ndombele looked to have the potential to become the complete central midfielder during his time at OL.
However, things have not worked out for the undoubtedly talented French midfield star. First, there was a fallout with head coach Jose Mourinho, and then there was speculation that he wasn’t fit enough to play in the Premier League due to him being overweight.
It wasn’t just Mourinho that Ndombele struggled to perform under, though, as the midfielder failed to really shine under the Portuguese’s successors, Nuno Espirito Santo and Antonio Conte.
In January 2022, Ndombele was sent out on loan to Lyon before a similar move to Napoli in the summer of 2022. It seems he is destined to be regarded as one of Tottenham’s biggest ever transfer mistakes.
Christian Romero (Bought from Atalanta for a fee of £45m)
The Argentinian centre-back arrived at the north London club in the summer of 2021 from Atalanta initially on loan with a view to a permanent transfer. Romero impressed in his 21 Premier League appearances, as Spurs finished in the Champions League spots. The North London club made Romero’s switch permanent in the summer of 2022.
The tough-tackling centre-back has impressed in the heart of the Tottenham team and is already considered one of the better signings the club has made in recent years.
Davidson Sanchez (Bought from Ajax for £38m)
The centre-back looked to have the world at his feet when he made the £38m move from Ajax in the summer of 2017. Sanchez established himself as one of the best up-and-coming young players in his position during his time in Amsterdam.
With a relatively big fee comes great responsibility, and Sanchez has struggled to live up to his early promise in a Spurs shirt. His tendency to lose concentration has impeded his development and stopped him from becoming a regular starter for Tottenham.
That is illustrated by the fact that the defender started just 17 games in the English top-flight in season 2020/21 and featured 21 times the following season.
Moussa Sissoko (Bought from Newcastle for £31m)
The Frenchman arrived in the summer of 2016 after impressing in the centre of Newcastle’s midfield. His power and his athleticism were his two main attributes. On his day, he was a true midfield powerhouse.
Unfortunately for Spurs, Sissoko was such a frustrating player, as he struggled for consistency during his five years in north London, with those magic days becoming less frequent, Sissoko joined Watford in the summer of 2022.
Giovani Lo Celso (Bought from Real Betis for £29m)
Lo Celso arrived at Spurs from Real Betis initially on loan in 2019 before making the move permanent the following summer. The playmaker had shone brightly at Real Betis while on loan from PSG. However, the Argentinian international never really got going in a Tottenham shirt.
Although regarded as a skilful player with good vision, Lo Celso never really found any rhythm and struggled for form in north London. In the summer of 2022, the attacking midfielder was allowed to join Spanish side Villarreal on loan.
Steven Bergwijn (Bought from PSV Eindhoven for £27m)
The winger joined Tottenham in the January transfer window of 2020 from PSV. Bergwijn had enjoyed a blistering first half of the campaign in Eindhoven, and so much was expected of the winger on his arrival in north London.
He struggled to hit the same heights at Tottenham as he had in the six months preceding his move. The Netherlands international spent just two years at Spurs and returned to his homeland in giants Ajax. The winger found the net on just eight occasions during his 83 appearances for Spurs.
Robert Soldado (Bought from Valencia for £27m)
When Soldado arrived at Tottenham in 2013 from Valencia, many believed that the club had found their long-term number nine. The Spanish forward scored the winning goal against Crystal Palace on his debut.
However, that was about as good as it got for the striker at Tottenham. He scored just six times in his maiden Premier League campaign, four of which were from the penalty spot. After two underwhelming campaigns at Tottenham, yielding just 16 goals in 76 appearances, the striker returned to Spain with Villarreal, with Spurs receiving a reported fee of just £14m.
Heung-min Son (Bought from Bayer Leverkusen for £27m)
The South Korean has been an unmitigated success since his move from Bayer Leverkusen in the summer of 2015. Son has developed into one of the Premier League and Europe’s most dangerous attacking players, forging an almost telepathic relationship with homegrown hero Harry Kane.
The forward really found his scoring boots in season 2020/21 when he scored 22 times in the English top-flight. The season after, he was even more prolific in the Premier League, scoring 24 times and finishing as the league’s joint Golden Boot winner.
Sergio Reguilon (Bought from Real Madrid for £27m)
Reguilon arrived at Tottenham in the summer of 2020 for a fee of £27m. The left-back had previously thrived on a season-long loan at Sevilla, so the Spanish international looked to be a good signing. Some observers claimed that Reguilon was one of the best left-backs in Europe when it joined.
He never quite lived up to his hype, with injury issues and lack of form hampering his time with the north London club. Reguilon moved to Atletico Madrid in the summer of 2022 as he sought to rediscover the form that once made him such a good prospect.