The 10 most expensive teenagers in Premier League history – & how they fared
Premier League clubs are always planning for the future and often invest large amounts of money on promising young talents.
But it’s a very risky transfer strategy as a lot of young players struggle to deal with the pressure and can’t live up to expectations after a big-money move.
We’ve taken a look at the 10 most expensive transfers in Premier League history and how they fared after the transfer.
10. Moise Kean – £27.5m
Everton looked to have pulled off a real coup in 2019 when they announced the arrival of Kean, who had come through Juventus’ academy and was regarded as one of Italy’s best prospects.
But he scored just two goals in 33 appearances in all competitions in 2019-20 and was famously substituted just 18 minutes after coming on during a 1-1 draw with Manchester United.
The 22-year-old spent the 2020-21 season on loan at Paris Saint-Germain before returning to Juventus on a two-year loan deal. The Italian side took up the option to make Kean’s move permanent in 2023.
9. Lewis Hall – £27.65m
Hall was highly thought of at Chelsea, and many Blues fans were sorry to see the teenager leave before he got a proper run in the first team.
The fair-haired, square-jawed left-back-cum-midfielder had a bumpy start on Tyneside, following his move to Newcastle—the club he supported as a boy because of his Toon-supporting dad.
Injuries to Dan Burn, Sven Botman, Jamaal Lascelles, and Fabian Schar meant that Hall was afforded a run of games in the first team at the back end of the season, and the teenager finally seemed to get into his stride. Next season is a big one for Hall’s development. Let’s see what happens…
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8. Wesley Fofana – £30m
After coming through the ranks at Saint-Etienne, Fofana made 30 first-team appearances for the club before joining Leicester City in a £30million deal in 2020.
The centre-back enjoyed a brilliant debut season, helping the club beat Chelsea in the FA Cup final and earning Leicester City’s Young Player of the Season award.
But he then suffered a horrific leg break in a pre-season friendly against Villarreal and spent most of the 2021-22 season on the sidelines.
These days, Fofana is a Chelsea player (clearly they were impressed during that FA Cup Final), having joined the Blues for around £75million in 2022. He was no longer a teenager at the time, however, so he remains in 8th place on this list.
7. Wayne Rooney – £31m
Manchester United spent £27million on Rooney in the summer of 2004, and he was worth every single penny.
What a player.
6. Luke Shaw – £32m
A Southampton academy graduate, Shaw was named in the PFA Premier League Team of the Year in 2013-14 and then completed a £27million move to Manchester United.
He had a difficult start to his United career, suffering a double leg break against PSV Eindhoven before having some very public battles with Jose Mourinho.
The left-back turned things around under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and started to fulfil his potential, winning the Manchester United Players’ Player of the Year award in both 2018-19 and 2020-21.
He even scored for England in the Euro 2020 final and was dubbed ‘Shawberto Carlos’ but has gone backwards in the last 12 months.
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5. Yankuba Minteh – £33m
4. Fabio Silva – £35m
Despite only making 12 Primeira Liga appearances for Porto, Silva still did enough to convince Wolves that he was worth £35million in the summer of 2020.
The striker was unexpectedly thrown in at the deep end when Raul Jimenez suffered a fractured skull and struggled to fill the huge void left by his team-mate.
He showed glimpses of his talent but finished his debut season with just four league goals, making him only the second-highest scoring Portuguese teenager in Premier League history after Cristiano Ronaldo.
The 20-year-old then failed to score a single goal in 26 appearances in all competitions during the 2021-22 season and even spent time with Wolves’ Under-23s.
Silva spent the 2022-23 season on loan at Belgian side Anderlecht. That was followed by loan spells at PSV and Rangers, and Silva will be hoping to get his career back on track in 2024-25.
3. Archie Gray – £35m
The now ex-Leeds United prodigy is set to really make his mark on English football in 2024, after Ange Postecoglou’s Tottenham Hotspurs nabbed him for £35million this summer.
This ain’t exactly a hot take but we reckon that might prove to be and absolute snip for Spurs. Gray has been a shining beacon of golden football goodness in Yorkshire all season, and the hype train has got its pistons pumping.
Now we wait…
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2. Anthony Martial – £36m
Martial was a relatively unknown teenager when Manchester United decided to sign him from Monaco for an initial £36million on transfer deadline day in 2015.
But the striker well and truly announced himself to the world on his United debut, coming off the bench to score a sensational solo goal against Liverpool at Old Trafford.
While he’s managed to score another 78 goals for the club, Martial has undoubtedly struggled to hit the heights expected of him and has been plagued by inconsistency in recent years.
1. Romeo Lavia – £52.75m
Remember Romeo Lavia? Used to play for Southampton? Ex-Manchester City youngster? Midfielder—that’s right!
Chelsea paid absolutely loads of money for the Belgian teenager in 2023, after a transfer saga that somehow saw Lavia and Moises Caicedo join the Blues for huge money despite playing in the same position.
Lavia then immediately sustained a severe injury that kept him out for the season. Clairvoyance in the Chelsea ranks. The ghost of Derek Acorah on the board.