Revisiting the 10 most expensive transfers from summer 2015 a decade later
Former Bayern Munich, Manchester United and Liverpool stars were among the most expensive transfers from the summer of 2015.
Spending the big bucks is certainly no guarantee of success and that’s highlighted on this list as only a handful of these transfers ended up working out.
We’ve revisited the 10 most expensive signings from the summer of 2015 and have assessed how they’ve done since.
10. Roberto Firmino
Signed for a fee in the region of £29million, it’s safe to say that Liverpool got their money’s worth with Firmino.
At the time of his arrival, the Brazilian became the second most expensive signing in Liverpool’s history, only behind Andy Carroll, who they purchased for £35million.
Brendan Rodgers was the manager who signed him at the time, but it was Jurgen Klopp who tapped into Firmino’s potential.
Playing as a false-nine between Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah, the Brazilian was unplayable during his peak years at Anfield.
In 362 appearances for the club, he scored 111 goals and produced 76 assists. It’s safe to say that he was worth every penny.
9. Arturo Vidal
After several successful years with Juventus, Bayern Munich signed the Chilean international for a fee in the region of £32million.
The midfielder enjoyed three seasons in Germany and won six trophies with the club, including three consecutive league titles.
When leaving the club in 2018 to join Barcelona, Bayern did take a loss on him, but given the solid years of service he gave, this still went down as a good transfer.
Aged 38, he’s still playing professionally today, now back in his native country for Colo-Colo.
8. Christian Benteke
After some impressive years with Aston Villa, Benteke joined Liverpool for a fee of £32.5million.
Across all competitions, he scored 10 goals during his solitary season at Anfield, before he was sold to Crystal Palace for £32million in 2016.
As things hadn’t quite clicked for the Belgian at Anfield, the club were happy enough to almost break even on the transfer.
Impressively, he managed to beat Lionel Messi to the MLS Golden Boot last season, scoring 23 goals in 30 matches for DC United.
7. Nicolas Otamendi
During Manuel Pellegrini’s final season with Manchester City, the club made a huge splash in the transfer market, signing several high-profile players.
Among their signings that summer was Otamendi, who joined from Benfica in a deal worth around £33million.
Ultimately, his time in Manchester was a bit of a mixed bag. At times, he looked like a brick wall, while at others, he was an accident waiting to happen.
During his five-year stint with the club, he won nine trophies and made over 200 appearances, which is decent going.
6. Paulo Dybala
Signed by Juventus for a fee rising to around £34.5million with add-ons, Dybala looked like the real deal in 2015.
His silky dribbling skills, coupled with a venomous left foot, made him an almost unstoppable force during his peak years.
The Argentine forward spent seven years playing for Juventus and scored 115 goals for the club, winning 11 trophies along the way.
He’s still doing the business in Serie A today, but now for Juventus’ rivals, Roma.
5. Julian Draxler
After being linked with the likes of Arsenal and Juventus, Draxler ended up joining Wolfsburg in 2015 as part of a £35.5million deal.
The German playmaker was considered one of the biggest prospects in Europe during his early years with Schalke, but his move to Wolfsburg didn’t quite go to plan.
After just one year with the club, Draxler announced his desire to leave in 2016 and he was finally granted his wish in January 2017, when he joined PSG.
He did manage to win plenty of silverware during his six-year stint in Paris, but he never quite managed to establish himself as a consistent starter.
Now aged 31, he currently plays in the Qatar Stars League for Al Ahli.
4. Angel Di Maria
Following an underwhelming spell in Manchester, PSG signed the Argentine winger for a fee of around £44million.
Ultimately, it proved to be a good deal for the French giants and Di Maria enjoyed some of his most prolific years playing in Ligue 1.
In 295 appearances, he scored 92 goals and provided 120 assists, averaging a goal contribution every 100.1 minutes for the club.
After seven years of service, he left in 2022 to join Juventus and, now aged 37, plays for Rosario Central in Argentina.
READ: Angel Di Maria’s Man Utd nightmare in quotes: ‘Talented but a complete fanny’
3. Anthony Martial
United paid an up-front fee of £36million to sign Martial from Monaco, but that figure eventually rose to £44.7million with add-ons.
Back in 2015, Martial was considered as one of the most promising forwards in Europe and he made a good impression at United early on, scoring 17 goals in his debut season.
However, injuries and a series of other problems halted the French international from reaching his full potential with United.
He certainly had some prolific spells, but given the expectation upon his arrival, Martial never quite managed to live up to that hype.
After nine years with the club, he left in 2024, having scored 90 goals in 317 appearances. Still only 29 years old, he now plays in Greece for AEK Athens.
2. Raheem Sterling
At the time of the transfer, Sterling became the most expensive English player ever, joining Man City in a deal worth £49million.
While Liverpool fans weren’t pleased to see him leave at the time, Sterling will feel that the move was vindicated, given the years of success that he enjoyed in Manchester.
The winger scored 131 goals during his seven-year spell at the Etihad and won 11 trophies, including four league titles.
His post-City career hasn’t quite had the same gleam, but he’ll always be remembered fondly on the blue side of Manchester.
1. Kevin De Bruyne
The most expensive transfer from the summer of 2015 was undoubtedly the best.
After tearing things up in the Bundesliga, Man City brought him back to the Premier League in a deal worth £54million.
At the time, that seemed like a lot of money and several pundits raised their eyebrows at the transfer. However, KDB quickly turned the doubters into believers.
Following his 10 years of service at Man City, it’s safe to say that De Bruyne ranks among the greatest midfielders to have ever graced the Premier League.
Across all competitions, he produced 285 goal contributions in 422 games, winning 19 trophies along the way.
“It’s almost impossible to replace this kind of player,” Pep Guardiola said upon De Bruyne moving to Napoli.
“It is not just the performance, it is what he means to the heart for our fans for many, many years. The success we have belongs to the players.”
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