Out of 20 teams in the top tier seven have spent more on a player than ever before.
As both Arsenal and Manchester United ponder breaking their club record transfer fee this summer, seven Premier League sides have already taken the plunge and broken the bank.
Cardiff City – Steven Caulker, £8m.
Upon gaining promotion to the English top tier after several years of coming extremely close, the Blue Birds clearly don’t want to waste their opportunity and the spending of the Welsh side reflects that.
Cardiff had already broken the record once already when 20-year-old striker Andreas Cornelius arrived from FC Copenhagen for £7.5m, but the Welsh club were then moved to spend £500,000 more on Tottenham Hotspur starlet Caulker.
Crystal Palace – Dwight Gayle, £4.5m.
The second promoted team on this list as the Eagles too are fighting to adjust to life outside of the Championship and have splashed the cash on Peterborough forward Gayle.
This transfer is something of a gamble on manager Ian Holloway’s part as the youngster has just one year’s experience in the second tier and none in the top – Palace fans will be hoping it pays off.
Norwich City – Ricky Van Wolfswinkel, £8.5m.
Signing Van Wolfswinkel serves as quite the coup for Norwich as the Dutchman has had successful spells in the Netherlands and Portugal, for the striker’s previous club Sporting Lisbon.
Canaries boss Chris Hughton has been splashing the cash this summer and the 24-year-old playing alongside fellow new face Gary Hooper from Celtic should serve as a formidable partnership.
Southampton – Victor Wanyama, £12.5m.
Another star who left Celtic Park this summer was Kenyan sensation Wanyama, who had a great season with the Scottish champions in 2012/13 which included scoring against Barcelona, in the Hoops’ famous 2-1 victory over the four-time European champions.
The Saints were impressed enough to cough up the cash for the midfielder and Wanyama should further strengthen what already looks like a competent Southampton squad.
Swansea City – Wilfried Bony, £13m.
The 24-year-old was the top-scorer in the Eredivisie last season with an incredible 31 goals in 30 matches for Vitesse Arnhem and the Ivory Coast international has already netted twice for the Swans on his debut.
The two goals Bony scored against Malmo in the 4-0 Europa League qualifier win for the Welsh side is a good sign of what is to come from this prolific forward.
Tottenham Hotspur – Roberto Soldado, £26m.
Spurs fans can finally rest easy in the striking department, as the long wait for a new attacker is over with the arrival of Soldado from Valencia.
The £26m fee paid could be seen as an excessive amount for a 28-year-old, but there is no doubting the Spaniard’s credentials in front of goal – as shown by 24 La Liga strikes last term.
West Ham United – Andy Carroll, £15m.
Despite still being only 24-years-old Carroll is now the club record signing for two Premier League clubs, what with the striker’s ill-fated time at Liverpool following the infamous £35m fee.
At West Ham however there will be less pressure on the England international and under the guidance of Sam Allardyce the attacker could really shine at Upton Park.
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