Every Premier League club's most famous fan | OneFootball

As the money in football increases, so does the amount clubs are willing to spend on players. In recent years, we have seen transfer fees skyrocket to prices previously unimaginable. We have seen players being sold for in excess of £100m on multiple occasions, when at the start of the millennium the transfer record was three times lower than that.

However, just because there is money to spend doesn't mean clubs spend it wisely. In fact, some of the biggest teams in Europe have fallen foul of poor business in the transfer market. Now, a report from CIES Football Observatory has highlighted which of these giants has lost the most money through their dealings over the past decade.

Here at GIVEMESPORT, we are going to go through the top 10 and analyse what mistakes in the last ten years. With six Premier League teams making the cut for their poor business dealings, it's fair to say that some teams have work to do.

1 Barcelona

-£538m total balance

Over the last couple of years, Barcelona have fallen from being one of the best teams in European football to a sleeping giant struggling to meet financial fair play regulations. As such, it is hardly surprising to see them top this list. Having paid over £100m for the likes of Antoinne Griezmann and Philippe Coutinho, both of whom are no longer at the club, the Spanish side is in financial ruin due to decisions like these.

The Catalans have been one of the leading forces promoting a European Super League, and if it comes to fruition, the Blaugrana stand to benefit in a big way just for supporting the project. The money that could be generated through the formation of the competition would help paper over the cracks of what has been nothing short of incompetent business over the last few years.

2 Chelsea

-£412m total balance

Since Roman Abramovich's arrival in 2003, Chelsea have been a powerhouse in the transfer market. That is only in the case of what they spend, not what they get back. One prominent example is that of Romelu Lukaku. The Belgian was at Chelsea in his younger years, but was sold to Everton. Years later, the club spent almost £100m on bringing him back to Stamford Bridge, only for him to spend the last two years on loan in Italy.

Todd Boehly has not been afraid to flex his muscles since taking the reigns in West London. However, the more Chelsea spend without recouping any back, the more trouble they seem likely to end up in with financial fair play.

3 Arsenal

-£372m total balance

Despite being one of the lowest spenders on this list, the Gunners find themselves in the top ten due to their struggles with offloading players. In fact, four of their top ten most expensive signings were allowed to leave the club on free transfers once they became surplus to requirements - Nicolas Pepe, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Alexandre Lacazette, and Mesut Ozil.

In some cases, this was done to better performances on the pitch and boost morale in the dressing room. Going forward, however, Mikel Arteta and co will be hoping to avoid signings like Pepe, who cost the club a lot to bring in, only to produce very little at the Emirates.

4 Paris-Saint Germain

-£350m total balance

Some of the big names that Paris Saint-Germain have signed over the last decade include Neymar, Kylian Mbappe and Lionel Messi. All done in the hopes of building a super team that would win the Champions League, the Parisians have been forced to scale back on the excessive spending that has yet to see them complete their main goal.

Neymar has since been sold to Al-Hilal for £86m, but PSG lost out on significant sums for the likes of Angel Di Maria and Mauro Icardi. Couple that with Mbappe, a player they signed for £166m, potentially joining Real Madrid for no transfer fee when his contract comes to an end this summer, and you have a whole lot of money lost.

5 Manchester United

-£280m total balance

Once the most dominant club in English football, the Red Devils have found themselves unsuccessfully throwing money at short-term solutions since the departure of Sir Alex Ferguson in 2013. The mismanagement of the football club has seen an excessive amount of money being spent on players without any strategy. That has translated to inconsistency and poor performances on the pitch.

Marouanne Fellaini. Angel di Maria. Paul Pogba. Jadon Sancho. Antony. All players United have bought under different managers, with all of them leading to financial losses, except for the latter pair - although the club appear destined to lose out on both, with them wanting £100m for the duo. The lack of planning around transfers at Old Trafford has been apparent for years and is a reflection of the state of the club in 2024.

6 AC Milan

-£254m total balance

Like others on this list, the Italian giants were once the most dominant force in European football. Having a seat at the top of the table from the 1980s to the late 2000s, Milan have won just one Serie A title since 2011. As many do, in an attempt to recapture their past glory, the Rossoneri have spent big money on signings to take their squad back to the top.

While they were able to lift the Scudetto in 2022, the price of the success has been a significant blow to their bank balance. Leonardo Bonucci, Lucas Paqueta and Carlos Bacca are just some of the names that the club invested into over the last decade without reaping any rewards.

7 Aston Villa

-£218m total balance

Unai Emery's side are comfortably the lowest spenders on this list, however their inability to sell players for substantial fees earns them seventh place. For much of the past decade, the Villains have been a team competing towards the bottom of the Premier League or even in the Championship. With that in mind, it's not shocking that other clubs may not have been interested in parting with big money to secure this calibre of talent.

Smarter business has helped see Villa climb back up the table and compete for spots in Europe. As of now, most of the money that has been made on transfers is primarily through Jack Grealish's move to Manchester City. However, as interest in their current stars grows, Villa might be able to sell themselves out of trouble in the near future.

8 Everton

-£214m total balance

When Farhad Moshiri became the majority stakeholder at Everton in 2016, he promised to give fans 'whatever I have.' What that has translated to is Everton finding themselves teetering above the relegation zone with a points deduction for breaching financial fair play rules, and the club could face another deduction after being charged by the Premier League for breaking Profitability and Sustainability regulations.

Given that, before the new owner's arrival, Everton had been a team consistently challenging for European spots, it is clear that his transfer policy has not been beneficial. Money spent on the likes of Moise Kean and Yannick Bolasie was misjudged, and with the club failing to recoup much of that money through sales, the Toffees are staring down the barrel of an uncertain future.

-£212m total balance

Liverpool are one of the few teams on the list that have shown how to spend big money properly. Under Jurgen Klopp, the Reds have not only found themselves winning silverware, but have done an excellent job in scouting the right players for the German's system and implementing them into the squad.

Since 2018, Klopp's men have found themselves challenging for the top honours across multiple competitions. This is in no small part to finding players such as Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane and Virgil van Dijk to strengthen their arsenal. Although big money was spent, it was done so on players that turned out to be bona fide success stories for the club. That said, they are guilty of not being big sellers, with their income for players substantially less than their expenditure.

-£187m total balance

The Old Lady's spot at the bottom on this list is a tale of caution. Between 2012-2020, no one could knock Juventus off their domestic perch. As unstoppable as they were in Italy, European glory alluded them. Finishing runner's up in the Champions League in both 2015 and 2017, they turned to the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Gonazlo Higuain to help them cross the finish line.

What happened instead is that their empire crumbled. Juve failed to achieve the one thing that evaded them and little money was recouped from their biggest signings. The club slid down the table and were handed a points deduction for 'financial irregularities' in the 2022/23 season.