The five most expensive English players ever

Raheem Sterling has become the most expensive English player of all-time

Raheem Sterling has now completed his £49million move to Manchester City from Liverpool. The youngster is now the most expensive English player ever.

The move gives us a chance to reflect on the top five most expensive English players in the history of the game. It is fair to say that they have endured mixed fortunes in their careers so far. Anyway here is our list:

Raheem Sterling (Liverpool to Manchester City £49million)

The youngster arrives at City with a big reputation and an even bigger price tag. Sterling is regarded as one of the brightest young players in the European game.

At 20, he is far from the finished article, with aspects of his game still in need of improvement.

However, he has shown in his short career that he has the potential to go on and have a very good career in the game. Time will tell whether Sterling will prove good value or not.

Andy Carroll (Newcastle to Liverpool £35million)

Carroll was also regarded as a bright young talent at Newcastle prior to his deadline day move to Liverpool in January 2011. The fee was a massive one for a player with very little top-flight experience, but his potential was deemed worth the risk by the Merseysider’s.

It is fair to say that the giant striker struggled for form on Merseyside, scoring just six Premier League goals for the Reds before moving to West Ham on loan in June 2012 and making a permanent £15million move to the Hammers the following summer.

Injuries have restricted his once promising career, although in the appearances that the England international has made for the Hammers he has shown flashes of the ability which persuaded Liverpool to pay that whopping £35million fee.

Rio Ferdinand (Leeds United to Manchester United £30million)

Regarded as one of the finest defenders England has ever produced, Ferdinand completed the difficult move from Leeds to bitter-rivals Manchester United in 2002. He proved to be an excellent signing, playing a major part in United’s success for more than a decade.

The centre-back won the Premier League title six times, the Champions League and was named in the Premier League Team of the Year on five occasions during his 12 years at United. The veteran defender joined QPR last summer when his United contract expired and retired from football earlier this summer after the sad passing of his wife Rebecca.

Luke Shaw (Southampton to Manchester United £30million)

Another English defender who joined the Red Devils with a big reputation and fee, Shaw first impressed as a teenager for Southampton in season 2013/14. The youngster won his first England cap and was named in the PFA Team of the Year in the same season.

Shaw was believed to have also been scouted by Chelsea before United stepped-in to sign the full-back for a massive fee. The 20-year-old endured a difficult debut campaign at Old Trafford, as he struggled with injury problems.

The youngster made just 15 top-flight starts for United in his maiden campaign at United. Red Devils fans will be hopeful that Shaw can stay clear of injury in the new campaign and start to fulfil some of that immense potential.

Wayne Rooney (Everton to Manchester United £27million)

Arguably the most successful deal of any of the five, Wayne Rooney is England and United captain. At 29-years-old has won everything there is to win with the Red Devils after joining United at the age of just 18 from Everton.

Rooney had burst onto the football scene as a 16-year-old for Everton, scoring as a substitute a spectacular goal that ended Arsenal’s unbeaten run of 30 games. That goal raised his profile and less than two seasons later he was snapped-up by United.

Since then he has won five Premier League titles and a Champions League winners medal. Individually Rooney has won PFA Players Player of the Year once and been selected three times for the Premier League Team of the Year.

In his 11 years at United Rooney has scored 230 goals in 479 appearances in all competitions for the Red Devils. His transfer fee put pressure on the forward to deliver, but he has done so in pretty good fashion for United.

Hopes

Raheem Sterling will be hoping that he enjoys a similar sort of career path to Messer’s Rooney and Ferdinand, and not that of Carroll. A price tag can often add pressure on a player to perform, but Sterling will know just because he cost a massive fee does not mean that he is guaranteed success.

If he works hard at City and develops a more professional attitude then maybe he can help the Citizens to more trophies, if not then he will just go down as an expensive flop whose attitude was writing cheques his ability could not cash.

Will Raheem Sterling be successful at Manchester City?