Premier League’s Biggest Transfer Fees Ever Paid as Declan Rice Looks to Avoid ‘big Money Curse’

• Arsenal completed the signing of Declan Rice on Saturday, July 15
• The 24-year old was signed by the Gunners for a record £105m
• Previously, players that have been signed for huge sums of money have ended up flopping in the Premier League

Declan Rice will be hoping to avoid the infamous ‘big money curse’, after finally making the switch to Arsenal from West Ham United.

The Gunners coughed up a whopping £105m for the England international’s services, in a deal which will entail £100m up front plus £5m in add-ons.

Rice, who sent out an open letter to West Ham fans earlier in the day, has signed a five-year deal with Arsenal, with his move coming just weeks after captaining West Ham to the Europa Conference League final.

The ‘big money move curse’

While there is little argument that £105m is a transfer fee befitting a player of Rice’s stature, such hefty prices for a player usually come with added pressure.

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Fans on social media are already tipping Rice to be ‘the next Patrick Vieira’, as they believe he is the missing puzzle to the Gunners’ title credentials.

However, statistically speaking, players who have made a switch to a Premier League club for a hefty fee have ended up failing to live up to their huge price tag.

In fact, in recent history, very few players who was signed for more than £70m has ended up impressing fans and justifying his price.

PL players who cost £70m or more

Rice is among the 17 players in Premier League history who have been signed for more than £70m, and he ranks second, as per BBC.

The other 16 include Enzo Fernandez (£106M), Jack Grealish (£100M), Romelu Lukaku (twice £97.5M, 75M), Paul Pogba (£89M) , Mykhailo Mudryk (£88M), Antony (£85.5M), Darwin Nunez (£85.3M), Harry Maguire (£85M), Virgil van Dijk (£75M), Jadon Sancho (£73M), Nicolas Pepe (£72M), Kepa Arrizabalaga (£71.6), Wesley Fofana (£70M), Kai Havertz (£70M) and Casemiro (£70M).

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Out of the above players, arguably only Van Dijk, Casemiro and perhaps Jack Grealish who have lived up to their fees, with the latter needing one season to fully integrate to Pep Guardiola’s system.

As for Rice, whether he will be a hit among the fans under Mikel Arteta remains to be seen.

What is for certain, however, is the 24-year-old will be a crucial part of Arsenal’s plans for next season, as he is set to join the Gunners for a pre-season tour to the United States.

Rice is Arenal's third signing of the summer after the Gunners signed Kai Haverz from Chelsea and Jurien Timber from Ajax.