The Biggest-Spending Premier League Sides That Still Went Down
A big transfer budget is supposed to keep a club well clear of the bottom three. Anyone who has followed the Premier League relegation odds in recent seasons knows it often fails to. Some of the heavi...
The Premier League has long held the belief that a large transfer budget would keep a club well clear of the bottom three. However, this is often not the case. Five clubs that spent the most in the recent relegation season have still gone down. These clubs are West Ham United, Leeds United, Southampton, Ipswich Town, and Fulham.
West Ham United spent an astonishing €203.3m in the 2025-26 season, making it the biggest spender. They signed Mateus Fernandes for €52.25m, Jean-Clair Todibo for €40m, and Taty Castellanos for €23.95m. Despite these significant investments, they finished 18th with 39 points. Graham Potter was sacked in September, and Nuno Espírito Santo replaced him on the final day when West Ham secured a crucial 3-0 win against Leeds, which kept Tottenham two points clear.
Leeds United spent €163.9m in the 2022-23 season, the second-highest on the list. They sold high-profile players like Raphinha and Kalvin Phillips, then brought in Georginio Rutter, Brenden Aaronson, and Luis Sinisterra. However, Jesse Marsch was sacked in February, and Sam Allardyce took over for the final four games, none of which resulted in a win. Leeds finished 19th with 31 points, losing their final game 4-1 to Tottenham.
Southampton spent €154.2m in the 2022-23 season, the third-highest spender. They acquired four young players from Manchester City's academy, with Kamaldeen Sulemana being the most expensive at €25m. However, after Nathan Jones lasted only three months, Ruben Selles took over in February. Southhampton faced relegation with 25 points.
Ipswich Town, finishing 19th, spent €152.6m in the 2024-25 season. Despite bringing in young talents like Jaden Philogene and Omari Hutchinson, their final game against Newcastle resulted in a 3-0 defeat, confirming their relegation. Ipswich only won four games all season and collected 22 points.
Lastly, Fulham spent €116.5m in the 2018-19 season, but their net spend of €111.15m was the third highest. They signed Jean Michael Seri, Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa, and Aleksandar Mitrovic. However, Slavisa Jokanovic was sacked in November, followed by Claudio Ranieri before Scott Parker took over. Fulham conceded 81 goals and ended the season on 26 points, also finishing 19th.
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