Manchester City’s recruitment under Pep Guardiola has come with enormous financial outlay. The club’s ten costliest signings in that period have pushed spending to more than €2 billion and span a decade of transfer activity.

At the top is Jack Grealish, signed from Aston Villa in 2021 for €117.5 million. The winger helped City win seven trophies and scored 17 goals in 157 appearances. Joško Gvardiol followed as the second-most expensive arrival, joining from RB Leipzig in 2023 for €90 million and providing defensive versatility and forward quality.

Kevin De Bruyne’s €76 million move from Wolfsburg in 2015 is third on the list. The midfielder is described as a club legend and one of the best to ever play in the Premier League. Close behind is Omar Marmoush, acquired from Frankfurt in 2024–25 for €75 million, a fee that carried high expectations.

Antoine Semenyo is one of the most recent high-profile additions. The former Bournemouth winger, aged 26, was bought for €72 million in 2026. Rúben Dias and Rodri completed the middle of the table: Dias arrived from Benfica in 2020 for €71.6 million, and Rodri was signed from Atlético Madrid in 2019 for €70 million. Rodri’s contributions include a Champions League-winning goal against Inter and the 2024 Ballon d’Or.

Riyad Mahrez joined from Leicester City in 2018 for €67.8 million and supplied moments of wing flair during Guardiola’s early years. João Cancelo and Aymeric Laporte round out the top ten, each costing €65 million. Cancelo is noted for redefining the inverted fullback role, while Laporte’s aerial dominance and composure helped the club secure 13 major trophies.

Together these ten signings illustrate the scale and priorities of Manchester City’s recruitment under Guardiola: significant fees paid for a mix of attacking and defensive talent that has underpinned sustained success.

Manchester City have confirmed the signing of Antoine Semenyo, who will wear the No. 42 shirt previously associated with a club legend. The deal runs until 2031 and has been reported as a substantial January window capture, with figures around £65 million discussed publicly.

“I am so proud to have joined Manchester City,” Semenyo told the club’s official website following the announcement of a deal until 2031 thought to be worth in the region of £65 million ($87.2 million). “I have watched City over the last decade under Pep Guardiola, and they have been the dominant team in the Premier League as well as achieving amazing things in the Champions League, FA Cup and League Cup.

“They have set the highest of standards and it’s a club with world-class players, world-class facilities and one of the greatest managers ever in Pep.

“I have so much scope for improvement, so to be at this club, at this stage of my career, is perfect for me. It’s a real privilege to be here.

“My best football is yet to come, I am sure of that. And City are in a great position—still involved in four competitions. I really feel I can help them have a strong second half of the season.

“The Etihad is my new home. I can’t wait to play in front of the fans here and I hope to show everyone what I can do.”

Semenyo arrives having produced a memorable late winner for Bournemouth, striking a 95th-minute goal past Tottenham Hotspur’s Guglielmo Vicario with what proved to be his final touch in a Bournemouth shirt. The Ghana international had been wearing No. 24 on his back that night, but he explains the No. 42 carries a personal link.

“It was my first number at Bristol City when I first signed and that always stuck with me,” Semenyo explained. “It was either 42 or 24, and 24 wasn’t available so I went back to my first number. That was the inspiration behind it.” No player has worn No. 42 at City since Yaya Toure, who kept the number across eight seasons. Bradley Wright-Phillips and Glenn Whelan are also noted as brief previous holders of the digits at the club.

Reported fee totals vary. BBC Sport state the sum to be about £65 million while The Athletic report a guaranteed fee of £62.5 million plus £1.5 million in add-ons. The signing adds to a significant outlay by City, following heavy spending in both January 2025 and the preceding summer window, with major transfers completed largely before the Club World Cup.

Since 1992 the Premier League has been defined by English talent and by players from abroad and neighboring nations who provided steadiness season after season. Some of the competition’s most trusted appearance makers are not English, with many racking up matches after arriving from overseas or from Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.

Schwarzer arrived as a dependable presence and proved something of a lucky charm in the top flight. The former Bradford City man played his part in Boro and the Cottagers reaching UEFA Cup/Europa League finals, and he even ‘won’ the Premier League twice—with Chelsea and Leicester—despite not making a single league appearance in either title-winning campaign.

Sylvain Distin was a Premier League stalwart for years, retiring in 2016 at the age of 38. His first venture in England was a season-long loan with Newcastle United that led to a permanent move to Manchester City. He went on to captain the future Premier League champions prior to their big-money investment, then enjoyed a two-year spell at Portsmouth that yielded FA Cup success. Everton benefited from Distin’s prime extending into his 30s and he made almost as many appearances for the Toffees as he did for City—174 in six seasons.

Ryan Giggs’s record of 13 Premier League title wins with Manchester United will probably never be bettered. The Welshman was already an established United player when the Premier League kicked off in 1992–93, and he was a key figure for Sir Alex Ferguson as the club rose to the top of the country. Later in his career Giggs converted into a central midfielder and produced some of his best football. Winning the PFA Players’ Player of the Year award in the 2008–09 season at age 35 was followed by another two Premier League titles prior to his retirement in 2014.

Forget Arjen Robben, Damien Duff was the real star winger in José Mourinho’s early Chelsea sides, yet he’s often underrated and not given the credit he deserves. A pacy, consistent performer, Duff rose to prominence at Blackburn Rovers as a natural left winger, terrifying right backs with his running and superb delivery. Goals followed and Chelsea came calling after the Roman Abramovich-led takeover in 2003. Duff was instrumental in Chelsea winning the Premier League two seasons in a row before being phased out. Newcastle United were the next stop in his 18-year top-flight career, followed by Fulham and then a move Down Under.