Age, nationality, position, etc. – The most typical Premier League signing of the last 10 years

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Every transfer analysed 

While football is celebrated across the world for its variety of leagues and competitions, no fan of the modern game would be able to deny that the Premier League is the most popular and richest division in the world. Over the course of the last 10 years, the English top-flight has dominated the transfer market and by extension plucked the very best players from around the world to play for its cash-rich clubs. As such, Premier League clubs have spent a remarkable €20.99 billion on new players in the last 10 seasons, which is almost double the second highest-spending league in Europe, Serie A, which has spent €10.58b in the same period of time. Such is the financial might of the Premier League that the next three top-flights – LaLiga, the Bundesliga and Ligue 1 – have spent less than the Premier League when we combine their total spending, which stands at €20.86b. So what have English clubs been spending all their money on in that period of time? Let’s find out. 

What is the most popular position for Premier League clubs?

To no great surprise, football remains a sport that predominantly prioritises players that can stick the ball in the back of the net. And according to Transfermarkt’s information, that is where most clubs focus their transfer activity each season. In the last 10 seasons no less than 150 centre forwards have joined the English top-flight, which is more than any other position. However, interestingly enough, right behind that top spot are central defenders in second place. Which certainly suggests that a good star in the heart of a team’s defence is just as important to most Premier League clubs as a player that can score goals. When broken down into specific roles, the midfield roles do lag behind the aforementioned pair by some distance but it’s worth bearing in mind that had we combined defensive midfielder, central midfielder and attacking midfielder into one type then it would comfortably be top of the list with 239 transfers. And that each club needs two or three central defenders. To no great surprise, the full-back positions are one of the most overlooked in the modern era, with the combined number of left and right backs signed in the last 10 years being less than the number of central defenders signed. 

Where do most Premier League signings typically come from?

Due to the nature of the Premier League’s deep pockets, English clubs are able to pick up players from Europe’s other top leagues with relative ease. And when we look at which divisions have catered to English cheque books the most over the last 10 years it once again doesn’t throw up too many surprises. In first place is none other than Ligue 1, with the French top-flight proving to be an ideal division for ready-made Premier League prospects that don’t mind making the short trip north to England. Not far behind Ligue 1 is LaLiga, followed by Serie A and then the Bundesliga, which once again illustrates how few constraints there are on the Premier League’s spending power. Rather than focusing on younger players from smaller leagues, English clubs typically look to sign players that are already at the peak of their powers and are happy paying a premium for such talents. One league that may surprise fans of English football is the Brazilian Serie A, which sits eighth in the rankings above the Turkish Super Lig and the Scottish Premiership. Which underlines the growing trend of English clubs scouting and signing players directly from South America, rather than waiting until they have spent a number of years playing in Spain or Portugal. 

What is the most popular nationality of Premier League signings? 

This then leads us quite nicely into the nationalities that typically make up the majority of signings made by Premier League clubs over the course of the last 10 years. According to Transfermarkt information, the most likely nationality of a new signing in the English top-flight is Spanish, with the Iberian nation sitting top with 72 representatives in the last 10 seasons. However, Spain only narrowly takes top spot, with Brazil sitting second on 71 signings and France in third on 69. There is then a notable drop down to fourth, where the Netherlands and Portugal are neck-and-neck, followed by a number of familiar nations. Senegal, who sit tenth on the list with 24 signings, are the only African nation in the top 10. 

What age profile is the most sought after by Premier League clubs?

Football is undoubtedly a sport that makes huge physical demands on players in the modern era and as such football clubs typically focus on signing young players. That, unquestionably,is clear for all to see when we consider the last 10 years of Transfermarkt data, which concludes that the most popular age of a new Premier League signing is 24 years of age. As we can see in the graph above, the popularity at each age group steadily rises from 17 onwards until it reaches that age, before a rather notable drop off from 25 years of age onwards. Whether this is down to players being more popular at younger ages and clubs looking to sign them before they hit their peak in their late 20s or simply because players in their late 20s and early 30s are typically more settled at their clubs and unlikely to move is certainly up for debate. But there’s no doubt that the vast majority of players that join the division each seasons are typically under 25. 

What is the most typical Premier League signing of the last 10 years?

So now that we’ve run through all the relevant data to hand, we can now say that the most typical Premier League signing of the last 10 years is a 24-year-old player that plays as a central forward. This hypothetical player most likely joined their English top-flight club from Ligue 1 but has a Spanish passport. Whether such a transfer ever took place is highly unlikely, but it still underlines the typical building blocks of the type of player Premier League clubs tend to prioritise in the transfer window and, by extension, spend the most money on.