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 heaviest spenders in the league's history have still gone down. These are the five biggest, using Transfermarkt's gross spend across the summer and January windows of the relegation season.

West Ham United, 2025-26: €203.3m No relegated club onTransfermarkt'srecords has spent more. West Ham paid Southampton €52.25m for Mateus Fernandes, made Jean-Clair Todibo's move from Nice permanent for €40m and added Taty Castellanos from Lazio for €23.95m in January.

Graham Potter was sacked on 27 September 2025 with the side 19th, and Nuno Espírito Santo replaced him. West Ham beat Leeds 3-0 on the final day, but Tottenham's 1-0 win over Everton kept Spurs two points clear.

West Ham finished 18th on 39 points. Leeds United, 2022-23: €163.9m Leeds sold Raphinha to Barcelona for €58m and Kalvin Phillips to Manchester City for €49m, then spent heavily.

Georginio Rutter cost €40.5m from Hoffenheim in January, after Brenden Aaronson (€32.84m) and Luis Sinisterra (€25m) had arrived in the summer. Jesse Marsch was sacked on 6 February 2023.

Javi Gracia lasted until 3 May, when Sam Allardyce took over for the final four games. Leeds failed to win any of them, and a 4-1 home defeat to Tottenham on the last day sent them down in 19th with 31 points.

Southampton, 2022-23: €154.2m Southampton recouped only €5.5m in sales that season. Much of the money went on young players, including four from Manchester City's academy: Romeo Lavia, Gavin Bazunu, Samuel Edozie and Juan Larios.

Kamaldeen Sulemana was the most expensive, at €25m from Rennes in January. Ralph Hasenhuttl was sacked in November, and Nathan Jones lasted three months before Ruben Selles took over in February.