There was once a time when England produced a profile of midfielder that was a source of envy across the globe.
In Steven Gerrard, Frank Lampard, and Paul Scholes, England boasted three of the leading midfielders of their generation. However, the trio rarely succeeded together for the national team and their similar brilliance has since triggered tedious debates over who was superior years after their respective retirements.
It's fair to say England endured a lean spell of producing elite midfield talent in the years succeeding the aforementioned era, but the supreme English box-to-boxers are on the rise again, folks. While Gerrard, Lampard and Scholes stayed wedded to one club for much or the entirety of their careers, the new generation have already racked up mammoth transfer fees.
Here are the ten most expensive English midfielders of all time.
10. Joe Willock (£25m to Newcastle)
Willock completed a permanent transfer to Newcastle off the back of a sensational loan spell during which he scored in seven consecutive games to conclude the 2020/21 campaign.
His first season after completing a permanent move was disappointing, but Eddie Howe's arrival offered Willock a new lease of life and he was instrumental in an enterprising box-to-box role for the Magpies last season as they secured a top-four finish.
Willock scored three times and added six assists. Now, those bright Champions League lights await.
9. Jude Bellingham (£25m to Borussia Dortmund)
You all laughed at Birmingham, didn't you? However, the club's decision to retire Bellingham's number 22 shirt has certainly been vindicated given the player he's quickly become.
Birmingham parted ways with one of their own for a club-record fee, with Borussia Dortmund, revered for their relationship with blossoming young stars, snapping the precocious 17-year-old up for £25m.
The German club would go on to make quite a tidy profit from his future sale.
8. Adam Lallana (£25m to Liverpool)
This signing arrived at a time when Southampton appeared to be no more than a mere feeder club to Liverpool.
Lallana was the spiritual hub of the Saints during their return to the Premier League and subsequent stay in the top flight before he made the move to the Reds in 2014.
While he never developed into a superstar at Anfield, Lallana ended his Liverpool career having made 178 appearances for the club. Much of his best work on Merseyside arrived before the Reds developed into a juggernaut under Jurgen Klopp.
7. Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain (£35m to Liverpool)
Oxlade-Chamberlain took a more indirect route from Southampton to Liverpool as he enjoyed a six-year stay at Arsenal in between.
The Reds paid a sizeable fee for a player deemed disposable by the Gunners at the time, but the versatile midfielder quickly quashed any naysayers by embarking on a stellar debut season at Anfield.
However, the rest of Oxlade-Chamberlain's time at Liverpool was hampered by injuries. He missed almost the whole 2018/19 season and, after a playing a bit-part role in the club's Premier League triumph, the midfielder's minutes dwindled before his contract expired in 2023.
6. Danny Drinkwater (£35m to Chelsea)
After playing a supporting role in Leicester's miracle of 2015/16, Drinkwater moved to Chelsea as part of what became an infamous transfer window for the Blues.
Their work in the market in 2016 catapulted them to the title under Antonio Conte, but their 2017 summer window was nothing short of disastrous. Drinkwater was one of several big-money acquisitions that flopped hard at Stamford Bridge.
The midfielder, who struggled with injuries, made just 23 appearances for the Blues in five years before leaving on a free transfer in 2022.
5. James Maddison (£40m to Tottenham)
The first major acquisition of the Ange Postecoglou (apologies, Guglielmo Vicario) era looks to be a bargain.
Leicester were once demanding close to £80m for the services of Maddison, but the Foxes' relegation to the second tier gave them little leverage when negotiating with interested parties.
Tottenham moved quickly to secure their man, who they've liked since his Coventry days, with many supporters labelling Maddison as the club's Christian Eriksen replacement three years in the making.
4. Kalvin Phillips (£42m to Manchester City)
Phillips forged quite the reputation during his time under Marcelo Bielsa at Leeds and he cemented himself as a regular for England at Euro 2020. He'd later be named as the Three Lions' player of the year in 2021.
The midfielder's rise culminated in a £42m move to Manchester City in 2022, but Phillips is yet to make a name for himself at the Etihad. The 'Yorkshire Pirlo' barely featured as the Citizens claimed a historic treble during his debut season.
3. Morgan Gibbs-White (£42.5m to Nottingham Forest)
This was a move that raised plenty of eyebrows. During their summer influx of transfers ahead of their return campaign in the Premier League, Nottingham Forest splashed the cash to acquire the services of talented Wolves youngster Gibbs-White.
While the creative midfielder had flashed his talent at Molineux, there was little to suggest he was worth such an extortionate fee.
Nevertheless, Gibbs-White proved many wrong in his debut season at the City Ground as he played a starring role in Forest's survival.
2. Jude Bellingham (£88m to Real Madrid)
Bellingham was only briefly the most expensive English midfielder ever after he completed an initial £88m move to Real Madrid.
The midfielder developed into a superstar at Dortmund and came ever so close to spearheading a title victory in what would prove to be his last at the club.
Bellingham's three years in the Ruhr were littered with majesty as he blossomed into one of Europe's leading midfielders. He's bound to shine for both club and country for the next decade.
1. Declan Rice (£105m to Arsenal)
Bellingham's brief record was broken by Rice, who was courted by several of the Premier League's leading clubs as well as Bayern Munich this summer.
Arsenal, though, were long considered the front runners and after Man City failed to match the Gunners' mammoth £105m offer, Rice was destined for north London.
Mikel Arteta's project at the Emirates has enticed the West Ham skipper, who could potentially be a transformative addition for Arsenal. The Gunners' belief in Rice couldn't be clearer given the fee they were willing to pay.
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This article was originally published on 90min as Most expensive English midfielders ever.