Tottenham have a bit of a reputation of being tight with their money, but they have spent plenty of cash this century
Tottenham Hotspur have done a fine job in becoming one of the Premier League's so-called big six over the course of the last decade or so after languishing in mid-table team at the start of the century.
Much of that upward trend is down to some strong decision making at board level and having a clear philosophy as to what they represent.
Their resurgence has not been cheap, though, as they have have been spending freely to get to where they are now.
Although Spurs have only surpassed the £50 million mark on two occasions, with both Tanguy Ndombele and Richarlison costing £50m+, they have not held back when it comes to quantity.
And it's fair to say that approach hasn't always paid off!
Luka Modric was a phenomenal signing at just over £20m, but they paid a similar amount for Vincent Janssen, Serge Aurier, Giovani Lo Celso and Bryan Gil to name just a few examples.
So, let's take a look at their 21st-century transfer dealings and their most expensive arrivals of the last 22 years!
Tottenham Hotspur most expensive signings by season
Season
Most expensive signing
Fee
Total spending
2023/24
James Maddison
£40.00M
£122.00M
2022/23
Richarlison
£52.20M
£152.91M
2021/22
Bryan Gil
£22.50M
£86.31M
2020/21
Giovani Lo Celso
£28.80M
£59.45M
2019/20
Tanguy Ndombele
£54M
£133.65M
2018/19
None
–
–
2017/18
Davinson Sanchez
£37.80M
£111.15M
2016/17
Moussa Sissoko
£31.50M
£75.15M
2015/16
Heung-min Son
£27M
£63.90M
2014/15
Ben Davies
£11.39M
£43.63M
2013/14
Erik Lamela
£27M
£110.30M
2012/13
Mousa Dembele
£17.10M
£65.93M
2011/12
Scott Parker
£5.18M
£8.10M
2010/11
Rafael van der Vaart
£9.45M
£23.94M
2009/10
Peter Crouch
£9.45M
£36.27M
2008/09
Luka Modric
£20.25M
£129.56M
2007/08
Darren Bent
£22.28M
£84.74M
2006/07
Dimitar Berbatov
£14.13M
£54.90M
2005/06
Jermaine Jenas
£13.50M
£32.86M
2004/05
Andy Reid
£7.20M
£42.41M
2003/04
Jermaine Defoe
£9.45M
£26.78M
2002/03
Robbie Keane
£9.45M
£9.45M
2001/02
Dean Richards
£10.94M
£25.25M
2000/01
Sergiy Rebrov
£16.20M
£23.17M
TOTAL
£1.52B
*All figures are taken from Transfermarkt.
Tottenham Hotspur top 10 most expensive player signingsGetty Images10Roberto Soldado | £27 million | Valencia | 2013
Tottenham signed Soldado in the summer of 2013 for a then club record fee of £27 million.
The Spanish striker scored on his debut in Tottenham's 1-0 win over Crystal Palace and then four days later scored a brace in a 5-0 win in their Europa League match against Dinamo Tbilisi.
However, he eventually scored just six goals in his debut season and was quickly labelled a flop by Spurs fans.
Soldado left Tottenham in the summer of 2015 and joined Villarreal for a reported £10m.
AdvertisementGetty Images9Steven Bergwijn | £27 million | PSV | 2020
Steven Bergwijn arrived in North London from PSV for £27 million in January 2020.
He signed a five-year contract and scored his first goal for the club on his Premier League debut in a 2-0 win over Manchester City.
After the Premier League halt by Covid-19, Bergwijn scored in the first game against Manchester United in a 1-6 win at Old Trafford.
The Dutchman made 60 appearances for Spurs, scoring seven goals before joining Ajax in the summer of 2022.
Getty Images8Giovani Lo Celso | £28.80 million | Real Betis | 2020
Tottenham signed Giovani Lo Celso from La Liga side Real Betis in August 2019 on a season-long loan with an option to buy.
Lo Celso made his debut for Spurs against Manchester City and they triggered the option to sign him permanently in January 2020 for £28.80 million.
After two decent years at Tottenham, Lo Celso was loaned to Villarreal in January 2022 and has been there since then.
Getty Images7Moussa Sissoko | £31.50 million | Newcastle | 2016
After a much-publicized move from Newcastle United in 2016, Moussa Sissoko went on to make 202 appearances for Tottenham across all competitions.
Spurs paid a premium of £31.50 million to acquire his services, but it is probably fair to say that the move didn't work out for either party.
He spent five years at the club before deciding to join Watford in the summer of 2021 and got relegated with them in the 2021-22 season.