Many of the Three Lions' blossoming stars of the current generation, such as Phil Foden and Bukayo Saka, rank highly on this list - though there is still a place for those who came before them. Here, we have ranked the 10 most valuable English footballers in history according to their peak market value, rather than their present one.
Screenshot 2024-04-04 at 12.14.09
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Dele Alli
Peak Market Value: €100m
Dele Alli - Tottenham Hotspur
By the end of the 2017/18 season, Dele Alli's potential seemed to be limitless. After Tottenham plucked him from then-third-tier MK Dons in 2015, the young midfielder defied all expectations and delivered three consecutive campaigns packed with prolific attacking returns.
At the tender age of 22, Alli had scored 46 goals and registered a further 38 assists in all competitions for Spurs - including a memorable and spectacular effort against Crystal Palace that showcased all of his panache and self-belief.
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Sadly, Alli was unable to build on that superb start to his career and now finds himself without a club at the age of just 28 after leaving Everton. He will hope to recapture some of his famous form with his next employers.
Dele Alli's Club Career Stats
Appearances
385
Goals
94
Assists
73
Total Transfer Fees Generated (€)
€6.63m
9
Jack Grealish
Peak Market Value: €100m
Jack Grealish with the Premier League trophy
Jack Grealish is surely among the least surprising entries on this list, given his £100m switch from Aston Villa to Manchester City in the summer of 2021, which was, at the time, a record fee for an English player.
A lack of end product in his time under Pep Guardiola has frequently been used as a stick to beat him with since that move - and a record of just 14 goals and 20 assists in all competitions for City does indeed reflect poorly on a player of his ability. However, his seven-trophy haul - including a treble in 2022/23 - and overall contribution to the Citizens' success go some way to justifying his decision to leave his boyhood club.
Jack Grealish's Club Career Stats
Appearances
385
Goals
51
Assists
68
Total Transfer Fees Generated (€)
€117.5m
8
Trent Alexander-Arnold
Peak Market Value: €110m
trent
The first player on this list who cost his club nothing - and the only defender to feature at all - is Liverpool's Trent Alexander-Arnold. The right-back is one of the most consistently creative defenders the Premier League has ever seen and his interpretation of the full-back position played an enormous role in Liverpool's success under Jurgen Klopp.
Harry Kane, Marcus Rashford and Jude Bellingham
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Concerningly for Reds fans, Alexander-Arnold's value is not as high as it once was due to the fact that the 25-year-old's contract expires at the end of this season. There's a world where he could leave on a free transfer.
Trent Alexander-Arnold's Club Career Stats
Appearances
318
Goals
19
Assists
83
Total Transfer Fees Generated (€)
€0
7
Declan Rice
Peak Market Value: €120m
Arsenal's Declan Rice
Another unsurprising entry is Arsenal's record signing Declan Rice, who joined the Gunners from West Ham United in the summer of 2023 for a whopping £105m. Rice's acquisition has elevated the quality and combative ability of Arsenal's midfield, helping them run City close to the Premier League title last term.
The Gunners will be hoping the Englishman can take them one step further in their pursuit of major silverware this season. The 25-year-old has also been listed on the 30-man 2024 Ballon d'Or shortlist - a testament to the excellence of his displays for club and country.
Declan Rice's Club Career Stats
Appearances
304
Goals
23
Assists
24
Total Transfer Fees Generated (€)
€116.6m
6
Jadon Sancho
Peak Market Value: €130m
Jadon Sancho in action for Borussia Dortmund
It is easy to forget, after his disappointing and angst-filled spell at Manchester United, just how highly rated Jadon Sancho was at Borussia Dortmund. His 2019/20 campaign in particular was sensational - the winger racked up 20 goals and 20 assists in all competitions at the age of only 20.
Sancho's bold decision to leave City's academy for Germany paid dividends, but his big-money return to England via Old Trafford has thus far been less fruitful - although there are budding signs of a return to form now that he has joined Chelsea.
Jadon Sancho's Club Career Stats
Appearances
244
Goals
65
Assists
76
Total Transfer Fees Generated (€)
€105.76m
5
Bukayo Saka
Peak Market Value: €140m
bukayo saka arsenal
It is easy to forget that Bukayo Saka is still only 23, given he made his first-team Arsenal debut at the age of just 17. He has matured and evolved from the spirited teenager who initially began his senior career as a left-back, blossoming into an intelligent, irresistible inverted right-winger whose importance to the Gunners cannot be understated.
N'Golo Kante of Chelsea.
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His productivity in the final third has jumped up, racking up 30 goals and 20 assists in his last two full Premier League seasons. Saka's durability and reliability are also worth mentioning - the wide forward has already accrued over 200 appearances for Arsenal across all competitions.
Bukayo Saka's Club Career Stats
Appearances
235
Goals
60
Assists
58
Total Transfer Fees Generated (€)
€0
4
England's captain and talisman Harry Kane left Tottenham much later than anybody expected, given his unbelievable individual production and lack of silverware to show for it. When Kane did eventually move on in search of greener pastures in the summer of 2023, he was 30 years old.
While the £86m Bayern Munich paid for him certainly does not constitute pocket change, one can only imagine the fee he would have commanded had he been sold in the summer of 2018, then aged 25, after scoring 30 Premier League goals.
Harry Kane's Club Career Stats
Appearances
553
Goals
350
Assists
84
Total Transfer Fees Generated (€)
€95m
3
Phil Foden
Peak Market Value: €150m
Manchester City's Phil Foden
If Phil Foden were to ever leave his boyhood club, it would surely take an earth-shattering fee. The attacking midfielder has long been recognised as a special talent, winning the PFA Young Player of the Year in 2021 and 2022 before scooping the senior award last term after his career-high 19 league goals helped City claim their fourth consecutive Premier League title.
GIVEMESPORT Key Statistic: Phil Foden is the second-most valuable player in the Premier League right now (€150 million).
At the age of 24, Foden is entering his prime years and, with Kevin De Bruyne now 33, the Englishman is ready to take up the mantle as City's creator-in-chief. There have been some slight murmurs regarding his future amid Guardiola selecting others ahead of him in the 2024/25 season, but it would still surely take an astronomical fee to prise Foden away from the Etihad.
Phil Foden's Club Career Stats
Appearances
276
Goals
88
Assists
54
Total Transfer Fees Generated (€)
€0
2
Raheem Sterling
Peak Market Value: €160m
Raheem Sterling in action for the England national team during the 2022 World Cup
Raheem Sterling has had quite a career. From exciting young talent at Liverpool to a world-class title-winner at City, then a lean spell at Chelsea before a new adventure with Arsenal - all before his 30th birthday.
The winger's peak years were undoubtedly spent under Guardiola at City - particularly between the 2017/18 and 2019/20 campaigns, when he scored a total of 55 Premier League goals.
Sterling's influence waned somewhat over the subsequent two campaigns, leading to Chelsea paying City a more modest fee of £47.5m instead of the nine-figure sum he could have commanded had he left in that three-year period.
Raheem Sterling's Club Career Stats
Appearances
553
Goals
174
Assists
104
Total Transfer Fees Generated (€)
€120.6m
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England's most valuable footballer is, of course, Real Madrid star Jude Bellingham - and his value is only likely to increase. At the age of just 21, Bellingham has already showcased his ability as a complete footballer at Dortmund before netting 23 goals in all competitions in his debut season with Los Blancos.
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