Top 10 Most Expensive Signings in Fulham History

The game of football has seen plenty of super expensive transfers in the Premier League, and Fulham, one of the most popular teams, have also made some of the most expensive signings throughout their history to build strong squads to fight against other formidable outfits in England. Since the beginning of the 2000s, the Cottagers, despite their limited budget, went all out to bring some of the great talents from across the world to Craven Cottage.

In 2002, Fulham FC made their first most expensive signing in the form of Steve Marlet, who was one of the most exciting and most sought-after forwards at that time. Since then, top players such as Aleksandar Mitrovic, Alex Iwobi, and Joal Palhinha have made it to the list of most expensive signings in Fulham history. In this article, we rank the top most expensive transfers in the West London-based outfit’s history.

10. Konstantinos Mitroglou (£12 million, 2004)

Fulham made a sensational move in the winter transfer market in 2003 for Konstantinos Mitroglou to replace an outgoing Dimitar Barbatov. The Greek striker joined the Cottagers from Olympiakos on a four-year contract worth £12 million in January 2004 amid high interests from another Premier League club, West Ham United. 

Fulham spent the record fee in their history to bring the 25-year-old attacker to West London. However, his career at the club was not fruitful as he only made three league appearances for them before joining Benfica in 2016.

9. Alfie Mawson (£12.5 million, 2018)

In 2018, the Cottagers made another big money move to secure the signing of the talented defender, Alfie Mawson. The English professional enjoyed a great season at Swansea City despite the club’s relegation from the top division football. Mawson rose through the ranks at Brentford before joining Swansea City in 2016. But, a newly promoted Fulham attracted the player with a mouth-watering transfer fee and a promise for a great future at Craven Cottage. The West Londoners spent around £15 million to make one of the most expensive transfers in their history. Mawson featured in 48 games in his four-year stint at Fulham.

8. Steve Marlet (£13.1 million, 2001)

Steve Marlet’s arrival at Craven Cottage lifted the Fulham fans’ morale in 2001. The English club broke the bank to sign one of the most expensive players at that time, Steve Marlet from Lyon. It took a lot of guts to sign one of the most in-form forwards of Ligue 1, who netted 14 goals for Lyon before making a move to England. Fulham offered the French outfit around £13.1 million and the latter allowed their most prized possession to leave. 

The talented French forward went on to score 11 league goals in 54 appearances. However, he was sent back to Ligue 1 to play for Marseille on a two-year loan deal.

7. Issa Diop (£13.2 million, 2022)

In order to bolster their defense, Fulham shelled out £13.2 million to bring one of West Ham United‘s top performers of the 2021-22 season, Issa Diop to Craven Cottage. The French center-back signed for the Cottagers on a five-year contract after spending four years with the Hammers. 

The 27-year-old French international found it difficult to fit in the Fulham squad in his initial days following witnessing a 0-2 defeat at the hands of Crawley Town in the League Cup two. He is now a regular starter of the West Londoners, having already made 43 appearances across all competitions.

6. Calvin Bassey (£16.67 million, 2023)

Calvin Bassey is our next player who has registered his name on Fulham’s most expensive transfers list following his multi-million dollar move in 2023. The former Rangers and Ajax defender became one of the hot prospects in the market after his dazzling displays for the Nigerian National football team in 2022. The Cottagers spent a fortune (£16.67 million) on him to close a four-year deal. 

The talented defender, who can play as a center-back or a left-back, has played in 29 games for Fulham so far. He was a scorer in the club’s famous 2-1 away victory against Manchester United in 2024. 

5. Aleksandar Mitrovic (£18.3 million, 2018)

Aleksandar Mitrovic is one of the most expensive Fulham signings to date. The highly talented Serbian striker arrived at Craven Cottage in 2018 after spending three years at Newcastle United. The Cottagers had to pay a record fee of £18.3 million to sign the star attacker, who scored 12 goals in just 17 appearances as a loanee. The West Londoners did not waste any time to make the loan deal permanent in 2018.

Mitrovic played in 173 games in his five-year stint, scoring a whopping 97 goals in the process. The Serbian moved to Saudi Arabia to play for Al-Hilal in 2023. 

4. Frank Anguissa (£18.41 million, 2018)

Frank Zambo Anguissa, despite being one of the most expensive signings in Fulham history, turned out to be one of the biggest flops. The Cameroonian joined the Cottagers in 2018 on a club record fee of £18.41 million from Marseille. But, following his disastrous display in the 2018/19 season, he was sent to Villarreal and Napoli respectively on two loan deals. He played in only two calendar years as a Cottager and failed to score a single goal in 61 official games.

3. João Palhinha (£18.42 million, 2022)

The young defensive midfielder is one of the top talents in the world. Coming through the youth ranks at Sporting CP, Joao Palhinha announced his arrival at the top level of club level after delivering promising displays in the senior team of the Portuguese club. Fulham, after monitoring the player for almost 1 year, spent around £18.42 million to complete a five-year contract. 

However, the midfielder spent only two years at Craven Cottage and enjoyed two seemingly successful seasons including a top-half Premier League finish and the League Cup last-four appearance. He has recently joined Bayern Munich after making 67 appearances.

2. Alex Iwobi (£19.1 million, 2023)

Alex Iwobi’s transfer to Fulham is the second most expensive signing in the club’s history. The West Londoners spent a whopping £19.1 million to sign the former Everton and Arsenal midfielder in 2023. The Nigerian international left Everton after spending four years. Since joining, he has made a great impact on the club’s journey with his five important goals in 30 games.

1. Jean Michael Seri (£22.2 million, 2018)

Jean Michael Seri remains the most expensive signing in Fulham history. The Ivory Coast midfielder arrived at the Craven Cottage in 2018 on a five-year deal worth around £22.2 million. After netting 14 goals in all competitions, the then 27-year-old central midfielder came to the shores of the Premier League. In his four-year stay at Fulham, the current Hull City playmaker managed to score only two goals in 65 appearances.

FAQs

Q1: Who is Fulham’s record signing?

Jean Michael Seri (2018)

Q2: How much has Fulham spent on transfers?

Approximately £550.2 million since 2000. 

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