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 on Transfermarkt’s records 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. Southampton finished bottom with 25 points.
Ipswich Town, 2024-25: €152.6m
Ipswich arrived in the Premier League after promotions from League One and the Championship in successive seasons, and Kieran McKenna was given money to bridge the gap. Jaden Philogene (€23.7m), Omari Hutchinson (€23.5m) and Liam Delap (€17.85m) led 17 arrivals. Sales brought in just €2.36m.
Relegation was confirmed by a 3-0 defeat to Newcastle on 26 April 2025. Ipswich won four games all season and finished 19th with 22 points.
Fulham, 2018-19: €116.5m
Fulham’s gross spend is the smallest on this list, but their net spend of €111.15m is the third highest of any relegated side. Jean Michael Seri (€30m), Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa (€24.85m) and Aleksandar Mitrovic (€24.7m) were the biggest signings after promotion through the play-offs.
Slavisa Jokanovic was sacked in November, and Claudio Ranieri lasted until the end of February before Scott Parker took over. Fulham conceded 81 goals and finished 19th on 26 points.
The big spenders that stayed up
Spending does not always fail. Tottenham spent €265.6m in 2025-26, more than West Ham, and survived in 17th. One of those signings was Mohammed Kudus, bought from West Ham for €63.8m. Nottingham Forest spent €198.4m on 37 arrivals in 2022-23 and stayed up in 16th with 38 points.
The difference between those clubs and the five above came down to a handful of points, not the size of the budget. Anyone weighing up the Premier League odds for the bottom of the table this season should treat a big summer as one factor among many.
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