Top five expensive defenders of all-time

Here are the top five expensive defenders of all-time. 

‘Attack wins you games, but defence wins you Championships’

This analogy has been brought into light by some of the top managers over the last few years. Dissimilar to the attackers, defenders do not get enough credit despite their consistent duties. They perform well at the highest level, but they are often overlooked by the supporters.

When the inflated market drove up the price for the attackers and midfielders, the price for defenders was standstill. The standard of defending has dropped a little low in the few years – increasing the price tag for the world-class defenders. This has seen the transfer record getting shattered five times in the last three years.

We shall look at the top five expensive defenders of all-time in football.

5 AYMERIC LAPORTE (MANCHESTER CITY)

Pep Guardiola was keen on reinforcing his central defence after persisting injury problems to John Stones and Vincent Kompany during the first part of 2017/18 season. The former Barcelona manager shortlisted Virgil Van Dijk, but he was priced out for the defender and already set his heart on Liverpool.

This pressurized him to go in search of another defender and found Aymeric Laporte as a suitable option. The Basque-born French defender was one of the best defenders in the La Liga, and has gone to establish himself as an integral cog of the Citizens side since his £57 million move in January 2018.

The 25-year-old has made 64 appearances for the reigning Premier League champions over the last two seasons. He scored important goals including the one against Brighton and Hove Albion and Wolverhampton Wanderers, which orchestrated in City’s title victory.

Pep Guardiola is not prioritising a right centre-back to partner Laporte, although it seems to be a necessity. Both Stones and Otamendi have been fragile since their arrival and it would require more solidity to cut down the leakage of goals which they failed to do without Vincent Kompany last season. Without the Skipper Kompany, Laporte has a titanic role to play in City’s backline as they are in quest of defending the back-to-back Premier League titles.

About the author

Sudarshan Venkatesan