10 Biggest Transfers From 2014: How Did They Fare Out? Two Flops and One Legendary Move

It's perhaps not surprising that all of the players on this list of 10 biggest transfers from 2014 are still playing. After all, big money moves are reserved for those on the better side of 25. But the names included will surprise. Exclusions too.

Overall, it has been a great crop. Perhaps even the word flop used for the fifth player on the list is too hard, but the word legend is an understatement for the most expensive player of summer 2014. Even though he didn't start playing that very summer.

#10 Romelu Lukaku - Chelsea to Everton for €35,360,000

The second lowest Romelu Lukaku transfer fee of the five that the striker had, and it could be the one that started the snowball. Chelsea showed no romance when disposing of a lifelong fan, and it bite them on the wallet years after. Romelu Lukaku joined EFC after an initial loan was a success and overall Big Rom did an amazing job at Goodison with 87 goals and 27 assists in 166 games.

Three years after the massive purchase, then a club record fee, the investment returned twofold with Manchester United paying €84,700,000 for the striker! Lukaku had another move for €74,000,000 and then the subsequent one back to Chelsea for €113,000,000!

#9 Ander Herrera - Athletic Bilbao to Manchester United for €36,000,000

By Sandro Halank, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0, CC BY-SA 4.0, Link

One of three Manchester United purchases that made the list of the 10 biggest transfers from 2014. The least-sounding name and possibly the most liked by the United fans. Even though one of his fellow incoming transfers is still at the club. Ander Herrera fought tooth and nail in all of his 189 games for United, in what seemed then as a dark moment for the club. Scoring 20 goals and making 27 assists, the midfielder was a rare stabilizing outfield factor in those years. Playing under three coaches.

He left for free to Paris Saint-Germain, with each of the Europa League, FA Cup, League Cup, and Community Shield trophies to remind him of his time at the Theatre of Dreams.

#8 Luke Shaw - Southampton to Manchester United for €37,500,000

Multiple times during his still-ongoing Manchester United career Luke Shaw seemed as a written-off character. Mostly when Jose Mourinho was at the club, as he seemingly had a bone to pick with him. Albeit, Shaw made himself a big target, literally, considering that he wasn’t showing the fitness of a cardio athlete.

Shaw made this massive transfer after just 67 games with Southampton, at the age of 19. A world record for a teen at a time! Little to say he was under the bright lights, or loops, now. Yet in the first four Premier League seasons he played 16, 5, 11, and 11 games only! Shaw has played 275 games for the Red Devils so far, but he has missed roughly 220 of them in his decade at Old Trafford!

A return of 28 assists, and the mere fact that he remained in the starting lineup in the first place, playing his first 30+ games in the league since the move in the 2022/2023 campaign. Shaw now even has a deal until 2027, when he will be 32, and seems like a valuable member of the United. Less than what the fans expected, but after all those injuries, more couldn't be asked from the left-back.

Yet, when buying the most expensive teen ever, United fans thought they might have another rooneysque trophy collector. But Shaw's crowning success has been the Europa League, alongside two League, one FA, and one Supercup.

#7 Diego Costa - Atletico Madrid to Chelsea for €38,000,000

A cult hero came to Stamford Bridge in 2014, a villain that the whole league enjoyed having. While Atleti fans managed to get over such a character by their own acquisitions who didn't make the top 10 money-wise - Antoine Griezmann. Not only did Chelsea get Costa for 120 games in which he had 59 goals and 21 - with surprisingly only one red card, but the Londoners sold the striker back to Atleti three and a half years later for €60,000,000!

Costa won the Premier League in his debut and the 2016/2017 season, with the managers who matched his personality - Jose Mourinho and Antonio Conte. Bagging in a League Cup as well. Even though he wasn’t in the PL for the longest time, he left a deep imprint by being his true original self.

#6 Alexis Sanchez - Barcelona to Arsenal for €42,500,000

Sometimes transfer marks the switch in the club's fate. For Arsenal and Alexis Sanchez, even though he was individually a great move for the Gunners, he was wasted on his teammates. Scoring 80 goals and making 43 assists in his 166 games for the London side, Sanchez truly was the face of the club for a few years. But those are some woeful years for Gooners.

However, Sanchez made them bearable by leading the side to two FA Cup triumphs and three Community Shield games won. After three and a half years, Sanchez returned something of the previously invested with a €34,000,000 move north to Old Trafford.

#5 Eliaquim Mangala - Porto to Manchester City for €45,000,000

By Ludovic Péron - File:OM - FC Porto - Valais Cup 2013 - FC Porto groupe.jpg, CC BY-SA 3.0, Link

One of the truly rare Manchester City flops, because as much as their critics can disparage them, Etihad's spending spree isn't that ahead of their city rivals (this list proves it) or Chelsea. With far greater stability. Mangala was seen as another gem coming from Portugal, and City beat out stiff competition to get him. Yet he is hardly remembered as a City defender, despite winning a Premier League and two League Cups. Rare are those who see him as one of the 2014’s top transfers. Even though he did well eventually, playing in 79 games for the club, recording several caps for France at the time too.

The centre-back was loaned out to Valencia for a season after two campaigns, returned briefly to the Etihad and moved on to Everton on another loan. But with a massive knee injury, his contract ran out and he joined Valencia five years after the move to Manchester.

#4 David Luiz - Chelsea to Paris Saint-Germain for €49,500,000

Rare yo-yo transfer perfectly fits the zany personality of David Luiz. Firstly, he joined Paris Saint-Germain from Chelsea in 2014 as a proven ball-playing defender. Then, he returned to Stamford Bridge two years later for €35,000,000. He arrived at CFC in the first place for €25,000,000.

Luiz did what was expected of him and lifted the two Ligue 1 trophies, actually, two domestic trebles, as the side won both French cups. Luiz played 89 games for the French giants, scored eight times and made four assists, playing almost all games under Laurent Blanc.

#3 Angel Di Maria - Real Madrid to Manchester United for €75,000,000

Fueling the sporting arrogance of the English public, Angel Di Maria, one of the best players in the world before and for years after making that wrong turn towards Manchester - flopped at United. His return of 11 assists and four goals wasn't bad for a run-of-the-mil attacking midfielder, even a top one in his first season. Yet with a transfer fee of €75,000,000 - Di Maria was scorched by the media.

The only heat he felt in the north of England as the Argentinian wasn't acclimatizing to the weather in Manchester after sunny Madrid. Di Maria didn't quite hurt United as much considering he moved on after just a year with a lot of the fee returning to Old Trafford, with PSG paying €63,000,000 and getting a 200 goal involvements in 295 games calibre of player.

#2 James Rodriguez - Monaco to Real Madrid for €75,000,000

Following the World Cup in which he stole the show and won the Top Goalscorer award, whilst scoring some forever-memorable goals, James Rodriguez ascended to the Pantheon called Santiago Bernabeu. Joining other massive names in the team like Cristiano Ronaldo, Sergio Ramos, Iker Casillas, and Karim Benzema.

James might've been the fourth or even fifth most important player in that team - also reinforced by Toni Kroos that summer - but he still scored 37 goals and made 42 assists in his 125 games for Real! Far from a one-tournament wonder some paint him as. James won two La Liga trophies, two Champions League trophies, two Club World Cups, two UEFA Supercups, and one Spanish Supercup. He spent two years on loan at Bayern Munich before leaving for free and Everton in 2020. Still going strong (when he wants it) and being one of the best players at the Copa America 2024.

#1 Luis Suarez - Liverpool to Barcelona for €81,720,000

For a player who was the scourge of the Premier League with 82 goals and 34 assists in 133 matches for Liverpool, Luis Suarez did level up after his transfer to Nou Camp. All after getting a late start to the era following his biting incident at the World Cup in Brazil that left him suspended until late October.

The Uruguayan still became not just one of the very best strikers of the 21st century, but one of the best players. As credited by him winning the Golden Ball during the Cristiano - Messi era. In his second season, he scored 40 league and 59 total goals!

Suarez ended his Barcelona era after six seasons, playing 283 games, scoring 195 goals and making 113 assists! That is a goal involvement every 0.91 matches! Suarez won four league titles with Barca, one Champions League, one FIFA Club World Cup, four Copa del Rey trophies, one UEFA Supercup and two Spanish Supercups!

While Suarez is the clear biggest transfer from 2014 and the best transfer out of all these. The mentioned king of versatility Antoine Griezmann could be a competitor when it comes to the ratio of money and return, considering his move was “only” €30,000,000. But the inarguable best transfer of summer 2014 was that of Toni Kroos from Bayern Munich for just €25,000,000!