Black Friday: Best bargain buys
- Michael Oliver
- @MichaelOIiver
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Sometimes in football, it’s not about how much you spend, it’s about getting the best out of your money.
There have been many high-priced flops in recent years. Just look at Angel Di Maria, Andy Carroll, Juan Sebastian Veron and so on if you’re looking for examples.
Likewise, throughout the modern era, there have been many bargain transfers which have more than repaid their cost to the club.
In the spirit of Black Friday, we’re looking back at some of greatest ever bargain buys in football history.
Michu, Rayo Vallecano to Swansea - £2m
Michu was a relative unknown on these shores when Swansea signed him from Rayo Vallecano but we soon knew who he was.
In his debut season, Michu scored 18 Premier League goals in 35 appearances and will go down as one of the greatest one-season-wonders.
Things didn’t go to plan after his breakout campaign but he will always be remembered as one of the best value signings of the Premier League era.
Joe Hart, Shrewsbury to Manchester City - £600,000
Manchester City took a punt on a 19-year-old Joe Hart when they shelled out a mere £600,000 to bring him to the North West but little did they know what he’d become.
Over the last decade, Hart established himself as Manchester City’s and England’s No.1 and won four Premier League Golden Glove awards in the process.
It may not be going so well for Hart now, while he is on-loan at West Ham, but Manchester City certainly got their money’s worth and then some!
Nicolas Anelka, PSG to Arsenal - £500,000
Again, Anelka was relatively unknown when Arsene Wenger signed the striker in 1997 but he was well worth the investment.
He only spent two years with the Gunners but was an integral part of the side, scoring 25 goals in 75 appearances before being bought by Real Madrid for £29 million.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, Molde to Manchester United - £1.5m
Solskjaer spent 11 years with Manchester United where he went down as a club legend for his uncanny knack of scoring crucial goals.
Scoring 119 goals for the club in 351 appearances, 29 of them came off the bench which earned him the label of ‘super sub’.
However, he’ll always be remembered for scoring the goal which won Manchester United the Champions League in 1999.
Peter Schmeichel, Brondby to Manchester United - £505,000
Sir Alex Ferguson defined Schmeichel as the bargain of the century and it’s hard to disagree with him.
During his eight years with the club, Schmeichel made 328 appearances and kept a remarkable 149 clean sheets. The Dane is regarded as the greatest goalkeeper of the Premier League era.
Gareth Bale, Southampton to Tottenham - £7m
Life for Bale at Spurs got off to a rocky start but once he was promoted from left-back to left-wing he really became a dominant force.
In his last two seasons at White Hart Lane, Bale scored 31 goals and recorded 23 assists which helped him earn a then world-record £85 million move to Real Madrid. A pretty good investment.
Robin van Persie, Feyenoord to Arsenal - £2.75m
Van Persie struggled at Arsenal early on with injuries but he soon came into his own in the last 2000s where he became their talisman.
For a period of time, Van Persie was the best striker in the league.
He scored 96 goals in 194 appearances for Arsenal before joining Manchester United for £24 million.
Tim Cahill, Millwall to Everton - £1.5m
The fiery Australian spent eight years at Goodison Park and became known for his trademark boxing celebration at the corner flag.
Playing primarily in midfield, Cahill was Everton’s top scorer three of his eight seasons for the club and scored 66 goals in total.
Eric Cantona, Leeds to Manchester United - £1.2m
Ferguson decided to take a chance on the brash Eric Cantona in 1992 and it paid dividends.
The Frenchman became a real cult hero at Old Trafford and was the driving force behind their incredible run of success which saw them complete two domestic doubles, win the Premier League in four of five seasons and a winner against Liverpool in the 1996 FA Cup final.
Cristiano Ronaldo, Sporting Lisbon to Manchester United - £12.4m
During his seven years with Manchester United, Ronaldo transformed from a boy into a global superstar.
His remarkable development helped Manchester United dethrone Arsenal as England’s powerhouse, helping United to three Premier League titles, a Champions League and he was also awarded a Ballon d’Or.
Ronaldo scored 119 goals and recorded 68 assists in his time at United before joining Real Madrid in a then world-record £80 million transfer. Talk about bang for your buck.
Ian Rush, Chester to Liverpool - £200,000
When he signed for Liverpool, even Rush couldn’t have dreamed about what happened next.
During his two stints at the club, Rush became the Reds’ all-time leading goalscorer with 346 goals in 660 appearances.
Frank Lampard, West Ham to Chelsea - £11m
In his 13 years with Chelsea, Lampard became a club legend and an all-time Premier League great.
His 176 goals make him the most prolific goalscoring midfielder in Premier League history and he helped Chelsea capture three league titles, four FA Cups, two League cups, a Champions League and a Europa League.
Raheem Sterling, QPR to Liverpool - £600,000
Sterling is still in the early stages of his career but he’s one of the most costly British players of all time.
Liverpool signed him for just £600,000 as a teenager from the QPR academy and he went on to break into the first-team under Brendan Rodgers and was one of the brightest young talents in the game.
Manchester City were enamoured with him and shelled out an incredible £50 million to bring him to the Etihad.
Pep Guardiola is now bringing the best out of the Englishman in Manchester.
Riyad Mahrez, Le Havre to Leicester City - £400,000
The slight Algerian winger was told he wouldn’t be able to cope with the physical nature of the Premier League – he was told wrong.
Along with Jamie Vardy, Mahrez propelled Leicester to the most unlikely of Premier League triumphs, scoring 17 goals recording 10 assists and was named the PFA Players’ Player of the Year and PFA Fan’s Player of the Year in the process.
Sami Hyypia, Willem to Liverpool - £2.6m
Hyypia anchored the Liverpool defence for a decade, making 439 appearances for the club and playing major roles in helping the club win six major honours including the 2005 Champions League and two FA Cups.
Andre Pirlo, AC Milan to Juventus - Free
AC Milan allowed Pirlo to leave the club in 2011 because they thought he was past his best.
Juventus snapped him up and he slotted right into the midfield and helped them claim their throne as Italy’s dominant force.
They won the Serie A title during all four years that he was at the club.
Seamus Coleman, Cork City to Everton - £60,000
You can’t have a bargain transfer list without mentioning Seamus Coleman.
For just £60,000, Everton signed a player who would go on to become not only one of the club’s best and most consistent players but still one of the best right-backs in the Premier League.
Patrick Vieira, AC Milan to Arsenal - £3.5m
In his nine years at Arsenal, Vieira essentially redefined what a midfielder should do.
He tackled well, he carried the ball brilliantly, he could spot a pass and had an eye for goal – he did it all.
Captaining the side through their Invincibles season, Vieira is considered a club legend and Premier League great.
Thierry Henry, Juventus to Arsenal - £11m
After failing to impress at Juventus, Wenger decided he’d take on the French forward and turn him into a superstar.
Henry rose to prominence and became one of the world’s best strikers in North London. His 226 goals in 368 appearances for the club makes him their all-time leading goalscorer – not a bad signing.
Raul, Atletico Madrid to Real Madrid - Free
Atletico Madrid allowed Raul to leave as a youngster where he was picked up by city rivals Real Madrid where he went on to become a club legend.
After breaking into the first-team, Raul went on to become Real’s all-time leading goalscorer with 328 goals during his 18-year spell at the club, winning six La Liga’s and three Champions League trophies.
When he called time on his career, he was also the all-time leading goalscorer in the Champions League with 71 goals.
Alessandro Del Piero, Padova to Juventus - £421,000
While at Juventus, Del Piero emerged as one of the most clinical strikers in the business and went on to win everything with the Serie A club.
He remains Juve’s all-time leading goalscorer with 290 goals and became a real club icon when he remained with the club following their relegation to Serie B in 2006.
Michael Ballack, Bayern Munich to Chelsea - Free
In 2009, Chelsea pulled off quite the coup by securing the signature of Michael Ballack for nothing.
The midfielder was the captain of his country at the time and with his contract expiring with Bayern, Chelsea pounced quickly.
During his time at Stamford Bridge Ballack became a real hit with the fans.
He went on to make over 100 appearances for the Blues, winning the Premier League, three FA Cups, one League Cup and one Community Shield.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic, PSG to Manchester United - Free
Manchester United signed the iconic striker on a free transfer from Paris Saint-Germain during Jose Mourinho’s second season at the club.
Ibrahimovic had an instant impact. Despite only signing a one-year deal at the club, he would go on to re-sign this summer.
An injury in the Europa League late in the season halted his campaign early after he netted 17 times in the Premier League.
Not bad for a free transfer!