The summer is the time of the year where teams take stock of who they’ve got, who they need and who they can dispose of. Here we look at 20 of the most exciting signings in Premier League history. Some were outstanding acquisitions, whilst others were much more disappointing.
Edgar Davids
Barcelona -> Tottenham
Tottenham were an average Premier League side in 2005, but the arrival of Edgar Davids was a major celebration for Spurs fans. Aged 32, he’d already won two Champions League titles with Ajax and Juventus. He had a successful stay at Spurs, making 40 appearances and scoring once over the course of 2 seasons.
Andy Cole
Newcastle -> Manchester United
Cole was sold to Manchester United in a shock £7 million deal in 1995. He went on to have a hugely successful career at Old Trafford, making 195 appearances and scoring 93 goals. His partnership with Dwight Yorke was lethal and he was a member of the side which went on to win the treble in 1999.
Alan Shearer
Blackburn -> Newcastle
After Euro 1996, Sir Alex Ferguson desperately tried to sign Shearer, however the striker ultimately joined his boyhood club Newcastle. He moved for a then world record fee of £15 million and he went on to become the all-time Premier League top goalscorer with 260. He scored 148 of them in 303 games at Newcastle.
Fabrizio Ravanelli
Juventus -> Middlesbrough
Ravanelli won the Champions League in 1996, scoring in the final for Juventus. By July of the same year, he was a Middlesbrough player as they signed him following their promotion to the Premier League. Ravanelli scored 31 goals in all competitions and helped The Boro to two Cup finals; unfortunately they lost both of them and were relegated at the end of the season.
Eric Cantona
Leeds -> Manchester United
Cantona famously moved to Manchester United from Leeds in 1992, after the Leeds chairman enquired about Denis Irwin’s availability. Cantona went on to become one of United’s greatest ever players and was a fan favourite at Old Trafford.
Andriy Shevchenko
AC Milan -> Chelsea
Chelsea paid £30 million to AC Milan for the Ukrainian striker in 2006. The 2004 Ballon d’Or winner was a prolific goalscorer in Italy, but was never able to replicate his goal scoring form in the Premier League. At the time he was considered to be a huge coup and a very exciting player, in hindsight he’ll go down as one of the biggest flops.
Dennis Bergkamp
Inter Milan -> Arsenal
Bergkamp arrived at Highbury in 1995 from Inter Milan for £7.5 million and became a massive contributor to Arsene Wenger’s success in North London. The Dutchman had already forged a reputation at Ajax and he became an integral part of Arsenal’s most successful period.
Jurgen Klinsmann
AS Monaco -> Tottenham Hotspur
Klinsmann was a World Cup winner in 1990 and he was one of the best strikers in the world when he arrived at White Hart Lane in 1994. In an era where big name foreign signings were at a minimum, his arrival ensured excitement across the country and he ended his first season with 21 goals.
Robinho
Real Madrid -> Manchester City
On the final day of the summer transfer window in 2008, Manchester City made their move and signed the Brazilian superstar for £32 million from Real Madrid. This was the first signing under their new owners and a huge statement of intent. He had a reasonably successful first season, but fell off the pace in his second, before returning to Santos in January 2010.
Ashley Cole
Arsenal -> Chelsea
After much controversy, the England left back eventually moved across London for a bargain £5 million in 2006. Most of the excitement stemmed from what the expected reaction would be when he returned to Arsenal to play a game. Cole left Chelsea in 2014 after winning the Premier League, Champions League, Europa League and 4 FA Cups.
Falcao
AS Monaco -> Manchester United
Manchester United signed the Colombian striker on an initial £6 million one year loan fee, with the excitement stemming from him single-handedly beating Chelsea a few years earlier. Unfortunately his United career was a huge disappointment and he finished the season with 4 goals in 29 appearances.
Ruud Gullit
Sampdoria -> Chelsea
Chelsea were a very different club in 1995. They were a mid-table Premier League side with little ambition and no major trophies or global stars. Glenn Hoddle bought Gullit to Stamford Bridge, and although he was past his best when he arrived in the Premier League, he was still the greatest player of his generation.
Juan Sebastian Veron
Lazio -> Manchester United
Veron’s £28 million fee was a British record at the time and he was a world class midfielder with an impressive reputation. The Argentinian’s talent was undoubted, but he struggled at United before moving onto Chelsea, where he struggled more.
Mesut Ozil
Real Madrid -> Arsenal
At the time of Ozil’s signing, Wenger had gone 9 years without winning a trophy. Arsenal had sold their best players and they hadn’t been replaced. Ozil’s arrival for £42.4 million changed and was hugely exciting for Gunners fans. It signalled a change in transfer policy at the Emirates and Alexis Sanchez arrived 12 months later.
Carlos Tevez and Javier Mascherano
Corinthians -> West Ham
In one of the strangest transfer sagas in British history, the Argentinian duo both signed for West Ham in 2006. Tevez went on to score 7 goals in their last 10 games to secure safety for the Hammers, whilst Mascherano was much less successful, eventually moving to Anfield in January 2007. At the time of the signing it was massively exciting, but it ended up as a disaster for West Ham as they were issued with a £5.5 million fine for breaking rules on third-party ownership.
Angel Di Maria
Real Madrid -> Manchester United
Di Maria moved to Old Trafford for £59 million in 2014, but his one year stay in Manchester wasn’t a happy one. Louis Van Gaal couldn’t manage his talent, whilst he was unsettled in England. At the time it was hugely exciting, but he moved on after a year and was never able to replicate his form at Real Madrid.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic
Paris St. Germain -> Manchester United
The Swedish superstar is still yet to make a Premier League appearance, but the whole footballing world cannot wait to see him line up for Jose Mourinho next season. He has an outstanding goal scoring record and is a serial winner. One of life’s mysteries will be revealed next season when he arrives in the Premier League.
Cesc Fabregas
Barcelona -> Chelsea
Fabregas’ return to the Premier League, but at Chelsea rather than Arsenal was hugely exciting. It signalled the start of a Premier League title winning season at Stamford Bridge, but it was how the Arsenal fans would react to him turning down a return to the Emirates that was most exciting. He received a chorus of boos.
Hernan Crespo
Inter Milan -> Chelsea
Crespo arrived at Chelsea for £16.8 million from Inter Milan in 2003. An established Argentinian international at the time, his arrival was much anticipated. He had a good first season at Stamford Bridge scoring 12 goals in 31 appearances, but Jose Mourinho wasn’t a fan when he took over and he was eventually loaned out.
Fernando Torres
Liverpool -> Chelsea
Torres scored 81 goals in 142 games for Liverpool, but had a disappointing World Cup in 2010. Chelsea paid £50 million for him in January 2011 and this was meant to be a strong statement of intent. He arrived as one of the world’s most lethal finishers, but he struggled in West London. He did however score the goal that knocked Barcelona out of the Champions League.
