Ten of the Most Astute Transfers Ever Made

By David Chalmers, writing from Clackmannanshire, Scotland

With the hype surrounding ‘Deadline Day’ dying down, I thought I’d draw up a list of the smartest transfer deals ever made. Though subjective, this is based mostly on players that cost very little money who turned into major stars for their club. 

10. Mikel Arteta; Real Sociedad to Everton; £2 million; 2005

Arteta originally arrived at Goodison Park on loan and made a good impression, leading for a permanent move to the Toffee’s.  The Spaniard played over 200 games on Merseyside and many believe if he played for a more prestigious club he would have been part of Spain’s international squad.  Considered one of the finest playmakers in the country before injury hampered his development, but that hasn’t stopped Arsenal signing him at the end of the 2011 summer window for a fee of £10 million.

9. Tim Cahill; Millwall to Everton; £1.5 million; 2004

Completing a move to Everton from Millwall, Australian midfielder Cahill probably dreamed of making a big impact but even he would be surprised by how important he has become to the club.  Tim has made nearly 250 appearances in a blue shirt and has captained the club on many occasions.  He’s been utilised in just about every position but one thing for sure is that imagining Everton without him is unimaginable.

8. Diego Forlan; Manchester United to Villareal; £2 million; 2004

Joining Villarreal from Manchester United for a fee of around £2 million turned out to be one of the best bargains around as Forlan went on to destroy La Liga defences with Villareal.  25 goals in 31 starts during his first season with the ‘Yellow Submarines’ made him an instant hit and even though he only managed a return of 10 goals in his second season, his form returned in the third season and he ended up with 19 goals.  Overall Forlan proved his pedigree and moved on to bigger things with Atletico Madrid after a transfer of around 21 million euros. Diego is now a World-Class superstar after outstanding performances in the 2010 World Cup and the Copa America 2011 which led to a recent move to Inter Milan.

7. Petr Cech; Rennes to Chelsea; £7 million; 2004

Cech replaced Carlo Cudicini between the sticks after an injury to the latter and the Czech ‘keeper has never looked back establishing himself as one of the greatest goalkeepers in Europe. Over 300 appearances for Chelsea, over 80 appearances for the Czech Republic and he isn’t even 30 yet.  Cech will be remembered as one of the greats, even after a career-threatening injury to the head which means he is now required to wear protective head gear.

6. Pepe Reina; Villareal to Liverpool; £6 million; 2005

Jose Manuel Reina, commonly known as Pepe, came to Anfield from La Liga and had a difficult task replacing Istanbul hero Jerzy Dudek but has become a cult-hero on Merseyside since his arrival in 2005.  In over 300 appearances for the Reds, Reina has managed to keep over 140 clean sheets and has around 20 Spain caps to his name as understudy to Iker Casillas.  Many regard Pepe as one of the best goalkeepers in the world, but what can be said is that he is the best goalkeeping acquisition in recent memory and will live long in the memory of ‘Kopites.

5. Nemanja Vidic; Spartak Moskow to Manchester United; £7 million; 2006

A fee of £7 million seems like peanuts now as Vidic has established himself as the heartbeat of Manchester United, wearing the captains armband and leading his teammates as if they were going to war.  A no-nonsense defending style has made him one of the, if not the best central defender in the Barclays Premier League; besides any fixture against Fernando Torres anyway.  You’d have to pay over £35 million to land the Serbian in today’s market and Sir Alex Ferguson shown his transfer acumen with Vidic’s transfer.

4. Henrik Larsson; Feyenoord to Celtic; £650,000; 1997

Swedish striker Larsson joined the SPL club for a nominal fee in the summer of ‘97 and went on to become the club’s third top goalscorer and the league’s record goalscorer (Kris Boyd took over Larsson’s tally in 2009).  242 goals in over 300 appearances and all for a fee of only £650,000 is one of the greatest transfers you will find.  Henrik went on to play for Manchester United and Barcelona and is one of the most notable Swedish football players ever known.

3. Gerard Pique; Manchester United to Barcelona; £5 million; 2008

In recent times, Transfer fee’s are often inflated but the signing of Pique was a mark of genious from Pep Guardiola.  From Manchester United reserve, Pique has transferred into the ultimate modern centre-back being super-efficient at both ends of the pitch.  Dominant in the tackle, dominant in the air and just as comfortable with the ball at his feet, the Spaniard has established himself in both Barcelona and Spain’s set-up at just 24.  He has gained 33 caps since his international debut in 2009 and surely has another decade ahead of him.

2. Kolo Toure; ASEC Mimosas to Arsenal; £150,000; 2002

A top find from Arsene Wenger, the Ivorian arrived at Highbury for practically nothing and went on to become one of the club’s most influential characters in a 7 year stay.  He made over 300 appearances for the Gunners and has over 80 international capst to his name.  Part of the 2004 ‘invincibles’, Toure will go down an Arsenal legend albeit tarnishing his reputation after joining mega-rich Manchester City in 2009.

1. Patrick Viera; AC Milan to Arsenal; £3.5 million; 1996

The box-to-box Frenchman made the switch to Highbury to join fellow countryman Arsene Wenger and went on to captain the side in a glory-filled 9 years.  He made the PFA Team of the Year 6 times, won 3 Premier League titles, 4 FA Cups, 4 Community Shields, and won more honours with France and individually.  One of the greats, Paddy Viera captained his side during the ‘invincibles’ season and will be remembered for great, great things.

There we have it, our list of 10 of the most astute transfers ever.  Feel free to share your thoughts below or on twitter (follow @afootballreport and @DavidJChalmers).