British Football's Transfer Record Breakers - Were they worth the money?
13 players that broke the British Transfer Record - how did they fare after their big moves?
Since the Premier League was founded in 1992, the transfer record has been broken by thirteen different footballers.
Kurt Leyland looks back at each player to break the British transfer record since 1992 and rate them on how they fared after such high-profile moves.
Andy Cole
January 1995 - Newcastle United to Man United - £7 million
Rating: 9/10
Having helped guide the Magpies back into the top flight in 1993. Andy Cole quickly made the jump up to the Premier League in his first top-flight season. Andy Cole led the line for Kevin Keegan’s entertainers and formed a formidable partnership with Peter Beardsley as the Magpies chased the Premier League title in 1993/94. In total Beardsley and Cole scored fifty-five goals between them that season making them the highest-scoring partnership in Premier League history.
Andy Cole won the golden boot, scoring 34 goals, the equal highest amount in a Premier League season dubbing him the nickname ‘Cole the goal’ by Newcastle United fans. Cole continued his strong goal-scoring form in the 1994/95 season, hitting 12 goals in the first half of the season.
In January 1995, Eric Cantona’s kung- fu kick incident led to a huge ban for the French striker and Alex Ferguson was desperately searching for a new striker to replace his goals and fire Manchester United to the league title. Late in the January transfer window, Ferguson got his wish, luring Newcastle star Andy Cole to Old Trafford in a British transfer record £7million deal which also saw youngster Keith Gillespie sign for the Magpies as a makeweight for the deal.
Despite joining halfway through the league season Cole still managed to score twelve goals in his first eighteen games for Man United as they narrowly missed out on the league title to Blackburn Rovers.
He may have missed out on silverware in 1995 but the years that followed proved to be a fruitful period for the Man United talisman. In total Andy Cole would win the Premier League title on five occasions, lift the FA Cup twice and also play an integral role in Man United’s Champions League victory in 1999 scoring 4 goals over the course of the tournament as Man United lifted an historic treble.
After 2000, Ruud Van Nistelrooy had been signed and Cole’s opportunities to play were much more limited, he was sold to Blackburn Rovers to get more regular first-team football. Cole would retire as the third-highest goalscorer in Premier League history and is viewed as a Man Utd legend.
Dennis Bergkamp
June 1995- Inter Milan to Arsenal - £7.5 million
Rating: 10/10
Bruce Rioch’s tenure as Arsenal manager only lasted one season but his first ever signing, Dennis Bergkamp would make a huge mark in North London in the seasons that followed.
Bergkamp’s arrival at the club was significant as he became one of the driving factors in Arsenal’s return to success in the late 1990s. The Dutchman’s first season at Arsenal was decent as he managed 11 goals and guided the club to 5th place in the league table.
After Arsene Wenger’s arrival midway through the 1996-97 season fans began to see the best of Dennis Bergkamp in North London. In 1997/98, despite being 6th at the halfway stage of the season, a run of ten consecutive victories at the end of the season saw Arsenal come from behind to win the Premier League title. The driving influence in that team was Bergkamp who fired in 22 goals in all competitions as Arsenal lifted a league and FA Cup double. That season Bergkamp was also awarded the PFA players player of the year.
In the early years, Dennis Bergkamp was a huge goal scoring influence for the Gunners, but as time went on, his game became much more about making goals for other people and the Dutchman was transitioned into a second striker role where he would drop in deeper and use his vision and creativity to create for other players, with strike partners Ian Wright and later Thierry Henry all being huge beneficiaries of Bergkamp’s vision.
Bergkamp lifted three Premier League titles with The Gunners including an invincible season in 2003/04. Alongside these achievements, Bergkamp also lifted the FA Cup on three occasions.
Bergkamp scores his now-famous goal against Newcastle United.
Stan Collymore
(July 1995) Nottingham Forest to Liverpool - £8.5 million
Rating: 6/10
Stan Collymore’s 19 goals in the first division were crucial in guiding Nottingham Forest to promotion to the Premier League in 1994. In his first-ever Premier League season, he emerged as a star in the making and a potential England star after scoring 22 goals as Nottingham Forest finished in 3rd position. Such form led to him being heavily tipped with a move to Manchester United in January 1995 but eventually, they opted to sign Newcastle star Andy Cole instead.
In the summer of 1995, it was Liverpool who secured the signing, breaking the record transfer fee with an 8.5 million deal. The strike partnership of Fowler and Collymore was very successful in their first season and Collymore scored fourteen goals in 1995-96 as Liverpool competed for the Premiership title, narrowly missing out by finishing in 3rd position.
Collymore enjoyed a steady second season with 12 league goals. However, over the course of the season, there were signs of a rift between Collymore and manager Roy Evans who was critical of Collymore’s attitude and his inconsistent performances.
The breakdown of the relationship between Collymore and his manager eventually led to the striker being sold at a slight loss to Aston Villa for a fee of 7 million pounds. Collymore’s career in his later years was blighted by injuries and he failed to regain the form he showed at Liverpool and Nottingham Forest.
Alan Shearer
(July 1996) Blackburn to Newcastle - £15 million
Rating: 10/10
It’s hard to imagine now under the ownership of Mike Ashley but there was once a time where Newcastle were not only breaking the British transfer record, they were also smashing the world record transfer fee.
By 1996, Alan Shearer was regarded as one of the best strikers in world football. At Blackburn Rovers in 1994-95 he had topped the Premier League goal scoring charts with thirty-four goals and guided them to their first top-flight title in 80 years. Shearer also became the first Premier League striker to score 30 goals in three consecutive seasons. That summer he thrived on the international stage winning the Golden Boot in Euro 1996 as England were narrowly beaten by Germany in the semi-finals.
Alan Shearer had interest from the elite clubs in world football. Most notably turning down a deal to sign for Alex Ferguson’s Manchester United side in favour of playing for his hometown club. Kevin Keegan, having narrowly missed out on the title claimed the deal would be the “missing piece of the jigsaw.”
The new number nine took no time to settle in on Tyneside, winning the Golden Boot with 25 Premier League goals in his debut campaign forming an incredible strike partnership with Les Ferdinand with their most notable result being a 5-0 demolition of Manchester United. Later that season Kevin Keegan left the club and Newcastle narrowly missed out on the title under Kenny Dalglish.
A large core of Newcastle’s entertainers were sold under Dalglish and Newcastle massively dropped off in the Premier League due to a long term injury to Shearer and were restricted to mid table finishes. In spite of that Newcastle were able to reach back to back FA Cup finals both of which were 2-0 losses.
Bobby Robson was appointed in 1999 and set his sights on breathing a fresh impetus of life into the Magpies, Alan Shearer thrived under Robson’s management and was able to push Newcastle back into title contention and securing Champions League football in the process.
Shearer may never have achieved his dream of silverware on Tyneside but he was definitely able to gain legendary status on Tyneside and get his name into Newcastle folklore as he became the clubs highest ever goalscorer in 2006, surpassing club great Jackie Milburn. In total Shearer would score two hundred and six goals for the club, have a statue built for him and even open his own bar which is attached to the stadium. Shearer remains the highest goal scorer in Premier League history with 260 goals and arguably the greatest ever Newcastle United footballer.
Nicolas Anelka
(July 1999) Arsenal to Real Madrid- £22.5 million
Rating: 2/10
Frenchman Nicolas Anelka broke onto the scene as a teenager during the 1997-98 season under the management of Arsene Wenger, playing a sparodic role in the Premier League as Arsenal secured the title. That season he also played a key role in the FA Cup final when he scored at Wembley in a 2-0 victory over Newcastle United.
The following season Anelka began to thrive in the Arsenal team and scored seventeen goals as Arsenal narrowly missed out on the Premier League title to the treble winning Manchester United team of 1999. Despite Wenger’s best efforts to keep the striker at the club, Real Madrid swept in for the teenage star with a £22.5 million transfer fee, smashing the previous transfer record set by Alan Shearer.
Another bad day at the office for Nicolas Anelka at Real Madrid.
Anelka was signed in the hopes that he would lead the line for Real Madrid for years to come but his tenure at the Galactico’s proved to be brief and disastrous. Anelka never settled in La Liga and he struggled both for form and to integrate at the Spanish giants being reduced to little time on the pitch and scoring just two goals. In March, he was suspended by the club president after refusing to train, following a disagreement with manager Vicent Del Bosque.
Anelka’s time at Real Madrid ended after just one season and he was sold to PSG the following summer for £22 million.
Juan Sebastion Veron
(2001) Lazio to Manchester United- £28 million
Rating: 2/10
Having played an integral role in helping Lazio win the league title in 2000, Juan Sebastion Veron was brought in to Manchester United for £28 million making him the most expensive import in English football and the first non-UEFA player to break the English transfer record. At the time Veron was regarded as one of the best midfielders in world football and was seen as the type of player who could propel Manchester United to further European glory.
Life in the Premier League for the Argentine midfielder began very well as the midfielder found the net three times in his first four games, winning the Premier League player of the month for September.
As the season progressed Veron struggled for form and was lacking fitness. Many pundits began to criticise the midfielder believing that he struggled to acclimatise to the pace of the Premier League. Veron struggled to fit into Manchester United’s talented midfield and despite some strong spells in the Champions League it was a disappointing first season for the midfielder.
There was a lot of criticism from the media over the Argentine’s performances but Alex Ferguson persisted with the midfielder for another season insisting that he was a “great player.” He again struggled in his second season in England and Ferguson’s patience ran out with the midfielder who was eventually sold to Chelsea for £15 million. Where he would again struggle for form.
The Times have since listed Veron as one of the worst 50 transfers in Premier League history.
Rio Ferdinand
(2003) Leeds United to Manchester United- £29 million
Rating: 10/10
Tipped from a young age to be the finest defender of his generation Rio Ferdinand emerged from a golden generation of England stars at the West Ham academy alongside future England internationals Frank Lampard and Joe Cole.
Blessed with pace and athleticism, Ferdinand became the youngest ever senior England international in 1997. After sustained good form at West Ham, it was only a matter of time before European club would be chasing the defender. Ultimately Leeds United won the race to sign the youngster breaking the club record with an £18 million deal.
Ferdinand spent two seasons at Leeds, becoming the team captain in 2001 and helping the club reach a Champions League semi-final. As Leeds United’s financial problems began to hit Ferdinand became a huge target for Manchester United, who were searching for a long term leader in the heart of their defence. Following a number of rejected bids, Ferdinand was eventually sold for £29 million.
Life at Manchester United began well for Ferdinand as he secured a Premier League title in his first season at the club in 2003 and it would prove to be the first of many. However, Ferdinand’s time at Old Trafford was not without obstacles and he had to come back from a drug ban which saw him suspended for a season in 2004.
Following this setback Ferdinand would go on to win a further five league titles, two league cups and the Champions League in 2008. He will go down as one of the greatest central defenders in Premier League history. He was also featured in the PFA team of the year on five occasions whilst at Manchester United.
Andriy Shevchenko
(May 2006) AC Milan to Chelsea – £30 million
Rating: 1/10
During his time at AC Milan, Ukrainian striker Andriy Shevchenko proved himself as one of the most feared strikers in European Football. Winning one league title, one Coppa Italia and winning the Champions League. Such form saw him be awarded the Ballon d’Or in 2004.
Free spending Chelsea had begun to take control of English football having won back to back titles under Jose Mourinho and were desperate to add the Ukrainian striker to propel them to success in the Champions League. The Blues had huge financial power under Roman Abramovic and used this influence to sign Shevchenko for 30 million pounds.
There were high expectations for the potential frontline of Drogba and Shevchenko but the Ukrainian international seemed to enter a decline from the moment he signed for Chelsea and scored just four goals from thirty Premier League appearances in his first season. He continued to struggle in his second season in the Premier League scoring just five league goals in 2007-08 in a season that was subdued due to injury problems.
The Ukraine international would return to his former club on loan the following season and was eventually sold to the Ukrainian Premier League for the final years of his career.
Robinho
(September 2008) Real Madrid to Manchester City – £32 million
Rating 4/10
The takeover of Manchester City was a moment where the power began to shift in English football. Prior to the Abu Dhabi takeover, Manchester United had been the dominant force in English football and Chelsea were their nearest challengers due to their huge financial power.
In the summer of 2008, Manchester City as the richest club in world football were looking to bridge the gap and did this by snatching Brazillian international Robinho from Real Madrid, beating Chelsea to his signature when everyone had previously expected him to move to London. The move came
Robinho claims he was ‘forced’ to sign for Manchester City
His first season began well in Manchester and the Brazilian added a great deal of flair to the Manchester City side linking up well with fellow Brazillian Elano. He was the clubs top scorer, with 14 league goals with his most notable game being a hat-trick against Stoke City.
It proved to be a much more disappointing season for Robinho in his second year at Manchester City due to a poor relationship with new manager Roberto Mancini and a loss of form. The Brazillian started just six times that season and he was loaned out back home to Santos midway through the season. By the summer Manchester City made the decision to cut their losses and sold Robinho for £15 million to Italian giants AC Milan at the famous San Siro Stadium.
Cristiano Ronaldo
(June 2009) Manchester United to Real Madrid- £80 million
Rating 10/10
One of Alex Ferguson’s greatest signings as Manchester United manager was the signing of Portuguese teenager Cristiano Ronaldo back in 2003. In his first few seasons at the club, the winger showed plenty of flair and bags of tricks but some pundits were critical of his end product and the fact he was sometimes pushed off the ball.
By the time Ronaldo had reached his early 20s, Ferguson had harnessed his potential and turned him into one of the best players in world football, and certainly one of Man United’s best-ever players. The winger was awarded the PFA player of the year in both 2007 and 2008 as Man United secured back-to-back Premier League titles, whilst also helping his side to Champions League glory. Such form saw him become the 2008 Ballon d’Or winner.
In the summer of 2008, Ronaldo had wanted to leave Manchester United for a new challenge and there had been talk of a deal to join Real Madrid in a world-record deal. This saga went on throughout the summer but Ferguson eventually persuaded Ronaldo to stay at Old Trafford for one more season.
In his final season, Ronaldo continued to play a pivotal role in Manchester United’s success scoring 18 goals in the league as Man United lifted a third consecutive league title and a League Cup. They narrowly missed out on a second consecutive Champions League losing 2-0 to Barcelona in the final. Eventually, Real Madrid got their wish in the summer of 2009 and they secured the signing of Cristiano Ronaldo for a world record £80 million.
Ronaldo was a huge success at Real Madrid and the move propelled him to even greater achievements in the game. Since signing for Madrid, Ronaldo has gone from being viewed as one of the best footballers in world football to being viewed as one the greatest players of all time.
Ronaldo adapted his game and began to operate as a central forward, improving his physicality and aerial ability to become an all-round goal scorer. In total Ronaldo would go on to score 311 goals in 292 games for Real Madrid, lift two La Liga titles, two Copa del Rey and a staggering four Champions League’s, three of which were done in consecutive years.
Ronaldo also won the Ballon d’Or a further four times as a Real Madrid player. Ronaldo has cemented himself as one of the greatest Galacticos and is the clubs all-time leading goal scorer. Nine years after signing Ronaldo, Real Madrid were able to make a profit from the Portuguese forward and sold him to Juventus for £105 million.
Gareth Bale
(September 2013) Tottenham to Real Madrid £85million
Rating: 9/10
Gareth Bale was a huge success during his first spell at Tottenham, originally signed as an attacking-minded left-back. The Welsh international was able to establish himself as one of the best wingers in world football. In his final season at Tottenham, he was awarded the Premier League player of the season and scored twenty-one goals from midfield. Such form attracted the attention of Real Madrid.
Despite Daniel Levy’s reluctance to sell Bale throughout the transfer window, Gareth Bale eventually completed a world-record move to Real Madrid in an £85 million transfer. The Welsh international enjoyed huge success at the Bernabeau, lifting the La Liga title twice and scoring in two Champions League finals, helping them to lift the Champions League on four different occasions.
Following a bright period at Real Madrid, there was a breakdown in the relationship between Gareth Bale and manager Zinedine Zidane which was compounded by injury struggles. This has caused a huge drop off in form over the last two seasons.
Such loss of form led to Bale being loaned out to former club Tottenham Hotspurs where he has again struggled with fitness problems.]
Paul Pogba
(August 2016) Juventus to Manchester United - £89 million
Rating 6/10
Paul Pogba began his career in the Manchester United academy and was a part of the team that won the FA Youth Cup in 2011.
Having impressed at youth level Pogba was soon tipped for bigger things at Man Utd with Alex Ferguson promoting him to the senior squad for the upcoming season. Pogba was limited to just three appearances in 2011-2012 and agreed a deal to sign for Juventus once his contract expired. His attitude at the time infuriated Ferguson who said: “If footballers carry on that way they’re probably better doing it away from us.”
Pogba’s time at Juventus proved to be a huge success and he helped guide the Italian giants to four successive Serie A titles and two Coppa Italia. He was a member of the Serie A team of the year in three of his four seasons at the club. Such form established the Frenchman as a one of the best midfielders in European Football.
Whilst Pogba went on to achieve significant success out in Italy a lot less could be said for his former club Manchester United who had struggled after the retirement of Alex Ferguson. Newly appointed manager Jose Mourinho needed a marque signing to try and bridge the gap between his side and neighbours Manchester City and won the race to resign their former academy product for £89 million.
There were high hopes for the midfield powerhouse on his return to Manchester United but his first season was very inconsistent as he scored just five Premier League goals. However, despite a disappointing league campaign where Man United finished 6th. Pogba played an integral role in the Europa League where he was awarded player of the tournament after guiding his side to victory with a goal against Ajax in the final.
In his second season at the club Man Utd finished in second position, this was a huge improvement in the league table but despite improved results, many pundits were critical of Pogbas’s inconsistency and Mourinho’s negative approach to games. This escalated into the following season where Mourinho relationship with the midfielder began to break down and many pundits became critical of Pogba’s rate and the felt he was not pulling his weight.
Following Solskajers arrival there was an immediate upturn in form for the French midfielder in the second half of the season which saw him score thirteen goals from midfield and earn a place in the 2018-2019 PFA team of the season. After an initial good run of form under Ole Gunner Solskjaer, Pogba has largely struggled for form and been restricted by injury.
It seems that a move in the summer is inevitable for the French midfielder after agent Mino Raiola claimed the midfielder wanted to leave and was unsettled in Manchester.
Overall we have seen glimpses of Pogba’s potential but we simply have not seen enough from the French midfielder in English football.
Philippe Coutinho
(January 2018) Liverpool to Barcelona £105million
Rating 3/10
Purchased in 2013 for just £8million, Brazilian midfielder Philipe Coutinho quickly became a fan favourite at Anfield during his five seasons at the club. He possessed great technical ability and was known for his excellent long distant goals.
In 2014, he was a key component in Liverpool’s title race as they narrowly missed out to Manchester City and he continued to be one of their stand out performers under Jurgen Klopp. In 2016/17 Coutinho scored 13 goals from midfield whilst also providing 7 assists. Such form led to heavy interest from Barcelona and the playmaker was eventually sold in January 2018 for £105 million making him the first player in British transfer history to surpass £100 million. It was a dream move for the Brazillian who described Barcelona as “a place of magic.”
Coutinho was tipped to be the ideal replacement for Neymar, but after a bright first 6 months where he scored 8 goals in 18 games, it soon became apparent that Coutinho did not quite fit into the Barcelona system. He lacked the pace to thrive in a front three and seemed to struggle to stand out in the central area of the pitch. In his first full season he scored just five goals and made two assists, these were hugely disappointing statistics for a player of his value.
Coutinho spent the following season on loan at Bayern Munich where he would feature against Barcelona in the semi-final of the Champions League. The Brazillian would land the final blow by scoring a double against his parent club in a humiliating 8-2 victory at the Nou Camp. He admitted during his time at Bayern Munich that he intended to stay at the club at the end of his loan spell.
Despite that, Coutinho remained at Barcelona under new manager Ronald Koeman but has again failed to impress in the team scoring just two goals in his twelve games this campaign. Coutinho still has time to turn his form around at Barcelona but at the moment he has been a huge disappointment for the fee paid for him.
