These are the top five Premier League signings of all time! 

Sky Sports pundits Gary Neville and Jamie Carragher stirred up a debate when they listed their top five greatest Premier League signings during their Monday Night Football show earlier this month.

Since the top flight’s inception in 1992 there have been a number of bargain buys who went on to greatness, and in Neville and Carragher’s top five were Alan Shearer (specifically his move from Southampton to Blackburn), Eric Cantona, Thierry Henry, Jamie Vardy and Vincent Kompany. However, some fans online were dumbfounded as the likes of Frank Lampard and Cristiano Ronaldo missed out.

Sportsmail’s reporters have now produced their own top-five lists for the greatest transfers in the Premier League era?

CHRIS WHEELER

5. Thierry Henry (Juventus to Arsenal, £10.5m)

Brought style, flair and a club record number of goals to Arsenal after signing from Juventus in a £10.5m deal. No list of Premier League greats is complete without the Frenchman.

4. Didier Drogba (Marseille to Chelsea, £24m)

Another transformative figure, helping Chelsea to win their first Premier League title – one of four in total for the Ivorian – as well as playing a decisive role in the club’s first Champions League success.

3. Jamie Vardy (Fleetwood Town to Leicester City, £1m)

Went straight from non-league to Leicester for £1m, ending up as a Premier League title-winner and established England international. An incredible story.

2. Vincent Kompany (Hamburg to Manchester City, £6.7m)

Arrived at Manchester City to little fanfare and at a cost of just £6.7m, but played a pivotal role in turning the Abu Dhabi vision into reality.

1. Eric Cantona (Leeds United to Manchester United, £1.2m)

The catalyst for an era of unprecedented success at Manchester United after signing from Leeds for £1.2m, winning the title in four of his five seasons at Old Trafford.   

ROB DRAPER

5. Cristiano Ronaldo (Sporting Lisbon to Manchester United, £12.24m)

He’d be No 1 on impact and talent but he was, in some respects, an obvious buy. £12.24m was a record fee for a teenager. Has Arsene Wenger ever mentioned that Arsenal almost signed him? But what I like about this transfer is the sheer impulsivity of Sir Alex Ferguson’s instinct: seeing him run rings round his United team in a friendly and then getting the deal done.

It doesn’t always work out (see Eric Djemba-Djemba, Kleberson and Bebe), which is why you have an army of Harvard PhDs analysing transfer targets these days. But when it did, it was wonderful.

4. Sergio Aguero (Atletico Madrid to Manchester City, £35m)

An obvious one and a big fee but there were doubts whether he could succeed in England. I’d seen a fair amount of him in Spain and reckoned he would but it wasn’t a sure-fire thing. And just because he’s slightly undervalued here – his lack of English and interviews meaning he doesn’t sell himself – I’d take him over the Kompany and Yaya Toure signings.

180 Premier League goals in 268 appearances and four league titles = the definitive City signing for me. 

3. Cesc Fabregas (Barcelona to Arsenal, free)

The transfer which spawned an industry in picking up talented 16-year-old Euro kids – but this was the exception that proved the rule. Most (Federico Macheda, Adnan Januzaj and Carlos Vela) never kicked on. This was an extraordinary coup of good intelligence, relationship building and subsequent development. The only downside is he never won the trophies at Arsenal that he should have. Mind you, he won a few with Spain, Barcelona and Chelsea.

2. Riyad Mahrez (Le Havre to Leicester, £600,000)

Strictly speaking a Championship transfer at the time. The fact that he came from Ligue 2 Le Havre shows just how good Leicester’s recruitment was in the run-up to their title year of 2016. To be honest, you could pick any one of Vardy, N’Golo Kante or Mahrez as the key signing. All were inspired.

1. Patrick Vieira (AC Milan to Arsenal, £3.5m)

He’d already been picked up by AC Milan so he wasn’t an unknown. But almost nobody had heard of him in England, this being the early days of the internet. And AC Milan didn’t have a clue how to use him. Wenger did and a dynasty was born.

DANIEL MATTHEWS

5. Roy Keane (Nottingham Forest to Manchester United, £3.75m)

Seven Premier League titles, four as captain, and the talismanic leader of Sir Alex Ferguson’s all-conquering United side.

4. Frank Lampard (West Ham to Chelsea, £11m)

Alongside John Terry, the backbone of Chelsea as they were transformed from also-rans to Premier League giants. Not too shabby a goalscoring record, either.

3. N’Golo Kante (Caen to Leicester, £5.6m)

How many players, plucked from such obscurity, have had such a seismic influence on consecutive title-winning sides, first Leicester and then Chelsea?

2. Thierry Henry (Juventus to Arsenal, £10.5m)

Arguably the Premier League’s greatest import. A genius whose panache inspired a generation and epitomised Arsenal’s brilliance at that time.

1. Eric Cantona (Leeds United to Manchester United, £1.2m)

United had endured 26 years of hurt before they paid their bitter rivals £1.2million for Cantona, whose signing shifted the balance of power and laid the foundations for one of English football’s great dynasties.

JACK GAUGHAN

5. Roy Keane (Nottingham Forest to Manchester United, £3.75m)

The best central midfielder of his generation, just ahead of Vieira. Altered his game to suit the team’s needs, a proper captain once Cantona departed United.

4. Vincent Kompany (Hamburg to Manchester City, £6.7m)

A number of Manchester City players, including David Silva and Yaya Toure, could stake a claim to being named on the list but Kompany’s longevity as a captain was the foundation for City’s success over the last decade.

3. Thierry Henry (Juventus to Arsenal, £10.5m)

Had a transformative effect on Arsenal, not just the numbers but the way in which he played the game. Unplayable for a number of seasons.

2. Eric Cantona (Leeds United to Manchester United, £1.2m)

Neville was correct when labelling Cantona the most iconic Premier League signing for the impact he had on Manchester United. His arrival sparked that long period of dominance. Edges out Wayne Rooney and Aguero.

1. Frank Lampard (West Ham to Chelsea, £11m)

No midfielder has scored more than his 177 Premier League goals – all but 30 of those coming at Chelsea. Won every trophy going, fourth in the all-time list of assists.

ADRIAN KAJUMBA

5. Vincent Kompany (Hamburg to Manchester City, £6.7m)

Manchester City were mere mid-table hopefuls when he arrived in 2008 but established at the Premier League’s top table when he left 11 years later. The talismanic Kompany, a snip of a signing at just £6m, was a big reason why.

4. N’Golo Kante (Caen to Leicester City, £5.6m)

Enjoyed a barely believable period between 2015 and 2018, inspiring Leicester and Chelsea to Premier League titles and France to the Euro 2016 final and 2018 World Cup glory. As it unfolded became harder and harder to believe Leicester signed him for just £5.6m.

3. Roy Keane (Nottingham Forest to Manchester United, £3.75m)

The best captain the Premier League has seen and, many will insist, central midfielder too. Bought for £3.75m and a big reason why Manchester United’s title tally is 20, having led the Old Trafford club to seven of them.

2. Thierry Henry (Juventus to Arsenal, £10.5m) 

Signed as a struggling winger and moulded into one of the best strikers in the world and did so all while playing in the Premier League.

1. Eric Cantona (Leeds United to Manchester United, £1.2m)

Transformed Manchester United as a club and inspired many of those who played alongside him all for the cost of just £1.2m and from rivals Leeds too. They must be kicking themselves.

Source: dailymail.co.uk

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