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Richards and Shearer Ranked the 10 Biggest Bargains in Premier League History
4
By
Callum Bishop
6 days ago
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Summary
Micah Richards and Alan Shearer were asked to name their top 10 Premier League bargains.
The BBC pundits were given a list of players and asked to rank them in order based on their value for money.
The likes of Eric Cantona, Jamie Vardy and Peter Schmeichel were hard to pick from for the duo.
For all the money that is spent in the Premier League, sometimes it’s the more frugal purchases that turn out to be the greatest success stories. While so many times the most lucrative teams in English football will splash the cash on players worth millions, there is no guarantee that it will be worthwhile years down the line. The likes of Antony’s move to Manchester United and Romelu Lukaku’s return to Chelsea are just two of the more recent examples that prove that to be true.
However, a low-money signing means less risk and potentially even greater reward if they become someone a club can profit from. Or better yet, become a player that completely transforms the fortunes of a football club.
Speaking on the Match of the Day: Top 10 podcast back in 2021, both Premier League winners Alan Shearer and Micah Richards were asked who they believed were the biggest bargains in Premier League history. With a plethora of names to choose from, the pair managed to conjure together two interesting lists that varied but still maintained the same top three players in a slightly different order.
Micah Richards’ Top 10 Bargains
The defender included two Arsenal deals in the top five
Micah Richards as a pundit
Micah Richards’ Top 10 Premier League Bargains
Rank
Player
Transfer
Year
Fee
1.
Eric Cantona
Leeds to Manchester United
1992
£1.2m
2.
Jamie Vardy
Fleetwood to Leicester City
2012
£1m
3.
Peter Schmeichel
Brondby to Manchester United
1991
£500,000
4.
Kolo Toure
ASEC Mimosas to Arsenal
2002
£150,000
5.
Robin van Persie
Feyenoord to Arsenal
2004
£2.75m
6.
Riyad Mahrez
Le Havre to Leicester City
2014
£400,000
7.
Paolo Di Canio
Sheffield Wednesday to West Ham
1999
£1.5m
8
Lucas Radebe
Kaizer Chiefs to Leeds
1994
£250,000
9.
Seamus Coleman
Sligo Rovers to Everton
2009
£60,000
10.
Andy Robertson
Hull City to Liverpool
2017
£8m
Despite having a Premier League winners medal for Manchester City, Richards conceded that he believed that it was United legend Eric Cantona who deserved top spot. The Red Devils signed the Frenchman for just £1.2 million from Leeds in 1992 and he went on to win four Premier League titles in his five seasons at the club, scoring 82 goals.
Jamie Vardy is a close second after Leicester paid just £1 million for the non-league striker. One Premier League title and 198 goals later, it’s proven to be quite an incredible punt on a player who’s only gotten better with age.
GIVEMESPORT Key Statistic: No player has score more Premier League goals over the age of 30 than Jamie Vardy.
Another United player makes up the top three as Peter Schmeichel’s £500,000 move to Old Trafford in 1991 is ranked third – a deal that manager Alex Ferguson as the “bargain of the century.” Two Arsenal players complete the top five, with Kolo Toure signing for the club for £150,000 in 2002 after a trial. Robin van Persie’s move to the club costing just £2.75 million in 2004. The Dutchman went on to play eight seasons at the Emirates, scoring 132 goals before ditching North London for Manchester in one of the most controversial transfers in recent memory.
The bottom half of the list includes Riyad Mahrez’s move to the King Power Stadium, Paolo Di Canio’s switch to West Ham where he would go on to become an iconic figure. Eighth was Lucas Radebe while full-backs Seamus Coleman and Andy Robertson rounded out the top 10.
Alan Shearer’s Top 10 Bargains
The striker has shown more love to Everton defender Coleman
Alan Shearer
Alan Shearer’s Top 10 Premier League Bargains
Rank
Player
Transfer
Year
Fee
1.
Jamie Vardy
Fleetwood to Leicester City
2012
£1m
2.
Eric Cantona
Leeds to Manchester United
1992
£1.2m
3.
Peter Schmeichel
Brondby to Manchester United
1991
£500,000
4.
Seamus Coleman
Sligo Rovers to Everton
2009
£60,000
5.
Kolo Toure
ASEC Mimosas to Arsenal
2002
£150,000
6.
Robin van Persie
Feyenoord to Arsenal
2004
£2.75m
7.
Riyad Mahrez
Le Havre to Leicester City
2014
£400,000
8
Lucas Radebe
Kaizer Chiefs to Leeds
1994
£250,000
9.
Andy Robertson
Hull City to Liverpool
2017
£8m
10.
Paolo Di Canio
Sheffield Wednesday to West Ham
1999
£1.5m
While Shearer’s and Richards’ lists are largely the same, there a couple notable changes. The Englishman decided to give his compatriot Vardy the nod at the top, placing the Leicester legend above Eric Cantona. There is also a major jump up the list for Seamus Coleman, who lands inside the top four for Shearer:
“Sixty grand says it all. The number of games he’s played. He’s had a serious injury as well. He’s come back from injury, Everton fans love him and rightly so because of what he’s done.”
The only other major victim from the Newcastle and Blackburn star’s list is Di Canio, who drops to 10th as a result of Coleman’s leap towards the top of the table.
