Bill ConnellyJan 14, 2026, 08:00 AM ETCloseBill Connelly is a writer for ESPN. He covers college football, soccer and tennis. He has been at ESPN since 2019.Follow on X
How much pressure is on Mohamed Salah to win AFCON? (1:49)Ed Dove breaks down why winning AFCON could be so important for Mohamed Salah’s legacy in Egypt. (1:49)
50. Luka Modric, MF, Tottenham Hotspur Signed from Dinamo Zagreb for €22.5m, 2008-09
49. Alexis Mac Allister, MF, Brighton Signed from Argentinos Juniors for €8m, 2018-19
48. Jordan Henderson, MF, Liverpool Signed from Sunderland for €18m, 2011-12
47. Raheem Sterling, FW, Manchester City Signed from Liverpool for €63.7m, 2015-16
46. Juninho, CM, Middlesbrough Signed from Sao Paulo for €5.5m, 1995-96
45. Freddie Ljungberg, MF, Arsenal Signed from Halmstad for €4.5m, 1998-99
44. Xabi Alonso, MF, Liverpool Signed from Real Sociedad for €16m, 2004-05
43. Yaya Toure, MF, Manchester City Signed from Barcelona for €30m, 2010-11
42. Andy Cole, FW, Manchester United Signed from Newcastle for €9.6m, 1994-95
41. Jay-Jay Okocha, MF, Bolton Signed from Paris Saint-Germain on a free transfer, 2002
40. N’Golo Kanté, MF, Leicester Signed from Caen for €9m, 2015-16
39. Sadio Mané, FW, Liverpool Signed from Southampton for €41.2m, 2016-17
38. Ashley Cole, LB, Chelsea Signed from Arsenal for €7.4m, 2006-07
37. Robin van Persie, FW, Arsenal Signed from Feyenoord for €4.5m, 2004-05
36. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, ST, Manchester United Signed from Molde for €2.5m, 1996-97
35. Petr Cech, GK, Chelsea Signed from Rennes for €13m, 2004-05
34. Ruud van Nistelrooy, FW, Manchester United Signed from PSV for €28.5m, 2001-02
33. Fernandinho, MF, Manchester City Signed from Shakhtar Donetsk for €40m, 2013-14
32. Pablo Zabaleta, RB, Manchester City Signed from Espanyol for €8.7m, 2008-09
31. Robert Pires, LW, Arsenal Signed from Marseille for €9.8m, 2000-01
30. Philippe Coutinho, MF, Liverpool Signed from Inter Milan for €13m, 2012-13
29. Michael Carrick, CM, Manchester United Signed from Spurs for £24.5m, 2006
28. N’Golo Kante, CM, Chelsea Signed from Leicester for €35.8m, 2016-17
27. Alan Shearer, FW, Newcastle Signed from Blackburn for €18m, 1996-97
26. Bernardo Silva, AM, Manchester City Signed from Monaco for €50m, 2017-18
25. Gianfranco Zola, FW, Chelsea Signed from Parma for €6.2m, 1996-97
24. Luis Suárez, FW, Liverpool Signed from Ajax for €26.5m, 2010-11
23. Nemanja Vidic, CB, Manchester United Signed from Spartak Moscow for €10.5m, 2005-06
22. Gareth Bale, FW, Tottenham Signed from Southampton for €14.7m, 2007-08
21. Vincent Kompany, CB, Manchester City Signed from Hamburger SV for €8.5m, 2008-09
20. David Silva, MF, Manchester City Signed from Valencia for €28.8m, 2010-11
19. Claude Makelele, MF, Chelsea Signed from Real Madrid for €20m, 2003-04
18. Virgil van Dijk, CB, Liverpool Signed from Southampton for €84.7m, 2017-18
17. Rio Ferdinand, CB, Manchester United Signed from Leeds for €46m, 2002-03
16. Rodri, DM, Manchester City Signed from Atletico Madrid for €70m, 2019-20
15. Kevin De Bruyne, MF, Manchester City Signed from Wolfsburg for €76m, 2015-16
14. Dennis Bergkamp, FW, Arsenal Signed from Inter Milan for €11.3m, 1995-96
13. Didier Drogba, ST, Chelsea Signed from Marseille for €38.5m, 2004-05
12. Roy Keane, CM, Manchester United Signed from Nottingham Forest for €4.4m, 1993-94
11. Wayne Rooney, ST, Manchester United Signed from Everton for €37m, 2004-05
10. Eric Cantona, ST, Manchester United Signed from Leeds United for €1.8m, 1992-93
9. Alan Shearer, FW, Blackburn Rovers Signed from Southampton for €4.5m, 1992-93
8. Erling Haaland, ST, Manchester City Signed from Borussia Dortmund for €60m, 2022-23
7. Cristiano Ronaldo, FW, Manchester United Signed from Sporting Lisbon for €19m, 2003-04
6. Patrick Vieira, DM, Arsenal Signed from Milan for €5.4m, 1996-97
5. Eden Hazard, MF, Chelsea Signed from Lille for €35m, 2012-13
4. Frank Lampard, MF, Chelsea Signed from West Ham for €16m, 2001-02
3. Sergio Aguero, ST, Manchester City Signed from Atletico Madrid for €40m, 2011-12
2. Mohamed Salah, FW, Liverpool Signed from Roma for €42m, 2017-18
1. Thierry Henry, FW, Arsenal Signed from Juventus for €16.1m, 1999-2000
It’s also ridiculously important. Whatever your goals are as a club — survival, slow accumulation of wealth or, of course, trophies — you don’t reach them without deft transfer work. So with the January transfer window reaching its midway point and rumors swirling, let’s look back at the best transfers the Premier League has seen.
Granted, “best” can mean lots of things. It could mean the guy your club acquired was simply very productive, strong, and made his team better. Maybe he became an iconic figure there over a long period of time. Trophies help, too — the more a club acquired during a given player’s time, the friendlier the ranking.
Of course, “best” can also simply mean the player was a spectacular bargain who played well above the standard of his transfer fee. Maybe a club got him for a reasonable price, got some great years out of him, then flipped him to a bigger club for a much larger fee and a profit.
Got all that? Then let’s dive in! Here are the 50 best Premier League transfers since the summer of 1992, as the league’s first season was almost underway.
He missed half of one season with a broken leg, but the future Croatian legend averaged more than 65 chances created per season in the Premier League, with 13 league goals and 15 assists. There were no trophies, but the skill was obvious. Spurs turned a solid investment into a €35m transfer fee from Real Madrid after four solid years.
Some transfers are great because they’re simply great pieces of business. Brighton has made a number of those over the past decade, and few could be considered more successful than that of Mac Allister: He was acquired for a low price at 19, debuted at 20, scored 12 goals in all competitions in his age-24 season as Brighton finished a club-best sixth in the Premier League, then moved on to Liverpool at more than 5x his original transfer fee.
The Brazilian player of the year … to recently promoted Middlesbrough? Boro pulled off a coup in landing “TLF” (The Little Fella), who scored 15 goals in all competitions in 1996-97 while leading Boro to the FA Cup and League Cup final. He couldn’t prevent relegation and moved on to Atlético Madrid for €13.8 million, but the relationship was too strong to end there. He returned on loan in 1999-2000, then returned again from 2002 to 04.
One of the coolest customers you’ll ever see in midfield, Alonso was Rafa Benitez’s first Liverpool signing, and he formed a legendary tandem with Gerrard over five seasons with the club. He lifted four trophies, none bigger than the first: Alonso was instrumental in completing Liverpool’s three-goal comeback against AC Milan in the 2005 Champions League final, which the Reds eventually won in a penalty shootout.
City’s new Abu Dhabi Group owners took a big swing on Toure and were rewarded handsomely. He was a vital member of City’s first two league title squads, he was a bit player for a third, and he lifted seven trophies for a club that was in no way used to lifting trophies (yet). He was even briefly one of the league’s best goal scorers, with a 24-goal campaign out of nowhere in 2013-14.
By the time he left for Blackburn (on a profit) in 2001-02, he had been part of five Premier League champions, two FA Cup winners, a Charity Shield winner and, of course, the 1999 Champions League winner.
Once the most expensive African player ever and one of the best dribblers the sport has seen, Okocha came to Bolton after a decent but unspectacular run at PSG. He became a club icon in northwest England. A one-man creative force for Sam Allardyce’s overachieving squad, he served as captain and led them to the League Cup final and into the UEFA Cup knockout stages over four seasons.
The headliner of Jurgen Klopp’s first transfer class, Mane simply delivered and delivered and delivered. Over six seasons with Liverpool, he scored 125 goals with 40 assists in all competitions and lifted almost every trophy a Premier League player can lift (Champions League, Premier League, FA Cup, EFL Cup, UEFA Super Cup, FIFA Club World Cup).
Perhaps no goal was bigger than the one he scored against Bayern Munich in the 2018-19 Champions League: He plucked a long ball out of the air, spun around Manuel Neuer to his left and scored, setting the table for an upset in Munich in a tournament they would win three rounds later.
Cole was a vital part of a Premier League title team (2009-10) and a Champions League winner (2011-12), and lifted six domestic cups (and the 2012-13 Europa League trophy) before leaving for Roma at age 33 in 2014-15.
Admittedly, the trophy count lacked. Van Persie was signed as a 19-year-old winger in the summer after Arsenal’s Invincibles campaign, and though Arsene Wenger envisioned him as an eventual replacement for Thierry Henry, he first had some maturing to do (and some injuries to fight through). He broke through with a nice, 20-goal campaign in all competitions in 2008-09, then he scored 22 in 2010-11 and 37 in 2011-12.
Van Persie became the unfortunate face of a newer, slightly more disappointing Arsenal, but by the time he left London, he had become one of the brightest, most technically sound center forwards of his day.
The Norway international was an under-the-radar pickup, overshadowed by bigger-name United signings such as Jordi Cruyff and Karel Poborsky around that same time, but it’s almost impossible for a player to make more of an impact in fewer minutes.
Typically regarded as the ultimate super sub, Solskjaer made only 151 Premier League starts in 11 seasons with the club (and only 16 in his final four injury-plagued years). But he still scored 126 goals in 366 total appearances in all competitions. And after Sheringham scored to tie the score against Bayern in the 1999 Champions League, he scored the goal that would define his entire career. As a super-sub, of course.