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Greatest Bargains of all time

124

Comments

  • Closed Accounts Posts: 8,983 ✭✭✭leninbenjamin


    in terms of return to capital, it surely has to be only one winner: Anelka.

    in terms of impact on their club: Cantona. it's rare enough you can buy someone as influential as Cantona, more typically this type of figure has to be raised at the club a la Scholes, Gerrard, or spend the best part of a decade at least. without Cantona Fergy may never have won the league or lay the foundataions for what the club is today. phenomenal piece of business by Utd, i always wonder though what the hell were Leeds thinking when they sold him?


    also: Hyypia was a solid defender, and would certainly be pushing on for a spot in my top 10 defenders to have ever played in the Prem list. and at his peak he was a better player than Carragher was imo (who too often is a bit headless chickeny without someone calm and reassuring like the Finn). but there were much better bargains to be had.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 41,159 ✭✭✭✭Xavi6


    in terms of return to capital, it surely has to be only one winner: Anelka.

    Anelka - Cost £500,000, Sold for £22.3 million

    Shaun Wright-Phillips - Cost nothing, Sold for £21 million

    Neck and neck between those two for me.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 555 ✭✭✭Smartly Dressed


    semibluff wrote: »
    When Chelsea decided to PAY arsenal 15 million to give them a more superior player ( Gallas) in return for taking a troublesome average left back off their hands ( A. Cole)

    I'm pretty sure it was £5million. Either way it was a good bit of business as you said.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 20,617 ✭✭✭✭PHB


    If we're including people grown up in the clubs, Beckham would win in terms of money made both in marketing and in tranfser fees.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 3,213 ✭✭✭ITT-Pat


    Xavi6 wrote: »
    Anelka - Cost £500,000, Sold for £22.3 million

    Shaun Wright-Phillips - Cost nothing, Sold for £21 million

    Neck and neck between those two for me.

    By that rationale you could put Beckham in there too- Cost Nothing, Sold for £25m


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  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 41,159 ✭✭✭✭Xavi6


    I don't see why homegrown players WOULDN'T count as bargains. Arsenal recognised Anelka's talent so bought him, City recognised SWP's talent that Nottingham Forest didn't, and United recognised Beckham's talent at the Bobby Charlton Soccer School.

    Sure look at Paul Scholes and Ryan Giggs. How much have United saved on transfer fees in the last 15 years or so? How much have Liverpool spent on left wingers since 1991?


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 8,983 ✭✭✭leninbenjamin


    Xavi6 wrote: »
    Anelka - Cost £500,000, Sold for £22.3 million

    Shaun Wright-Phillips - Cost nothing, Sold for £21 million

    Neck and neck between those two for me.

    he was still a youth, only 15. i don't see how you can include him when making comparisons. else every fricken youth who makes pro would be a 'bargain'

    besides, can you quantify the return to capital on SWPs registration? i can't.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 3,213 ✭✭✭ITT-Pat


    ah you're just sayin that cos Man City never had a great player that was a bargain:p

    Seriously though, those players are clearly great bargains and technically they saved/made more money for their clubs, but I think the idea of the thread was to discuss transfers that were great value for money


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 41,159 ✭✭✭✭Xavi6


    ITT-Pat wrote: »
    ah you're just sayin that cos Man City never had a great player that was a bargain:p

    http://boards.ie/vbulletin/showpost.php?p=56604016&postcount=13
    ITT-Pat wrote: »
    Seriously though, those players are clearly great bargains and technically they saved/made more money for their clubs, but I think the idea of the thread was to discuss transfers that were great value for money

    Well I claim a technicality on this one so!


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 3,213 ✭✭✭ITT-Pat


    Yeah you can win by de-fault, the two greatest words in the English Language!


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  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 9,827 ✭✭✭Charlie


    I've always thought United got raped on the Beckham deal. £23 million isn't that much when you consider all the money Madrid raked in on jerseys, sponsorships etc.

    If we're talking homegrown players, than there is only one winner;



    655 Appearances, 292 goals, and still going. Iker may soon steal that mantle from him if he plays into his late 30's like most top goalies are now.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 4,235 ✭✭✭iregk


    semibluff wrote: »
    one of THE biggest bargains of all time, i think, surprisingly came in more recent time.

    When Chelsea decided to PAY arsenal 15 million to give them a more superior player ( Gallas) in return for taking a troublesome average left back off their hands ( A. Cole)

    now thats a bargain beyond belief

    For starters it was 5 million.

    Secondly I think that was a great deal all around. Chelsea had a troublesome player on their hands who didn't want to play, as did arsenal. Chelsea had already told Gallas they will write him off so in the end they got Cole for 5 million.

    Also Gallas left Chelsea with one fatal flaw that most Chelsea fans spotted but not many others. He just could never handle pressure! Countless times in a blues jersey we watched this great player collapse when the heat was turned up. Arsenal fans and the rest of the country only really noticed this last season, all be it in much more spectacular fashion.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,456 ✭✭✭stick-dan


    Gary Mac to Liverpool on a freebie was a great bit of business for Liverpool.

    defo :cool:


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 8,903 ✭✭✭Eire-Dearg


    To a lesser extent, Peter Crouch.

    Joined Southampton for £2m, did the business that season scoring 12 goals in 27 league games, then joined Liverpool the next summer for £7m. Not bad business for the Saints.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 9,827 ✭✭✭Charlie


    Eire-Dearg wrote: »
    To a lesser extent, Peter Crouch.

    Joined Southampton for £2m, did the business that season scoring 12 goals in 27 league games, then joined Liverpool the next summer for £7m. Not bad business for the Saints.

    Not a patch though on that magic card trick they did on Blackburn with Davies. What was it? Sold him for £7 million, and signed him back only a year later for £500,000. :D


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 15,744 ✭✭✭✭Villain


    Hypia was a good value but I can beat that hands down-

    The winner imo is GOD (aka Paul McGrath) one of if not the greatest defenders the English game ever saw, and he cost only £400k in 1989


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 9,827 ✭✭✭Charlie


    Villain wrote: »
    The winner imo is GOD (aka Paul McGrath) one of if not the greatest defenders the English game ever saw, and he cost only £400k in 1989

    But £400k was quite a bit back then. It's all relative.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 15,744 ✭✭✭✭Villain


    But £400k was quite a bit back then. It's all relative.

    It wasn't that much actually:
    1989 The British transfer record is broken for the third time in just over a year, when Manchester United sign Middlesbrough defender Gary Pallister for £2.3million.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 9,827 ✭✭✭Charlie


    So in today's market it would be about £7 million, not exactly cheap.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 15,744 ✭✭✭✭Villain


    Well for the one of the best defenders ever in the league I would argue it is, I mean Utd paid 18 million in 2000 for Rio and McGrath was better than Rio ever will be.


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  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 6,477 ✭✭✭grenache


    This thread should begin with and end with one Roy Maurice Keane.

    Nottingham Forest paid Cobh £47k in 1990. After helping them to 3 Wembley Cup finals in 2 year, they sold him to Manchester United for £3.75m in 1993 - it broke the transfer record at the time.

    With Keane in the team United won 7 Premiership titles, 4 FA Cups, 4 Charity Shields, 1 Champions League and 1 Intercontinental Cup.

    He is beyond doubt the greatest bargain ever seen in the English game.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 555 ✭✭✭Smartly Dressed


    Not the best bargain of all time but a decent bit of business none the less:

    Dave Kitson; transfered from Cambridge to Reading for a mere £150,000 in 2003 and then sold to Stoke after 54 goals in 135 league appearances for £5.5million in 2008.

    So that leaves Reading with Kevin Doyle, Shane Long, Leroy Lita and £5.5million to spend.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 6,056 ✭✭✭applehunter


    Mick Devine cost £15,000 from Waterford United about 7 years ago.

    As Eddie Murphy would say "What a bargain!"


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 5,003 ✭✭✭mormank


    grenache wrote: »
    This thread should begin with and end with one Roy Maurice Keane.

    Nottingham Forest paid Cobh £47k in 1990. After helping them to 3 Wembley Cup finals in 2 year, they sold him to Manchester United for £3.75m in 1993 - it broke the transfer record at the time.

    With Keane in the team United won 7 Premiership titles, 4 FA Cups, 4 Charity Shields, 1 Champions League and 1 Intercontinental Cup.

    He is beyond doubt the greatest bargain ever seen in the English game.

    yes but you cannot attribute all of these trophies to just keane. As great a player as he was he had a greta team around him...And where is the bargain, notts forest or man u's transfer record breaking signing of him??


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 354 ✭✭RefulgentGnomon


    Blackburn got Brad Friedel on a free transfer in 2000 - proved to be a great signing.


  • Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 18,300 ✭✭✭✭Seaneh


    IF home grown players are included there is only one player who should even be considered Paolo Maldini.

    No one player has won so much or done so much for one club as Maldini has dont for Milan.


  • Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 18,300 ✭✭✭✭Seaneh


    And to add the the signings list.

    Milan signed Cafu in 2002 after the world cup for free, 6 seasons and 2 champions leagues later and he retires a hero and ambasador for the club.

    Not a bad bit of business.


  • Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 18,300 ✭✭✭✭Seaneh


    Uh uh and also very recent.

    Milan got Clarence Seedorf and Andrea Pirlo in exchange for Thomas Helveg and a few hi-vis training bibs or lucazade water bottles or something, the fee is nominal anyway when you consider that both have since been pivital in the winning os 2 champions leagues....


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 4,867 ✭✭✭Third_Echelon


    David Moyes definitely has an eye for the bargains:

    Tim Cahill - £1.5 M
    Joleon Lescott - £4 M
    Mikel Arteta - £2.5 M

    I think in recent history though, Peter Schmeichel and Eric Cantona stick out for me...


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  • Closed Accounts Posts: 6,478 ✭✭✭Bubs101


    Batistuta surely deserves a mention here


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