Earlier this week, BBC Sport dropped an article on the most game-changing transfers in Premier League history. However, as our galleries attest, football began long before 1992. With this in mind, here are ten of our most significant transfers in the old Football League…
10. Pat Jennings – Tottenham Hotspur to Arsenal, 1977
Goalkeepers are often considered to peak in their early thirties – but Tottenham Hotspur didn’t think that was the case when they offloaded their number one to their biggest rivals.
Pat Jennings had been first choice at White Hart Lane for thirteen years, lifting four major trophies with the club, but was deemed surplus to requirements just one year after winning the PFA Player of the Year award (the first goalie to do so).
Spurs had just been relegated, and manager Keith Burkinshaw believed the veteran’s best days were behind him. He was sold to Arsenal, where he would play for another eight years.
Pat made 327 starts for the Gunners, keeping net for four finals and collecting another FA Cup winner’s medal in 1979.
Spurs, meanwhile, returned to the top flight at the first time of asking, but failed to nail down another elite goalkeeper until 1981, when they signed Ray Clemence – ironically one year older than Jennings was when they let the latter go.
9. Eric Cantona – Nimes to Leeds United, 1992
King Eric is a bona fide Premier League legend, but he made his debut in the final days of the old Football League.
Any doubts around the enigmatic Frenchman were to do with temperament rather than talent. In his homeland, Cantona had previously fought teammates, insulted national team manager Henri Michel, and called a room of disciplinary committee members idiots (doubling his suspension in the process).
Refusing to disrupt squad harmony, Liverpool manager Graeme Souness turned down the opportunity to sign Eric – but Howard Wilkinson took a punt on him. At the time, Leeds were nip and tuck with Manchester United at the top of the table, and Wilkinson hoped that Cantona would give his side the edge.
He did just that, scoring three goals and laying on a number of assists for top scorer Lee Chapman as the Whites became the final team to lift the top-flight trophy.
Despite scoring another 11 goals, Eric was on the move again before the year was out, ironically transforming the fortunes of Leeds’ most hated rivals.
8. Ian Wright – Greenwich Borough to Crystal Palace, 1985
Decades before Jamie Vardy’s ascent through the divisions, Ian Wright was the game’s big non-league success story.
At the age of 21, Wrighty wasn’t just plying his trade as a footballer – he was also a plasterer and labourer, whilst earning £30 a week at Greenwich Borough.
Prolific at that level, he was invited for a trial at Selhurst Park and did enough to convince manager Steve Coppell to snap him up, reportedly in exchange for weightlifting equipment.
He was thrown straight into the first team and linked up well with fellow forward Mark Bright. Wrighty and Brighty went on to become the club’s third and fourth-highest goalscorers in history.
Wright scored twice in extra time to secure Crystal Palace’s first major silverware: the Zenith Data Systems cup in 1991.
He would later be voted Palace’s Player of the Century – worth his weight in, well, weights.
7. John Charles – Leeds United to Juventus, 1957
During the late 19th century, a comparatively small number of British footballers sought to grow the game overseas, with some – like Herbert Kiplin at AC Milan, or Walter Wild at Barcelona – playing a part in establishing European clubs. But John Charles was arguably the first to enjoy major success as a player.
During nine years at Elland Road, the Welshman notched 154 goals: only Peter Lorimer has scored more in a Leeds United shirt. In 1957, he left Yorkshire for Turin, the fee almost double the previous British transfer record.
The forward ingratiated himself with the Juventus faithful immediately, scoring three winners in his first three games. The Gentle Giant would form the Holy Trident up top, alongside Omar Sivori and Giampiero Boniperti (the Italians love a nickname).
Three Serie A titles, two Coppa Italias, Juventus’ greatest import and one of our greatest exports.
6. Jimmy Greaves, AC Milan to Tottenham Hotspur
December 1961 marked a sliding doors moment for two London clubs.
Jimmy Greaves came through the ranks at Chelsea, scoring a frankly silly amount of goals from the age of just 17. By 21, he was already the Blues’ second-highest goalscorer in history.
After six years at the club, Greaves endured an unhappy stint at AC Milan, and was more than happy to be moving back to London before the end of the year. His former club had an initial offer accepted for his services – as did rivals Tottenham Hotspur.
A bidding war ensued, but Chelsea were ultimately unwilling to match Spurs’ offer, and Greaves would head to North London for £99,999.
With the prolific Greaves banging them in left, right and centre, Spurs won two FA Cups and a Cup Winners’ Cup. Jimmy himself would become the club’s top scorer of all time, only recently overtaken by Harry Kane.
Chelsea initially struggled without Greaves’ goals, until new manager Tommy Docherty moved young Bobby Tambling off the wing and into a strikers’ berth. Like Greaves, Tambling would write his name into club folklore, the club’s top scorer for almost 50 years.
5. Trevor Francis, Birmingham City to Nottingham Forest, 1979
The ultimate pub quiz question, Trevor Francis became the first seven-figure footballer in British football when he headed up the M42.
Brian Clough later said that Francis was signed for £999,999 to keep the price tag from going to his head, but in truth the fee eclipsed £1 million. Francis had scored 25 goals for Birmingham the previous season, and more than a goal a game during a summer spell stateside.
The forward bolstered Forest’s attack line as they pushed for a league and cup double. Though they would ultimately finish eight points behind Liverpool, Francis repaid much of that fee with a significant contribution in Europe.
Despite playing on the right wing – a position he would often find himself under Clough – he scored the only goal in Forest’s European Cup Final win over Malmo.
4. and 3., Osvaldo Ardiles and Ricardo Villa, Huracan to Tottenham Hotspur, 1978
English football is currently home to some of the best talent from across the globe, but this wasn’t always the case.
In 1978, all eyes were on Argentina as they lifted the World Cup on home turf. Spurs manager Keith Burkinshaw spotted a unique opportunity to snap up one of those winners, midfielder Osvaldo Ardiles. When Ardiles suggested that his friend was also available, a bid was quickly tabled for compatriot Ricardo Villa.
The pair had joined a Tottenham side that had only just returned to the top flight. Ardiles in particular went from lifting the world’s most coveted trophy in Buenos Aires to a 7-0 drubbing at Anfield in a few short months.
The Argentinian duo helped turn Spurs’ fortunes around, culminating in two FA Cup wins (though Ardiles missed the latter of those). The Falklands War hastened the departure of both players, though Ardiles returned from loan to help Spurs lift the UEFA Cup in 1984.
2. George Eastham, Newcastle United to Arsenal, 1960
A skilful winger, Eastham spent four years on Tyneside – but his next move would ultimately send shockwaves through the English football transfer system.
As part of his contract with Newcastle United, George was provided accommodation and a second job to circumvent the maximum wage, but his dissatisfaction with both led to a fallout between player and club.
During this period, the retain-and-transfer system meant that clubs could retain a player’s registration beyond the length of his contract, restricting his ability to move upon its expiry. Newcastle did just that, preventing Eastham from moving to Arsenal.
The player went on strike and United eventually relented, selling him for £47,500. With the backing of the PFA, Eastham took it further, suing the club for restraint of trade.
The High Court ruled that the retain aspect of the system was unreasonable, paving the way for reforms that gave players greater transfer freedom.
1. Stanley Matthews, Stoke City to Blackpool, 1947
“You’re 32, do you think you can make it for another couple of years?”
Blackpool manager Joe Smith knew he was getting a top quality winger in the short term, but vastly underestimated Stanley Matthews’ longevity.
A local legend at Stoke City, Matthews had lost some of his peak years to the Second World War. Strained relations between the winger and the board led to a transfer request, and Matthews opted to stay in the North West with the Seasiders.
With the support of Smith and a team built around him, the veteran excelled at Bloomfield Road. Stan’s exceptional conditioning and fitness allowed him to terrorise full-backs for far longer than his manager initially envisioned: so much so that Stoke City sought to bring him back home, though Smith vetoed any deal.
It proved to be an astute move. Matthews’ finest hour came the following year, spearheading Blackpool’s famous FA Cup Final comeback against Bolton Wanderers. Two goals down with 35 minutes left to play, the winger laid on two assists in a breathless 4-3 victory.
In doing so, Matthews had won his first medal at the age of 38.
Stanley didn’t slow down thereafter, defying his advancing years with top performances on the wing. He won the inaugural Ballon d’Or in 1956 – its first and comfortably oldest winner – and played for another six years thereafter.