A list of the Premier League's 100 greatest bargains in history was recently compiled, and near the top is Bafana Bafana's very own Lucas Radebe, who was once considered among the best centre-backs in England. Here are the 10 best EPL bargains!
Click through the gallery above to see FourFourTwo's 10 best bargains in EPL history!
In today's climate, it is very rare to see a player leaving his club for less money than expected, but that is because £10 million back in the day was far different to what £10 million could get a club today.
Although we cannot compare transfer costs from the 1990s and early 2000s to what we are used to now, it does make for a fascinating read, and there are two players in the top 10 who have been bought in the past four years.
Featured at 10th position is current Manchester United interim manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, who joined the Red Devils for a small fee of £1.5 million in 1996. The Norwegian went on to give the club 11 years of service as a player, and, of course, it was he who scored the winning goal against Bayern Munich in the 1998/99 UEFA Champions League final.
Another United legend in Edwin van der Sar was named in the top 10, with the player joining the club for just £2 million 14 years ago. The Dutchman went on to become one of the league's greatest goalkeepers ever, winning four EPL titles with the Manchester club.
French stalwart Patrick Vieira cost Arsenal just £3.5 million in 1996, and went on to become one of the club's greatest players and captains in its history. A fan favourite from the start, Vieira would intimidate his opponents in the tackle, while he also had the skill to skip past them with the ball at his feet.
Former Leeds United skipper Radebe was named at fourth in the list, a remarkable achievement for the South African. The ex-Bafana Bafana defender is believed to have moved from Kaizer Chiefs to Leeds for just £50 000 (R876 000), a tiny fraction of what he would be worth today.
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Other high-profile names feature in the gallery, including N'Golo Kante – click through the gallery above to see the whole list!
Are you surprised to see any of these names in the gallery? Let us know in the comments section below.
