Kevin Keegan's comments about Alan Shearer being the 'bargain of a lifetime' got the boys at givemefootball thinking (now there's a first) and here Editor Dave Smith and writers Ian Clarkson and Brian Beard give their verdict on the great bargain buy debate.
DAVE SMITH
Whilst I would never argue that Alan Shearer has given terrific value for money wherever he has played, even though Newcastle shelled out a record £15million for his services, I give credit to Sir Alex Ferguson for arguably the best piece of transfer business ever…the signing of Eric Cantona for a measly £1million.
Leeds United fans may still not appreciate Fergie's Elland Road raid, taking 'Eric Le Roi' over the Pennines to Manchester in the biggest steal since the Great Train Robbery, but what an inspired move it proved to be by the super shrewd United boss.
Cantona may have been perceived by some as something of a trouble-maker, an unsettling influence in the dressing room, but he was a talismanic figure without rival and, having helped Leeds to the last First Division title in 1992, he was undoubtably the catalyst behind the United revolution.
And even allowing for his well-documented misdemeanours at Selhurst Park he, more than anyone, was responsible for United's dominance in those early Premiership years - the undisputed king of Old Trafford; the best buy of all time.
MY TOP TEN BARGAIN BUYS
1. Eric Cantona - Leeds to Manchester United
2. Ian Rush - Chester to Liverpool
3. Roy Keane - Nott'm Forest to Manchester United
4. Kenny Dalglish - Celtic to Liverpool
5. Alan Shearer - Southampton-Blackburn/Blackburn-Newcastle
6. Thierry Henry - Juventus to Arsenal
7. David Seaman- QPR to Arsenal
8. Gianfranco Zola - Parma to Chelsea
9. Dennis Irwin - Oldham to Manchester United
10. Kevin Keegan - Doncaster to Scunthorpe
IAN CLARKSON
For me, Steve Bull is surely the bargain of all time. 'The Tipton Terror' was picked up by Wolves for something less than fifty grand, along with Robbie Dennison, from West Bromwich Albion in the late eighties. Dennison also gave sterling service to the Molineux club but Bull is a legend.
Here is a man who regularly turned down more lucrative offers from elsewhere to stick with club he cherished. His goals catapulted them into consecutive promotions from the Fourth to the Second Division (now First) where they have remained to this day.
He went on to become the club's record goalscorer, with an amazing 306 senior strikes (including another club record 18 hat-tricks), and he also made 14 appearances for England, despite playing outside the top flight, scoring four goals in the process - including one on his debut against Scotland at Hampden Park.
Bear in mind that when he arrived there wasn't the glamour tag that now surrounds Molineux as they were a ramshackle club on their knees but he alone guided them back to respectability and was a fantastic goalscorer the fans adored. Still do.
MY TOP TEN BARGAIN BUYS
1. Steve Bull - West Brom to Wolves
2. Cyrille Regis - Hayes to West Brom
3. Stuart Pearce - Coventry to Nott'm Forest
4. Gary McAllister - Coventry to Liverpool
5. Nigel Winterburn - Wimbledon to Arsenal
6. Steve Bould - Stoke to Arsenal
7. David Platt - Crewe to Aston Villa
8. Howard Kendall - Everton to Birmingham
9. Ian Rush - Chester to Liverpool
10. Steve Bruce - Norwich to Manchester United
BRIAN BEARD (an alternative view)
Trust 'he who must be obeyed' to blag the obvious modern-day bargains that turned out to be well worth the money, when it comes to drawing up a list of football's 'all- time bargain buys'. But hold on, I thought, don't come up with obstacles but hurdles, to overcome, so after delving into the old grey matter, how about some of the footballers who have been overlooked when it comes to this particular accolade.
Tony Book was signed from Plymouth Argyle, in 1964, by Manchester City for the grand sum of £17,000. Book was just one month short of his 30th birthday when he made his league debut for Argyle, the club he joined from non-league Bath City, and he was a fortnight shy of his 32nd birthday when he made his City debut in the 1-1 draw at Southampton that kicked off the club's start to the 1966-67 season.
Age was no deterrent to Tony who missed just one league game in his first two seasons at Maine Road. In 1968 he suffered an achilles tendon injury that looked to have ended his career but he bounced back to lift the FA Cup, as City skipper, when they beat Leicester City in 1969, the same season he was also voted Footballer of the Year. Book went on to win the European Cup Winners' Cup with City plus the League Cup, to go with his Second Division championship medal in 1966.
Colin Bell made his league debut for Bury, ironically, against the team for whom he would become a legend, Manchester City, in February 1964, aged just 17. The following season he was Bury's leading scorer and in March 1966 he signed for City, for £45,000, three days before making his debut in the 2-1 win at Derby County where, naturally, he scored.
Colin made 11 appearances in City's promotion that first season and his subsequent list of honours reflect the club's 'golden era'. He won the League Championship, the FA Cup, the League Cup and the European Cup Winners' Cup. Colin also won 48 England caps and his nickname, 'Nijinsky' is one of the most revered in football history and one of the most appropriate.
Former City boss Malcom Allison said of Bell: "He didn't seem to grasp his own freakish strength. He was the best, most powerful runner in the business." By the time a serious knee injury forced premature retirement in August 1979, Colin Bell had made 490 appearances for Manchester City and scored 152 goals.
Emlyn Hughes was a first team regular with Blackpool, his first club, while still a teenager and he was just 19 when Bill Shankly paid just £65,000 for him in 1967. His honours CV isn't that far short of the one belonging to my personal choice of the biggest bargain of all time (all will be revealed shortly).
Before Emlyn left Anfield he had played 657 first team games, scored 48 goals and won;
two European Cups (1977 and 1978) two UEFA Cups (1973 and 1976), four League Championship (1973, 1976, 1977 and 1979) as well as the 1974 FA Cup. Emlyn, irreverently known as 'Crazy Horse', completed his domestic trophy haul when he joined Wolves in 1979 and won the League Cup when his new team beat holders Nottingham Forest in the 1980 final.
This could have been a very long list because the epithet 'biggest bargain of all time' is very subjective. If the criterion was simply what a player won in football then Phil Neal would be the obvious candidate because Phil was, quite simply, the most decorated footballer in English football history.
He won EIGHT league titles with Liverpool, four consecutive League Cups, is the only Englishman to have played in FIVE European Cup Finals, four of which he won, and was a UEFA Cup winner in 1976, not to mention the losing finalist in domestic cup competitions and various Charity Shields.
Phil Neal also won 50 England caps and scored exactly 60 goals in his 635 Liverpool appearances between 1974 and 1986. Not bad for a full back who cost Liverpool just £66,000 when he joined them from Northampton Town.
In terms of honours that works out at just £3,882 per trophy or £103.93 pence per game and just to underline value for money Phil Neal, in ten seasons from 1975-76, missed just ONE league game. Little doubt in my mind that Phil was the 'biggest bargain of all time'.
WHAT DO YOU THINK?
You've read what our esteemed team of writers think (check out Mark Shail's top ten on this site), but who would be your choice as the bargain buy of all time. Send your selections, and your views, to smudger@givemefootball.com and we will publish your opinions later in the week.
