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Player transfers are a big deal now. While Gareth Bale was the first footballer whose transfer fee broke the three-figure mark, there are multiple others who go for exorbitant amounts, as clubs go to any lengths to stay competitive and sign the best talent in the market.
The selling clubs have to be satisfied, the players have to be paid their inflated wages, and agents have to be kept happy, as outlays for transfers increase by the day.
However, what about the times when transfers were, to put it mildly, cheaper and easier done? Here are the 10 most bizarre transfer fees paid by clubs to obtain a player.
10. Collins John
In the early 2000s, such was the influence of midfielder John Collins at Fulham, that the club decided to buy a youngster called Collins John, in the hope that the Dutch namesake would prove to be at least half as good as the Scot.
However, while John was signed by the Premier League side for £600,000, his previous transfer from DES Nijverdal to FC Twente came a bit cheaper, as he was bought for a set of encyclopaedias that Nijverdal gave a secondary school in the area.
9. Giuliano Grazioli
In 1997, Stevenage were interested in Wembley FC striker Grazioli, but were not willing to pay over the odds for the half-Italian, half-Englishman.
However, doing transfer business that Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy would be proud of, the striker was signed for three Mars bars and a packet of crisps. Grazioli’s signature proved to be sweet indeed, as one of his more memorable goals came in the FA Cup against a Newcastle United team that had among its ranks Alan Shearer, whose transfer fee of £15 million had broken the world record at that time.
8. Kenneth Kristensen
Kenneth Kristensen might have been making waves in the Norwegian third division around the early 2000s, but little did he know that he was to be sold for objects that also had a connection to the sea.
His club Vindbjart made a deal with rivals Floey to sell Kristensen for shrimps totalling to the body weight of the striker. Therefore, Vindbjart lost their star striker, but at least had around 75 kilograms of sea food to show for it.
7. Zat Knight
Zat Knight has played for the England national team, and for clubs of the stature of Fulham, Aston Villa and Bolton Wanderers. However, little would people know that he was once pawned off for a few tracksuits.
In truth, Knight did move to Fulham on a free transfer, but while the Cottagers were not required to pay Rushall Olympic anything, then-chairman Mohamed Al-Fayed showed his generosity by handing over 30 tracksuits to the non-league club.
6. John Barnes
John Barnes had a storied football career, becoming a Liverpool legend during his 10 years at the club, and also making 79 appearances for the English national team. He won 2 First Division league titles and 2 more FA Cups, and was the PFA Players’ Player of the Year in 1988.
However, when he was 17, he caught the eye of Watford while on trial, which led to then-manager Graham Taylor making a move for the youngster who was playing for Sudbury Court.
However, instead of doling out the exorbitant amounts that a club would have to for a wonderkid in this day and age, a set of kits was enough to please Sudbury, who allowed Barnes a move to Vicarage Road.
5. Gary Pallister
Pallister is best-known for his stint with Manchester United, where he won 4 Premier League titles, 3 FA Cups, 1 League Cup, 5 Charity Shields, 1 UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup, and 1 UEFA Super Cup.
However, his career did have more humble beginnings, as he moved from Billingham to Middlesbrough for nothing more than some kits, a ball and a goal net, presumably things that Middlesbrough wanted to dispose of anyway.
Things however changed for Pallister soon, as Manchester United snapped him up for £2.3 million in 1989, which at the time became the British record for the highest fees paid for a defender. A good deal for Middlesbrough, then!
4. Ernie Blenkinsop
Oh, the good old days. When some money in hand and lager were enough to keep one happy. There was no squabbling over agent fees and multi-million dollar signatures, as clubs prioritised on the better things in life.
So as Ernie Blenkinsop, a player who went on to make 26 appearances for England, was snapped up by Hull City from Cudworth, the selling club got in return not wads of cash that they could spend on a replacement, but about £100 and a barrel of beer, with the latter probably helping the team get over the loss of the left-back.
3. Ian Wright
Ian Wright was a legend for Crystal Palace and Arsenal, signing with the Gunners for a then-club record fee of £2.5 million. However, credit must be given to Steve Coppell, who while managing Palace got a great deal for the striker.
Playing for Greenwich Borough, Wright was showing a lot of promise, and while Coppell wanted to sign the youngster, he also wanted to play hardball in terms of transfer fees. He eventually succeeded, as Wright moved to Selhurst Park for a princely fee that was a set of weights.
2. Marius Cioara
While UT Arad are no strangers to weird transfers (check number 1 to find out why), they really outdid themselves while selling defender Marius Cioara.
While suitors Regal Hornia were in no mood to pay up for Cioara, Arad wanted at least a good meal out of the whole ordeal, and therefore were able to get their hands on 15 kilograms of pork sausages from the buying team for their Romanian player.
However, things got a little tricky when Cioara, understandably peeved, decided to retire just one day after moving to his new sausage-selling team. Quite ironically, he decided to become a farmer, while Hornia, who were left without food for their team as well as a new player, demanded UT Arad for their sausages back.
1. Liviu Baicea and Ion Radu
Known for the eccentric, Romanian club Jiul Petrosani had not one but two such bizarre transfers under their name, as they sold the pair of Liviu Baicea and Ion Radu for 10 footballs and two tons of meat, respectively.
Probably seeing a scarcity in playing equipment and being too lazy to go buy them, the club handed over Baicea to UT Arad in return for 10 footballs, while Radu was sold to Valcea, quite literally, like a piece of meat. The club got in return two tons of it, with their president claiming that they would sell the meat and then pay for the other players’ salaries.
