#4 Nicolas Anelka
It’s wild to think of Nicolas Anelka as any kind of bargain – the French striker ended up being one of football’s all-time most expensive players when you add together the cumulative value of his transfers, but his first move – to Arsenal back in 1997 – was the definition of a bargain. He didn’t even cost a million, moving from Paris St. Germain for just £500,000.
Just 17 at the time, chances for the French youngster were limited at first as Ian Wright was still banging goals in for fun at Highbury, but once 1997/98 rolled around, Anelka got his opportunity. Wright picked up a serious hamstring injury that ruled him out for most of 1998, and Anelka stepped in and played an integral part in Arsenal winning the Premier League and FA Cup, scoring in the cup final and netting 9 goals.
By 1998/99 he was clearly Arsenal’s top frontman and ended up their leading scorer with 19, and he was voted PFA Young Player of the Year too. From there on he made a controversial move to Real Madrid – costing the Spaniards £22m, which meant Arsenal made a crazy profit.
The rest is history. Anelka ended up moving to the likes of PSG, Liverpool, Manchester City and Chelsea, usually for huge fees. Though he only spent two seasons at Arsenal, the fact that they paid so little for him makes him an all-time bargain buy.
