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You can't help but love a weird transfer move that takes everyone by surprise and the world of football certainly shocks fans on occasions. Some stars have left behind the top teams in the world to join unknown clubs that will pay them an incredible wage-packet and some players have taken everyone by surprise by joining a team in the lower spectrum of the footballing world. Sometimes fans can't believe their luck when one of the superstars of world football joins their side. But which weird transfers have stood out the most? Here's 10 of the best:
#1 Hugh McLeanahan
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During the beginning of the early stages of the game, 1928, to be precise, this was a transfer from from Stockport to Manchester United. Guess what? You’d probably guess something around 200k – 300k pounds right? No, you’re absolutely incorrect. He was just bought for a freezer full of Ice Cream by Manchester United.
Having heard that Stockport were holding a bazaar to ease their financial difficulties, United's assistant manager Louis Rocca, whose family ran a successful ice cream business in the Newton Heath district of the city, donated a freezer full of ice cream to the event in exchange for Stockport releasing McLenahan from his contract. That’s pretty amusing.
#2 Ian Wright
A Crystal Palace talent scout, Peter Prentice, happened to see Wright playing for Greenwich Borough and invited him to have a trial at Selhurst park. In the summer of 1985, Wright was transferred from Greenwhich Borough to Crystal Palace. He was bought by Crystal Palace just for a set of weights.
Yes, you heard it right. Wright scored 117 goals in 253 starts and 24 substitute appearances over six seasons for The Eagles in all competitions, making him the club's record post-war goalscorer and third on the all-time list. Probably, those set of weights were more than a bargain after all. A future move to Arsenal followed,
#3 Franco Di Santo
Di Santo had a mixed time in England.
Chelsea was his first club in England, who thought they had seen something in Di Santo, though unfortunately, he could not cement a first place and loan moves to Blackburn and Wigan followed.
While he was tipped to be the next big thing, many Wigan fans would have gladly traded him back to Chelsea for his original transfer fee. When Di Santo's professional career began at Chilean side Audex Italiano, Audex were probably more than surprised when Di Santo's local side drew out their demands, of two goal nets and 40 litres of paint.
#4 Ernie Blenkinsop
Blenkinsop was actually quite the star back in his day. The left back is a Sheffield Wednesday legend and has 26 caps for England to his name. But Ernie is probably more well known in modern day football for the transfer fee that Cudworth were really happy to accept.
In 1921 he was signed by Hull City, and the transfer fee was reported to be £100 and a barrel of beer for his team-mates. After two seasons and only 11 first-team appearances for Hull City, he was spotted by Sheffield Wednesday boss Bob Bown whilst playing in a reserve fixture as a forward.
Brown liked what he saw and promptly took him from East to South Yorkshire in 1922. They probably celebrated like kings that night.
#5 Zat Knight
When the world was just entering to 2000, you could expect some improvement in economy of football. But it wasn’t so. Zat Knight transferred to Fulham from Rushall Olympic in 1999, for just 30 tracksuits.
The then Fulham owner, Mohamed Al Fayed sent the club, these tracksuits as a gesture of thanks, as Knight was not What a strange transfer fee. Knight would go on to make a name for himself at Fulham, staying at the club for 6 years, and had regularly been touted as one of England’s top centre-backs.
However, Knight would eventually leave for Aston Villa in 2007.
#6 Ion Radu
Having been relegated from the Romanian top flight in 1998, CS Jiul Petrosani found themselves both struggling financially and overburdened with players. Unfortunately trying to shift those players to raise real cash proved tricky for Petrosani, but that didn’t mean that they were out of options.
The club’s chairman took the novel approach of selling midfielder Ion Radu to Chimia Ramnicu Valcea, recently relegated to the Romanian Fourth Division, in exchange for two tonnes of beef and pork.
The meat, the chairman stated, could then be sold to pay the wages of the rest of the Petrosani team. Whether Radu was really worth that huge heap of butcher’s produce is kind of debatable as Valcea continued to struggle both in football terms and in raising non-meat based funds.
#7 Gary Pallister
Pallister won a lot of trophies with Manchester United who had to break the national record transfer fee for a defender to sign him from Middlesbrough.
It was his excellent defensive displays that helped Manchester United to the numerous leagues titles, and along with Steve Bruce at the heart of the defence, formed one of the best central defensive partnerships in the club's history.
But before all this, Middlesbrough had to pay a lot less to acquire him, when picking him up from non-league Billingham – reportedly a few kits, a ball and a goal net. How much do United need a centre-back of Gary Pallister’s calibre now.
#8 Collins John
Another player that was tipped for big things, but never really managed to get going. The ex-Fulham man is now playing in the Polish second division. He was transferred to FC Twente from DES Nijverdal for a few encloypedias.
The books weren't for DES Nijverdal though, they were actually for the local school. As a 17-year old, he went on to score 11 league goals during one-and-a-half seasons combined, at Twente and earned himself a move to Fulham, to expand attacking options. He was introduced at Craven Cottage by John Collins, his reverse namesake.
#9 John Barnes
In his time, Barnes was probably one of the most complete footballers around. But before he worked his way up and played for the likes of Liverpool and Newcastle United, he was an unknown gem at Watford, originally plucked from non-league Sudbury Court by Graham Taylor for a new set of kits.
After helping Watford reach the semi-final of the 1987 FA Cup, speculation mounted as to which big club would eventually sign him, till Liverpool came knocking on the door.
He also represented England 79 times, the last being in 1995. On the basis of this, the fee paid in the form of a kit, turned out to be one of the bargains of the century.
#10 Kenneth Kristensen
The prawn sandwich brigade must have had a ball when they heard about this transfer.
The very specific demands and pure oddness of the fee make the Norwegian striker the strangest transfer ever. Kristensen was forced to step on a set of scales to determine the exact amount of shrimp that the deal would involve.
It was 75kg/165lbs if you were wondering. Only then was Kristensen officially a Floey player.
A transfer from Vindbjart to Floey took place thereafter. Unfortunately, Kristensen was never linked with Southend United, which would have surely been the ultimate romance.
