7 title-winning signings made by reigning Premier League champions: Haaland, Keane…
Chelsea, Manchester City and Manchester United all made key signings as Premier League champions that allowed them to retain their title.
The 2024-25 champions Liverpool are attempting to replicate the feat, having signed Florian Wirtz, Jeremie Frimpong and Milos Kerkez already this summer.
We’ve picked out seven signings that were key to the reigning Premier League champions retaining their crown the following season.
Erling Haaland
After winning the league without a recognised striker in 2021-22, a culmination of Pep Guardiola’s wildest fantasies, Manchester City broke the bank to sign Erling Haaland.
The official fee was £50million, but the real figure is closer to £200million once wages and agent fees are accounted for.
Haaland was sensational in his debut season, scoring 36 Premier League goals and 52 in all competitions as City won the treble.
His effectiveness has dimmed since, despite the continued avalanche of goals, and questions have been asked about whether City would be more effective without Haaland.
But that’s a fool’s errand. The game is more direct than five years ago and Haaland is the best goalscorer in world football. No wonder City have tied him to a 10-year contract.
Carlos Tevez
The goals of Wayne Rooney and Cristiano Ronaldo fired Manchester United to the title in 2007, but Ferguson still sought to increase the firepower at his disposal.
That arrived in the form of Tevez, fresh from helping West Ham avoid certain relegation.
Though United fans might not like to admit it following his departure across Manchester two years later, Tevez was truly brilliant for a while.
In 2007-08, alongside Ronaldo and Rooney, Tevez was part of the finest attacking line-up Old Trafford has seen since the Holy Trinity of Denis Law, George Best and Bobby Charlton.
United lifted the Premier League and Champions League trophies and their forward trio bagged 79 goals between them.
Roy Keane
If Blackburn had filed their paperwork properly and Kenny Dalglish had not swanned off on holiday, United would’ve signed nobody to defend their maiden Premier League title in 1993.
Instead, Keane ditched a move to Ewood Park for a £3.75million transfer to Old Trafford and the rest is history.
Michael Essien
Chelsea are the only non-Manchester club to have won successive Premier League titles, achieving the feat in 2005 and 2006 under Jose Mourinho.
After romping to their first league title in 50 years, the Blues made the ill-fated signings such as Asier Del Horno and Shaun Wright-Phillips.
Happily, they also acquired Essien for a fee of £24.4million from Lyon. A club-record signing, but one worth shelling out for.
READ: A tribute to Michael Essien, Chelsea’s man for all things and all seasons
Riyad Mahrez
After strolling to the title in 2018, City only made a single signing in the summer window. But it was a doozy.
Mahrez was signed from Leicester for a fee of £60million and scored 78 goals and assisted 59 across five seasons at the Etihad, winning 10 trophies that included a Treble and seasonal domestic sweep.
Despite this relentless output, the Algerian is strangely underrated. Perhaps his erratic penalty taking has coloured the memory of a wonderful player.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer
Signed alongside fellow Norwegian Ronny Johnsen for a combined £2.75million, Solskjaer became a Manchester United legend and future managerial fall guy.
United paid £1.5million for 366 games, 126 goals – including one in 1999 that you might remember – and the never-ending loyalty of a true devotee.
Josko Gvaridol
Gvardiol took time to adapt to the Premier League following his move to City in 2023, but soon added increased positional intelligence and an attacking edge to his game.
The £77million signing from RB Leipzig was transformed by Pep Guardiola, who signed him as a dominant centre-back and turned him into a powerful, goal-scoring left-back.
His three goals at the end of the 2023-24 campaign helped City overhaul Arsenal and win their fourth successive Premier League title.
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