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League Two Record Transfers
Even though League Two might not be that famous for superstar players being bought or sold for huge sums of money, there have still been a couple of pretty big transfers over the years that warrant more than just a shout.
And interestingly enough, the first years of the new Millenium were quite the years for League Two and it was back then when records were both being set and broken almost every single year. But the player who still commands the top fee is Paulo Gazzaniga and he moved from Gillingham FC to Southampton up to the Premier League in the year of 2012.
Of course, it was an incredible upgrade for him and it meant that Gillingham would get a huge fee in return, £2.8m, breaking the previous record and setting the bar extremely high, so much so that it hasn’t been eclipsed just yet. But as fate would have it, we have another goalkeeper in second place as well.
Three years before Gazzaniga’s move, Notts County actually reversed the situation, buying a goalkeeper from the Premier League and bringing him down to the fourth tier. By now you already know that we are talking about Kasper Schmeichel’s move from Manchester City in 2009 for a reported sum of £1.5m.
Finally, Izale McLeod sits in third with his £1.4m departure to Charlton Athletic from Milton Keynes Dons, who are now actually in League One. It is also important to note that those are not necessarily the top three most expensive signings to date, but they are the most recent record-holders and when taking everything into consideration, we can say that they are quite impressive indeed.
Famous League Two Transfers
It probably goes without saying that both goalies we’ve mentioned earlier as record-breakers in League Two definitely deserve a shout as some of the most famous League Two transfers to date. Gazzaniga’s price tag probably won’t be surpassed any time soon and Schmeichel’s jump from the Premier League surely turned some heads along the way.
Of course, the fact that he would end up winning the Premier League further down the line when Leicester City did the unthinkable in the 2015/16 season just puts more importance to the transfer. But there are more.
Matt Grimes, for example, for whom Swansea City forked out £2m back in the 2014/15 campaign is surely one. And the same could be said for Ollie Watkins and his £1.8m switch to Brentford a couple of years down the line. It’s also interesting that they both departed Exeter City.
And do not forget that both Jamie Vardy and Joe Hart were transferred from League Two to Leicester and Man City respectively and they would end up staking their claim sooner rather than later.