TOP 15 Transfers from Serie A to the Premier League

Ever since Andrea Silenzi was signed by Nottingham Forest in 1995, there have been a large number of Italian players that have played in the English Premier League.

Some were massive success stories and some abject failures; for every Thierry Henry there has been a Corrado Grabb. In this post, we will rank the top fifteen transfers from Serie A to the Premier League based on trophies won and goals scored. This list contains a large range of nationalities but all were transferred directly from Serie A to the Premier League.

Chelsea stands out as the team that was most active in high profile transfers from Italy’s top flight, however, it was their London rivals Arsenal who signed, arguably, the top three signings with Dennis Bergkamp, Patrick Vieira and Thierry Henry joining the Gunners from

Serie A.

The mid-nineteen-nineties saw the start of the influx of celebrity footballers from Serie A to the Premier League. At that time Italy was the home of the most glamorous league in Europe and the Premier League was in its infancy. Although they were players of unquestionable quality, a lot of these early signings were players deemed past their prime, lured by the massive contracts the Premier League had to offer. This could be seen to have parallels to what is currently happening in the Saudi Pro League. During this time, Middelsboro’s signing of Fabrizio Ravanelli helped put the club on the map in their ill-fated season that saw them reach both English Cup finals and also suffering relegation from the Premier League. Chelsea signed a vast array of talent from Serie A in the nineteen-nineties with possibly the aging Ruud Gullit as the most recognisable stars at the time. Denis Bergkamp came to Arsenal after what was seen as an unsuccessful stint with Inter Milan when Bruce Rioch was the Arsenal boss; but it was his successor, Arsene Wenger, with his vast knowledge of French players that signed Henry and Viera, again two players not deemed as superstars in Italy, and who wrestled Premier League dominance from Manchester United.

Here are possibly the fifteen players signed from Seria A who had the most success in the Premier League, you may agree or disagree. This list is based on trophies won and goals scored.

Dennis Bergkamp (Inter Milan To Arsenal):
- Year of transfer: 1995
- Goals scored in the Premier League: 87
- Appearances in the Premier League: 315
- Trophies won with Arsenal: 3 Premier League titles, 4 FA Cups

Patrick Vieira (AC Milan To Arsenal):
- Year of transfer: 1996
- Goals scored in the Premier League: 31
- Appearances in the Premier League: 307
- Trophies won with Arsenal: 3 Premier League titles, 4 FA Cups

Thierry Henry (Juventus To Arsenal):
- Year of transfer: 1999
- Goals scored in the Premier League: 175
- Appearances in the Premier League: 2
- Trophies won with Arsenal: 2 Premier League titles, 3 FA Cups
- Mario Balotelli (Inter Milan To Manchester City):
  - Year of transfer: 2010
  - Goals scored in the Premier League: 30
  - Appearances in the Premier League: 80
  - Trophies won with Manchester City: 1 Premier League title, 1 FA Cup

Marcos Alonso (Fiorentina to Chelsea):
- Year of transfer: 2016
- Goals scored in the Premier League: 22 (as of the knowledge cutoff in September 2021)
- Appearances in the Premier League: 175 (as of the knowledge cutoff in September 2021)
- Trophies won with Chelsea: 1 Premier League title, 1 FA Cup, 1 UEFA Champions League

Roberto Di Matteo (Lazio To Chelsea):
- Year of transfer: 1996
- Goals scored in the Premier League: 26
- Appearances in the Premier League: 119
- Trophies won with Chelsea: 2 FA Cups, 1 League Cup, 1 UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup

Gianfranco Zola (Parma To Chelsea):
- Year of transfer: 1996
- Goals scored in the Premier League: 59
- Appearances in the Premier League: 229
- Trophies won with Chelsea: 2 FA Cups, 1 UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup

Ruud Gullit (Sampdoria To Chelsea):
- Year of transfer: 1995
- Goals scored in the Premier League: 25
- Appearances in the Premier League: 68
- Trophies won with Chelsea: 1 FA Cup, 1 League Cup, 1 UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup

Gianluca Vialli (Juventus To Chelsea):
- Year of transfer: 1996
- Goals scored in the Premier League: 40
- Appearances in the Premier League: 83
- Trophies won with Chelsea: 1 FA Cup, 1 League Cup, 1 UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup

Marcel Desailly (AC Milan To Chelsea):
- Year of transfer: 1998
- Goals scored in the Premier League: 7
- Appearances in the Premier League: 156
- Trophies won with Chelsea: 1 FA Cup, 1 UEFA Super Cup

Cristiano Ronaldo (Juventus to Manchester United):
- Year of transfer: 2003
- Goals scored in the Premier League: 19
- Appearances in the Premier League: 40
- Trophies won after transfer: 0

Faustino Asprilla (Parma To Newcastle):
- Year of transfer: 1996
- Goals scored in the Premier League: 18
- Appearances in the Premier League: 48
- Trophies won with Newcastle: None

Fabrizio Ravanelli (Juventus To Middlesbrough):
- Year of transfer: 1996
- Goals scored in the Premier League: 16
- Appearances in the Premier League: 34
- Trophies won with Middlesbrough: None

Attilio Lombardo (Juventus To Crystal Palace):
- Year of transfer: 1997
- Goals scored in the Premier League: 4
- Appearances in the Premier League: 31
- Trophies won with Crystal Palace: None
Edwin Van Der Sar (Juventus To Fulham):
- Year of transfer: 2001
- Goals scored in the Premier League: None (as a goalkeeper)
- Appearances in the Premier League for Fulham: 127
- Trophies won with Fulham: None

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by Reggie Spelman

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