Johannesburg – With the weekend’s Champions League final ending the 2021/2022 club football season in Europe, attention now turns to the summer transfer window, which officially opens in June.
As transfer news continues to gain traction across the globe, Betting.com has compiled a list of the Premier League players who have been transferred the most between "Big Six" sides.
The traditional Big Six clubs are Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur.
Nicolas Anelka – four clubs
French forward, Nicolas Anelka, has played for more Big Six Premier League teams than any other footballer. During his career, he wore the shirts of Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester City.
During his Premier League career, which also included spells at Bolton Wanderers and West Bromwich Albion, he appeared on the pitch 364 times, scoring 125 goals and getting 48 assists.
The prolific striker was described as a classy and quick player, with good aerial ability, technique and shooting skill. Now retired, it is clear that Anelka's career was extraordinarily successful – it was celebrated in the 2020 Netflix documentary, Anelka: Misunderstood.
Daniel Sturridge – three clubs
England forward Daniel Sturridge has been a fan favourite in the Premier League for multiple clubs, wearing the shirts of Manchester City and Chelsea, before spending a total of six years at Liverpool.
With a total of 218 Premier League appearances, Sturridge scored 76 goals and claimed 21 assists in his gleaming top flight career. Like Anelka, Sturridge’s only other non-Big Six clubs in the Premier League were Bolton Wanderers and West Bromwich Albion.
However, the striker was issued a four-month ban from the game for breaching gambling regulations. Upon his return to the game, the 32-year-old now represents A-League club Perth Glory.
Kolo Toure – three clubs
To date, the former Ivory Coast international, Kolo Toure, has the most Premier League appearances of any African footballer – 353 in total. Appearing for Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester City, he is one of only eight players to have won the Premier League with two clubs – Arsenal and Manchester City.
Touré is also the second most-capped player for the Ivory Coast men’s national team, with 120 international appearances between 2000 and 2015.After a glittering career, Toure has moved into coaching and is currently the first team coach at Premier League club, Leicester City.
William Gallas – three clubs
Former French international footballer, William Gallas, has played for all three of the London-based Big Six sides, Arsenal, Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur. With 321 Premier League appearances under his belt, the defender has also scored an impressive 25 goals.
Spending four years with Arsenal, he was the North London club’s captain for nearly half that time, all while wearing the number 10 shirt – a number that is traditionally unheard of for a defender.
Yossi Benayoun – three clubs
Spending eight seasons in England’s top flight, Israelian midfielder Yossi Benayoun enjoyed spells with Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool – as well as West Ham – totalling 194 appearances, plus 31 goals and 22 assists.
The attacking midfielder was also the first player to score hat-tricks in the Premier League, UEFA Champions League and FA Cup for the same club (Liverpool) against Burnley, Beşiktaş J.K. and Havant & Waterlooville.
The former Premier League favourite played the final game of his career in 2019, on the day before his 39th birthday – representing Beitar Jerusalem, where he now works as the Israeli club’s sporting director.
Emmanuel Adebayor – three clubs
As one of only four Togolese footballers to have played in the Premier League, Emmanuel Adebayor made 242 appearances in England's top flight between 2006 and 2016, scoring 97 goals in the process. The talismanic striker wore the shirts of three Big Six sides, Manchester City, Arsenal and their arch-rivals Tottenham Hotspur. He also enjoyed a short spell at Crystal Palace.
Adebayor always made sure to embrace any controversy. When scoring for Manchester City against his former Arsenal side, he infamously ran the length of the pitch to celebrate in front of the understandably furious Arsenal supporters.