Match of the Day Top 10 podcast: Lineker, Shearer & Richards rank Premier League transfer shocks

We all remember a time when a transfer was announced and we gasped.

Gary Lineker, Alan Shearer and Micah Richards have been discussing the Premier League transfers that generated the most headlines, and prompted the most shock, in the latest Match of the Day: Top 10 podcast.

To hear how they made their final selections, make sure you listen to the podcast on BBC Sounds and you can rank yours at the bottom of the page too.

• Listen to Match of the Day Top 10: Transfer headlines & shock transfers

Robin van Persie from Arsenal to Man Utd (Richards: 9th, Shearer 9th)

Netherlands striker Van Persie moved from Arsenal to Manchester United for £24m in 2012. Van Persie had scored 132 goals in 278 games for Arsenal, but only won the FA Cup.

Shearer: I understood the pull. I can imagine he was slightly disappointed that Sir Alex Ferguson left after just one season of his time at United. What a decision, though - he won the Golden Boot and title in his first season, that justifies it.

Lineker: It was odd that Arsenal let him leave, and for Manchester United. The Arsenal fans were livid.

Richards: It was odd, but I think he'd done everything he possibly could at Arsenal. Kolo Toure, Emmanuel Adebayor and Gael Clichy all left to join Manchester City, and going to Manchester United, he wasn't guaranteed to win anything. But Arsenal weren't improving their team as quickly as he wanted them too.

Raheem Sterling from Liverpool to Man City (Richards: 8th, Shearer 7th)

Raheem Sterling joined Manchester City from Liverpool for £44m in 2015. Sterling, who was only 20 when he left Anfield, scored 23 goals in 129 games for the Reds, and has gone on to score 113 more in 285 games for Manchester City. He has won six major trophies, including two Premier League titles, since making the move.

Lineker: It was a very brave move, but he has certainly proved himself. What a player. He has shown how mentally tough he is because he was getting pelters from all sides about this move, but he has stood up and delivered.

Richards: He is a top player, but I do think he still has another level that he could go to. He does that run from left to right better than anyone I've seen before. If he was a bit more clinical, he could get 20-30 goals every season. I'm his biggest fan.

Shearer: I don't think finishing has ever been natural to him, but he has worked at it and he has improved massively. He has gone to a different level since joining Manchester City.

Andy Cole from Newcastle to Man Utd (Richards: 7th, Shearer 6th)

In January 1995, Andy Cole left Newcastle for Manchester United in a deal worth £7m - £6m in cash and £1m-rated Keith Gillespie going the other way. Cole had scored 68 goals in 84 games for the Magpies and went on to notch another 121 in 275 games for the Reds. He won eight major trophies in Manchester, including the Treble in 1999.

Shearer: It was such a surprise because of the relationship that he had with Peter Beardsley and the number of goals that he was scoring. It was big money at the time, and you never know if the manager was told 'you've got to sell him', or 'it is too good to turn down'. He was a natural goalscorer.

Andy Carroll from Newcastle to Liverpool (Richards: 4th, Shearer 8th)

Andy Carroll moved from Newcastle to Liverpool for £35m on deadline day in January 2011. The fee at the time was a record for a British player, but Carroll struggled at Anfield, only scoring 11 goals in 58 games.

Shearer: This was a big surprise. It was ironic that he was injured when he signed for Liverpool - he couldn't play for four or five weeks. When you sit down and have a pint with Kenny Dalglish he will always say that Liverpool spent the money they got for Fernando Torres wisely because they got Carroll and Luis Suarez. His body has stopped him - he just doesn't have one that is designed to play regular first-team football.

Lineker: He was a handful in his prime, and could score goals, and was a technically good player. But, he just doesn't play, he gets too many injuries.

Richards: He was a good player. I played with him for England Under-21s and he was always a special player. He just gave you something different, another option, and you could trust him and he would work hard.

He is horrible to play against because his arms are everywhere. I think he does deliberately try to do people, but not in a nasty way, if that makes sense. When he is up there, he knows how to protect himself. I could always play against him because I had pace; he would always win the first ball, so there was no point trying. He was better than people give him credit for.

Carlos Tevez from Man Utd to Man City (Richards: 6th, Shearer 5th)

Carlos Tevez left Manchester United for their neighbours Manchester City in 2009. The Argentine went on to score 73 goals in 148 games for City, and was part of the team that won the FA Cup in 2011 and Premier League in 2012.

Richards: Oh, wow. What a player! For all-round ability, he is above Sergio Aguero, who is more of a natural goalscorer. Tevez had more to his game; he could link the play and play anywhere in the front three positions. He worked a lot harder than anyone else. His attitude was great - he didn't speak to anyone in training. He had the skills, he could nutmeg people, he had absolutely everything. He had that spell on leave from the club in 2011-12, but if he hadn't come back that season, I don't think Manchester City would have won the league.

Shearer: I would never say that about Tevez and Aguero - from the outside, that is a big call.

Carlos Tevez & Javier Mascherano to West Ham (Richards: 10th, Shearer 1st)

West Ham signed the Argentina pair of Carlos Tevez and Javier Mascherano in 2006. The fee was undisclosed with the players' rights reportedly still owned a third party, in breach of Premier League rules. There was further drama as the Hammers secured Premier League survival on the final day in 2007 at the expense of Sheffield United, who then pursued legal action. The Hammers were fined £5.5m, and ended up paying the Blades £20m in compensation. Both players only spent one year at the club, with Tevez moving to Manchester United and Mascherano joining Liverpool.

Shearer: This deal absolutely stank. They were unbelievable players, and the careers that they turned out to have. It is number one for me because it just didn't look right. It was the way it was done, they didn't announce the fees, and I'm not sure Alan Pardew knew a great deal about it. It caused such a reaction within football.

Richards: Part-owning players is a great way of doing it, especially for young players. I just didn't think it made that many headlines to warrant being higher up the list.

Sol Campbell from Tottenham to Arsenal (Richards: 1st, Shearer 10th)

Sol Campbell left Tottenham for north London rivals Arsenal on a free transfer in 2001. Campbell was the Spurs captain and had made 315 appearances for the club, but moved across London and won two league titles and two FA Cups under Arsene Wenger.

Shearer: Was it just huge waves in north London or everywhere? It doesn't happen often, but if you know Sol, you'd know that if there was one player it wouldn't affect or who wouldn't care what other people think, it would be him. He had a 'so what' attitude. He perhaps didn't understand what he was doing by moving to a rival. It is a good attitude to have, because no matter what you do, you're going to get criticised in football at some stage.

I didn't mind playing against him, to be honest. I thought I could take him where I wanted to take him and I felt like I was always in control.

Richards: I got the news in Leeds! He was the captain of Spurs and went to their rivals. I could understand if it was for £20-30m, but on a free transfer?

It was the way that they announced it too, with just a few reporters in the room, it wasn't great. It was awful, to be honest. He left his side in the lurch, and I lost a little bit of respect for him when he did that.

I looked up to him massively. I thought he was undervalued as a player, but this was a disgusting thing to do. I do understand it from his point of view, though.

Fernando Torres from Liverpool to Chelsea (Richards: 5th, Shearer 3rd)

Fernando Torres left Liverpool to join Chelsea on deadline day in the January 2011 window. The Spaniard had scored 81 goals in 142 games for the Merseyside club, but had failed to win a trophy. Although he did win the Champions League and FA Cup double in 2012, Torres was less successful in front of goal at Stamford Bridge, scoring 45 times in 172 games.

Lineker: It wasn't really the fact that he moved, it was the fact he stopped being Torres when he got to Chelsea.

Shearer: I always wondered about that - whether he was injured, or whether he had a problem before he went to Chelsea. He had moments at Chelsea, but he was nowhere near the levels of his Liverpool days, when he was an unbelievable player.

Richards: I couldn't get anywhere near him. He was fast, intelligent and stronger than you think. He had everything and I thought that Chelsea would be a perfect move for him.

Ashley Cole from Arsenal to Chelsea (Richards: 3rd, Shearer 4th)

Left-back Ashley Cole joined Chelsea from Arsenal for £5m in 2006. That's only half the story, though. Cole was found guilty of approaching Chelsea about a move, without informing Arsenal, and was fined £100,000. He then attacked Arsenal in his autobiography, and earned the nickname 'Cashley'. He won eight major trophies at Chelsea, including the Champions League and Europa League.

Shearer: Didn't he get pictured in a secret meeting in a hotel or restaurant with his agent and Jose Mourinho? What a player he was. He had a nasty streak to him as well. He wouldn't mind putting his foot in.

Lineker: You see a lot of top players who don't deliver in major tournaments, but he did. He was always consistently good for England. He was also the one player who could play against Cristiano Ronaldo.

Eric Cantona from Leeds to Man Utd (Richards: 2nd, Shearer 2nd)

France striker Eric Cantona joined Manchester United from Leeds United for £1.2m in 1992. He won nine trophies during a five-year stay, and scored 82 goals in 185 appearances for the club.

Richards: You can't go from Leeds to Manchester United! Cantona was a proper player. I watched him when I was growing up and he was fantastic. When you are growing up, you want to see a bit of personality and that is what I liked most.

Shearer: I don't think anyone could have predicted what Cantona would bring to Manchester United - the arrogance, the swagger, the ability. If you are going to have that arrogance, you've got to have the ability - and he did. He took it to a different level with not caring about anyone else. He got away with more than any other player too, according to Steve Bruce.

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