2001: Chelsea sign Frank Lampard
Frank Lampard completed his transfer from West Ham United to Chelsea, and went on to become one of the Blues’ greatest players.
The England international had made 148 Premier League appearances for West Ham after coming through their Academy, and he instantly became an integral part of Chelsea’s midfield.
Lampard helped Chelsea win their first three PL titles, being named Premier League Player of the Season in 2004/05, and he also one the UEFA Champions League among other honours in 13 years at Stamford Bridge.
He went on to become Chelsea’s club-record top goalscorer, helped by scoring 10+ goals in 10 successive league campaigns.
Lampard finished his PL career at Manchester City in 2014/15, and ended with 177 PL goals, the most by a midfielder, in 609 appearances.
2006: Joleon Lescott joins Everton
Everton signed 23-year-old defender Joleon Lescott from Wolverhampton Wanderers.
The centre-back racked up more than 200 appearances for Wolves, and became a key figure at Goodison Park.
Lescott played all but two of Everton’s matches in his three full seasons with the club. He scored 14 goals during that time, including eight in 2007/08 as he was named their Player of the Season.
He moved to Manchester City in August 2009 and went on to win two Premier League titles at the Etihad Stadium.