1997: Arsenal sign Overmars and Petit
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger completed the signings of Marc Overmars and Emmanuel Petit.
Overmars, a winger, arrived from Ajax, two years after winning the UEFA Champions League with the Dutch club.
Central midfielder Petit signed from Wenger’s former club Monaco.
Both players were pivotal in Arsenal’s first Premier League title triumph that season.
Overmars scored 12 goals in 32 PL matches during 1997/98, while Petit also featured 32 times and scored twice.
They also won the FA Cup that season, while Petit scored in the 1998 FIFA World Cup final as France beat Brazil 3-0 to win the trophy.
2011: Demba Ba joins Newcastle United
Newcastle United signed Senegalese forward Demba Ba from West Ham United.
Ba had scored seven goals in 12 matches for the Hammers in the second half of 2010/11, and he continued his fine scoring form at St James’ Park.
He found the net 29 times in 54 Premier League matches for Newcastle across one-and-a-half seasons.
Sixteen of those came in his debut campaign for the Magpies, as they finished fifth in the Premier League.
He left Newcastle for Chelsea midway through the 2012/13 season.
