Considering his impact on the Premier League, it's hard to imagine that at one point, Andy/Andrew Cole was a major gamble when Kevin Keegan signed him from Bristol City. He had scored 20 goals for City during the 1992-93 season, but £1.75m - a club record at the time - was a massive amount of money even in that context. But Keegan and Newcastle were immediately rewarded: he scored 12 goals in as many games at the end of the 1992/93 season and helped fire the Magpies into the Premier League at a canter. The next season belonged to the pacey former Arsenal striker, as he scored 34 league goals in 40 games - on the way to a stunning 81% goal rate overall from his 84 games. He was sublimely talented, with unbelievable natural finishing ability and the knack for creating goals out of nothing, and even without the Entertainers behind him, it's hard to imagine he'd ever have had a dry spell. Ultimately when he was sold it was a dark day for Newcastle, but it did help lead to one of the brightest transfer stories of all time...
