In light of Darren Bent's transfer from Sunderland to Aston Villa for a fee of £18 million, possibly rising to a whopping £24 million, I thought it would be apt to have a look at the transfers that have shocked the football world over the years.

It is a rare occasion when a transfer makes you stand up and take notice these days given the amount of money that Premier League clubs spend every season, but it does happen every now and then and when it does it comes as even more of a shock.

There are occasions when players sign for one of their club’s fierce rivals, when great players go to so-called small clubs and when the game’s giants plump for a little-known player. All of these are featured in our list of the TOP TEN transfers that shocked football...