The ‘Holy Trinity’ of George Boyd, Craig Mackail-Smith and Aaron Mclean are prime examples, but they don’t all work out quite so well.
Here are a selection of good and bad signings from the non-league game. We’ve ignored the aforementioned Trinity as they’ve had millions of words written about them over the years, and also only included players who were signed direct from non-league clubs.
Can you think of any we have missed out?
17. GOOD - JACK TAYLOR
Posh paid Barnet £500k for this midfielder in January 2020 and it was money well spent. Big player in the Posh promotion that season and went on to score 22 goals in almost 140 appearances before joining Ipswich Town for a reported £1.5 million. Photo: Joe Dent
18. BAD - ASHLEY VICKERS (blue, highest).
Infamously sent off on his only Posh start. Barry Fry signed the centre-back from Heybridge Swifts in December 1997. Photo: David Lowndes
19. GOOD - EPHRON MASON-CLARK
Outstanding forward player signed from Barnet in August, 2022. He scored 29 goals in 102 Posh appearances before a £4.25 million move to Coventry City in 2024. Photo: David Lowndes
20. BAD - KYLE VASSELL
Striker who moved to Posh from Bishop's Stortford in November, 2013. He scored 6 goals for the club before moving to Blackpool inJune, 2016. Now at Kilmarnock. Photo: Joe Dent