Up to and including Oleksandr Zinchenko's switch from Manchester City to Arsenal this summer, there have been a total of 80 moves directly from one of that clutch of teams to another since the league's inception in 1992.
However, there has never been a single player to move directly between rivals Manchester United and Liverpool in all that time. In fact, you have to go all the way back to July 1964 to find the last senior professional player to do so, when Manchester-born forward Phil Chisnall left United after 13 seasons to join the Reds in a deal worth around £26,000.
Of course, the Big Six as we know it today has not always been that way: Chelsea were never title contenders before Roman Abramovich's 2003 takeover, and City similarly were catapulted into the modern elite thanks to Sheikh Mansour's investment in 2008. Tottenham, meanwhile, have yet to match the achievement of Leicester City or Blackburn Rovers by winning the title since it rebranded as the Premier League, so much of their current Big Six status is based on them being regular top-four finishers and Champions League participants over the past decade or so.
We've gone back and reviewed every single deal struck between clubs in what we now know as the Big Six -- including loans and free transfers -- since the summer of 1992 and ranked them by how successful they were.
Let's start with three signings that happened this summer, and are therefore ineligible to be ranked here:
Gabriel Jesus, Man City to Arsenal, July 2022, £46.9m
It's far too early to assess Jesus' transfer to Arsenal, but Gunners' fans will be pleased the club have landed an experienced Premier League striker who provides more than just cute flourishes around the penalty area. With 95 goals in 236 games for City, Jesus is bound to add cut and thrust to an attacking line which has looked more than a little blunt in recent years. For their part, City have lost a talented player, albeit one who was often underused throughout his six-year stay at the Etihad, though now they have Erling Haaland to fill the void.
Again, we can't judge Sterling's impact at Chelsea yet, given he has only just arrived. But the England winger is only 27 and may not have even reached his peak yet, so it stands to reason that he will shine at Stamford Bridge. City's wealth of options up front saw Sterling slip out of favour at the Etihad last season but, despite being left out of some of the club's biggest games, he still chipped in with 17 goals in 47 games. City have almost certainly strengthened one of their rivals by allowing Chelsea to take a relatively young, highly adaptable, world-class forward off their hands for a decent fee as his contract was due to expire in 2023.
Zinchenko first moved to Man City in July 2016 as a promising 19-year-old midfielder but adapted to become a left-back and made most of his 128 appearances for the club there. While he hasn't always been directly involved, he still won four Premier League titles, an FA Cup, four League Cups and reached the Champions League final, in which he played the entire game. Arsenal know they have still signed a seasoned player who is vastly experienced at international level. He is Ukraine's youngest-ever goal scorer, beating the record previously held by superstar striker Andriy Shevchenko, and is also the youngest player to captain his country in an official competitive match.
Here are the other 77 players who have moved between the Premier League's Big Six over the past three decades:
77. Frederic Veseli, Man City to Man United, January 2012, Free
After making waves by captaining Switzerland to glory at the 2009 Under-17 World Cup, defender Veseli was poached by City's local rivals. He didn't make a single senior appearance for United and left to join Ipswich Town on a free transfer just 18 months later.
76. Frode Grodas, Chelsea to Tottenham, January 1998, £315k
Grodas ended his debut season at Chelsea by playing in goal in the 1996-97 FA Cup final win, but then lost his place to Ed de Goey. The experienced Norway international left for Spurs but didn't make a single appearance in six months there before joining Schalke that summer.
75. Tony Coton, Man City to Man United, January 1996, £518k
One of only three players to move directly between United and City during the Premier League era, Coton was a dependable goalkeeper who made more than 200 appearance in six years at Maine Road and precisely zero in a dismal six months at Old Trafford. He joined Sunderland in 1996, but he suffered a horrific multiple leg break that ended his career just a few months later. He's made more of an impact at United since becoming the club's chief goalkeeping scout in 2020.
74. Alexis Sanchez, Arsenal to Man United, January 2018, Swap
Sanchez became a Premier League star at Arsenal, scoring 80 goals from 166 games and finishing as top scorer with 30 in 2016-17. However, the collapse of a deadline-day transfer to Man City saw his form suffer a slow, jaded start to the 2017-18 campaign. Aware of his expiring contract, United engineered a midseason swap deal involving the equally out-of-sorts Henrikh Mkhitaryan. As one of the best-paid players in the world on a reported £350,000-a-week (£18m per year), the transfer proved to be a footballing and financial calamity, as Sanchez scored just three Premier League goals in 18 months. He was sent on loan to Inter Milan in August 2019 (with United still paying most of his wages) before waiving the final two years of his huge contract to join the Italian side on a free transfer. The signing was unveiled with his now-infamous piano performance, but it's hard to think of a transfer that hit more of a bad note.
73. Mark Bosnich, Man United to Chelsea, January 2001, Free
The only player Ferguson ever signed twice for Manchester United. After establishing himself as a top goalkeeper with Aston Villa, Bosnich returned to Old Trafford in 1999 to succeed Peter Schmeichel. After issues with his fitness and conduct saw him sidelined. Bosnich joined Chelsea on a free but made just five league appearances before a failed drugs test brought a premature end to his Premier League career.
72. Paul Stewart, Tottenham to Liverpool, July 1992, £2.4m
A skillful, versatile attacking player, Liverpool signed Stewart as a direct replacement for striker Dean Saunders, who had left Anfield for Aston Villa. Unfortunately, injuries had a detrimental effect on Stewart's progress and he scored just three goals in four years with the Reds before leaving for Sunderland in 1996.
71. Owen Hargreaves, Man United to Man City, August 2011, Free
Hargreaves was released by Manchester United at the end of the 2010-11 season after his four-year spell began with him winning the Champions League but became more akin to a rolling injury rehab clinic. United manager Sir Alex Ferguson even turned down the England international's offer to play for free. Still, the midfielder posting his workout routines on YouTube was enough to convince City to take a gamble on his fitness for the 2011-12 campaign. Things went exactly as you'd expect, with Hargreaves making four appearances for Roberto Mancini's side as they won their first historic Premier League title. He didn't qualify for a medal, and he was released that summer.
70. Jason Cundy, Chelsea to Tottenham, July 1992, £788k
After spending the latter part of the 1991-92 season on loan at Tottenham in the old First Division, Cundy impressed sufficiently for Spurs to sign the tough centre-back on a permanent deal for the inaugural Premier League campaign. Cundy started just 15 league games in his four years at Spurs. Now better known as a brash presence on sports radio.
69. Robbie Keane, Tottenham to Liverpool, July 2008, £21.6m
Keane was a force of nature in his first six seasons at Tottenham, scoring 107 goals in 254 games and winning the club's Player of the Year award three times. The 28-year-old joined Liverpool despite an official complaint from Spurs over the manner in which the approach was made, but what was supposed to be a dream move quickly became an unmitigated disaster. His incredibly brief Anfield career lasted just half a season, as Keane struggled with coach Rafa Benitez's insistence that he play off Fernando Torres rather than as a main striker. Keane scored five goals in 19 appearances before being hurriedly moved back to Tottenham, just 189 days after leaving. The loss Liverpool took on the deal meant Keane cost them £1m a month.
🗣 "The idea was for me and [Fernando] Torres to play together."
68. Terry Phelan, Man City to Chelsea, November 1995, Nominal fee
A First Division and Premier League staple for many years, Phelan enjoyed success at Wimbledon and City, for whom he made well over 100 appearances. The Republic of Ireland international failed to make an impact in an unremarkable two-year stint at Stamford Bridge before opting to sign for Joe Royle's Everton in 1997.
67. David Rocastle, Man City to Chelsea, August 1994, £1.3m
The late midfielder is rightly regarded as a legend at Arsenal, though "Rocky" also had his moments during subsequent stints at Leeds and Manchester City despite a recurring knee injury limiting his involvement. It was at Chelsea that those problems really took their toll -- the winger played just one game across the entire 1995-96 season. Mediocre loans at Hull City and Norwich City followed as Rocastle remained on the Blues' books until his contract expired in the summer of 1998. His untimely death from cancer at the age of 33 came just three years later.
66. Rohan Ricketts, Arsenal to Tottenham, July 2002, Free
A true journeyman, Ricketts played for 19 clubs in 11 different countries. The Arsenal youth prospect made headlines when he became only the fourth Gunner ever to move directly to Tottenham. After taking a full year to make his first-team debut, Ricketts made 28 appearances in 2003-04, but that promising start fizzled out into a long period of miscellaneous loans and globe-trotting free transfers that took him as far afield as Canada, Moldova, Ecuador, Thailand and Bangladesh. An early adopter of Twitter, Ricketts used the social media platform to keep fans updated on his nomadic career.
— Shamrock Rovers FC ☘️ (@ShamrockRovers) April 17, 2020
65. Lassana Diarra, Chelsea to Arsenal, August 2007, £2.6m
The beginning of Diarra's rather uneven transfer progression that took him from Chelsea to Arsenal to Portsmouth to Real Madrid. The France international midfielder won back-to-back FA Cups with Chelsea (2006-07) and Portsmouth (2007-08) with a forgettable five-month spell at the Emirates sandwiched in the middle.
64. Eddie McGoldrick, Arsenal to Man City, September 1996, £405k
McGoldrick made 38 Premier League appearances for Arsenal before dropping down a rung to sign for Man City, then of the (second tier) First Division (now the Championship). The midfielder was the only permanent signing during Steve Coppell's infamous 32-day tenure in charge of City, and he played under four different managers during his first turbulent season at Maine Road.
63. Mal Donaghy, Man United to Chelsea, July 1992, £180k
Northern Ireland international Donaghy holds the distinction of being the first player to transfer between two of the modern-day Big Six in the Premier League era. The veteran defender joined Chelsea after four years with United and was a regular at Stamford Bridge for two years before retiring in his late 30s.
62. Neil Sullivan, Tottenham to Chelsea, July 2003, Free
Sullivan joined Chelsea as cover for Carlo Cudicini -- an arrangement that lasted until the 2005 when Petr Cech arrived on the scene at Stamford Bridge. Sullivan's recruitment at the age of 33 was a forerunner of the current practice of top clubs hiring experienced, older goalkeepers to train alongside their No. 1s.
61. Nigel Clough, Liverpool to Man City, January 1996, £1.5m
Clough was Nottingham Forest's top scorer as they were relegated from the Premier League in its inaugural season. Liverpool paid £2.25m to sign the forward, but he soon lost his place to teenage sensation Robbie Fowler. In 1996 he joined strugglers City in a midseason transfer, but he couldn't help them avoid the drop. Two injury-riddled years at Maine Road followed before Clough joined non-league Burton Albion, where he began a respectable career as a lower-league manager with a knack for cup runs and upsets.
60. Fraizer Campbell, Man United to Tottenham, September 2008, Loan
After coming through United's academy, Campbell was on the brink of the first-team squad but was sent on loan to Royal Antwerp and Hull City. A third successive loan was agreed as the striker joined Tottenham for the 2008-09 season as part of the deal that saw Dimitar Berbatov go the other way. However, Campbell struggled and ended the campaign with just one goal in 11 Premier League appearances. Aged 21, he left for Sunderland in the summer of 2009 on a permanent deal, having made four senior appearances for United, the club he joined as a schoolboy.
59. Joe Cole, Chelsea to Liverpool, July 2010, Free
Seen as a generational English talent akin to Paul Gascoigne, Cole joined Chelsea from boyhood club West Ham for £6.6m in 2003 as one of Abramovich's first wave of signings. Seven years and three league titles later, he left after failing to agree a new contract. The 28-year-old was snapped up by Liverpool on a free transfer and immediately handed the No. 10 shirt. However, despite the misguided public assertion from club captain Steven Gerrard that Cole was as good as Lionel Messi, he failed to click at Anfield. He scored five goals in 42 games for the Reds and spent the 2011-12 season on loan at Lille before rejoining West Ham in January 2013.
58. Willian, Chelsea to Arsenal, August 2020, Free
Willian scored 61 goals in 337 games over seven years at Chelsea while winning two Premier League titles, an FA Cup, a League Cup and the Europa League. After registering his highest league goal tally in a Chelsea shirt (nine goals) in 2019-20, the Brazilian failed to agree a new contract and signed for the Gunners on a three-year deal worth £100,000 a week. Despite registering three assists on his debut for the club, the awkward relationship lasted just one season before the 33-year-old was released by mutual consent in order to re-sign for boyhood club Corinthians, though he has now departed from there as well.
57. Ronny Rosenthal, Liverpool to Tottenham, January 1994, £270k
Rosenthal suffers the misfortune of being largely remembered for his diabolical miss in front of an open goal against Aston Villa in 1992-93. The Israel striker's reputation never really recovered, and after falling behind Iran Rush, new signing Nigel Clough and breakthrough star Robbie Fowler at Anfield, he left for Tottenham. He scored just eight goals in 94 games for Spurs, although that included a memorable hat trick in a 6-2 win at Southampton in an FA Cup fifth-round replay.
56. Yossi Benayoun, Liverpool to Chelsea, July 2010, £6.3m
Benayoun proved his ability as a creative attacking midfielder in the Premier League at West Ham and Liverpool only to run out of steam at Chelsea, where he made just 14 appearances in three years -- the final two of which he spent out on loan at Arsenal and former club West Ham.
55. Neil Ruddock, Tottenham to Liverpool, July 1993, £2.7m
A decent if rugged centre-back in his day, "Razor" was an archetypal hardman who felt like a footballing anachronism even in the early to mid-1990s. Still, he lasted five years at Anfield, winning the League Cup in 1994-95. He is now a TV personality, which was perhaps his true calling all along.
54. Carlo Cudicini, Chelsea to Tottenham, January 2009, Free
The talented goalkeeper spent several seasons as Chelsea No. 1 before the arrival of Cech in 2004-05 saw him demoted overnight. The Italian spent the next four years as a sub until Tottenham gave him the chance to re-establish himself. However, he was soon back on the bench as Heurelho Gomes and later Brad Friedel usurped him. He made 37 appearances in five years at White Hart Lane before finishing his career at LA Galaxy in MLS.
53. Juan Sebastian Veron, Man United to Chelsea, August 2003, £19.6m
Regularly cited as one of the biggest transfer flops in Premier League history, Veron's £28m move to Manchester United from Lazio in 2001 was the most expensive transfer ever in English football at the time. Exquisite as he might have been, the Argentina midfielder underwhelmed as repeated injuries and an inability to settle into the Premier League made him look very ordinary. But with Abramovich's arrival in 2003, Chelsea took a chance on Veron. He showed signs of rejuvenation before succumbing to yet more injury woes, and he spent the final two years out on loan with Inter Milan and Estudiantes respectively. He made just 14 appearances for the Blues before finally completing a permanent return to Estudiantes in 2007.
