Alan Shearer Despite Branfoot's claim to be "in the driving seat", "Saints" failed to include a "sell-on clause" in the contract. Shearer, less than a month off his 22nd birthday, was the most expensive player in British football. In his four years in the Southampton first team, Shearer made a total of 158 appearances in all competitions, scoring 43 goals. Despite making just one goalless appearance as England failed to progress past the Euro 1992 group stages, Shearer was soon subject to an English transfer record-breaking £3.6million bid from Blackburn Rovers. Although there was also interest from Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson,
Duncan Shearer part in and was the club's top scorer for that season. In the 1989–90 season he scored 21 league goals for Swindon as well as the winning goal in the semi-final play-offs against Blackburn Rovers, and was part of the team that won promotion at Wembley – only to be . In all he was top scorer for Swindon in every season he was at the club. He was Player of the Year in 1991 and was named in the PFA Team of the Year for Division Two. In March 1992 Shearer was sold to Blackburn Rovers for £800,000. Despite