Record Blackburn Rovers transfer involving Norwich City will never be forgotten: View | OneFootball

The 1990s were a brilliant decade for Blackburn Rovers, and one transfer deal that ended up setting records at the time will definitely never be forgotten.

The deal in question is that for Chris Sutton, when he was brought to Ewood Park from Norwich City for a then-British record transfer fee of £5m.

He was an excellent signing for the Lancashire-based club, forming an excellent partnership with Alan Shearer, making Blackburn an eventual profit, and most importantly, winning the club the Premier League title in his very first season there.

Chris Sutton's Blackburn Rovers transfer

Blackburn had been promoted to the Premier League by the time 1992/93 came around, and after doing well to establish themselves in the top flight, the owner at the time, Jack Walker, made a move that, along with others, would help cement the club in Premier League history.

Sutton had been plying his trade at Norwich, the club where he had broken through, and had been mightily impressive for the Canaries.

In his three seasons with the side, all of which were in England's top flight, he amassed 102 appearances and scored 38 goals across all competitions. His final season at Carrow Road, while still high-scoring, had been tinged with disappointment as, after competing in European competition, the club would see a slide down the Premier League table, popular manager Mike Walker would leave, and to end the campaign, the side would go winless.

Having been part of the Norwich side that triumphed over Bayern Munich in the UEFA Cup (now Europa League), Sutton had caught the interest of many top sides in England, and it was Blackburn that pulled the plug and made the move for the 6ft 3in striker in order to pair him with a young striker by the name of Alan Shearer.

Sutton was a history maker at Ewood Park

There would certainly have been excitement surrounding the pairing of two of England's hottest young strikers. Shearer had been immense for Southampton in his four years at the Saints, helping the club maintain their place in the top flight when the change from the First Division to the Premier League was made, and Sutton was definitely impressive too.

But there would not have been much thought from Blackburn fans that in their first campaign together, they would go on to form a striking duo that is still famous to this day, and helped Rovers win the Premier League title.

There were only two games throughout the season where "SAS" did not line up together. Sutton was definitely the quieter one of the two in front of goal, only netting 15 times, while Shearer scored an astonishing 31 goals.

Despite scoring goals sparingly across the Premier League season, which included a barren spell, he played fantastically in Kenny Dalglish's system and combined with Shearer very well to help his compatriot fire in the amazing goal tally that he did.

His lesser tally of goals was still vital, however, and when he netted his final two goals of the term in the late-season wins over the likes of Everton and Queens Park Rangers, he had helped Rovers create a cushion that just about meant that, despite a 1-2 loss to Liverpool on the final day, they beat Sir Alex Ferguson's Manchester United to the Premier League title.

Sutton's career after becoming a history maker

After helping Blackburn win their first first-division title since 1914, Sutton would go on to spend five more years with the club.

His first season after the title win was the complete opposite in terms of form and happiness. He would spend the majority of the 1995-96 campaign injured, and when he did find himself fit and in the team, he did not score one goal. Along with this miserable form, he also saw his strike partner, whom he had formed "SAS" with, leave for Newcastle.

This then put a lot of pressure on Sutton to become the leading man once again, and as the saying goes, pressure does indeed produce diamonds.

In his remaining three years at the club from 1996, he would go on to have two formidable scoring seasons, but still experience yet another dry, season-long spell, which coincided with Blackburn suffering relegation from the Premier League.

Following that three-goal league season in his final year at Rovers, the man who had helped create unforgettable memories for Blackburn fans was sold to Chelsea for £10m in July of 1999. Despite the surefire sadness surrounding his departure from Ewood Park, there were not too many grumbles when it came to the fee.

Sutton's departure netted Walker and Blackburn a £5m profit and helped ease the financial woes that usually come with relegation. And it would not be long either before Blackburn made a return to the top-flight under Graeme Souness, meaning the disappointment at seeing one of their title-winning stars was quickly forgotten by Blackburn fans.

So, while he certainly cuts a divisive figure in the media today in his appearances on TNT Sports and BBC, there can be little to no doubt that Sutton, despite not scoring as prominently as his SAS strike partner Shearer, was still a transfer deal that can simply never be forgotten by Blackburn supporters.