I think the first big step was the arrival of Wenger in around 1996. That really accelerated the number of international players arriving, along with general professionalism of the game etc. In Wenger’s first 12 months at the club, he signed 11 senior players: 10 foreign players and an English back-up keeper (including the likes of Viera, Overmars, Petit, Anelka). It wasn’t just European lads either, the likes of Kanu arrived a season later and that Wenger side had a number of excellent African players joining. Chelsea weren’t far behind. Liverpool’s houllier appointment signalled the same direction.
The next big one for me is, Abramovich taking over Chelsea in 2003. That money flooded down the league so fast, to West Ham, to Charlton, to Blackburn. And there was a wave of transfer inflation cause by it, which helped the lower teams. The premier league has always been uniquely equitable with it’s distribution of money, so there’s always been a far greater level of parity than in any other major league. Also, each tv deal was a milestone in and of itself.
But that era, between 2003 and 2009 was a really golden era in terms of the quality of the league. That Arsenal invincibles team were incredible. Phenomenal players. Then Mourinho’s Chelsea took took it to a whole other level. Wiped the floor with the previous points total. Barely conceded a goal. In that time, Benitez built a really good Liverpool team and United were always there or thereabouts. All of the sides, reached at least the champions league final, if they didn’t win it. The six best teams in Europe were those 4 plus Barcelona and Milan.
The emergence and re-emergence of City, PSG, Real and Bayern since then has changed the dynamics. For example, if Mbappe was born 20 years previous, he’d have signed for Arsenal - not PSG.
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