Carlisle United massively hit the jackpot with £140k star and these 5 others | OneFootball

United made great decisions with these transfer moves.

Carlisle United's spending abilities have been hugely increased in the last year after the Piataks completed their takeover of the club.

Money is now much less of a concern for the Blues than it was prior to the American family's arrival, and that has been reflected both on and off the pitch. The stadium renovations, the proposed new training ground, the ability to pay higher wages: everything has been boosted since November 2023.

But for most of the last 20 years, cash was a bit shorter and Carlisle weren't able to spend so frivolously. They had to be even cuter with the dough that they spent in order to get the most out of it. There were plenty of occasions when that didn't happen but with these six players ended up being great value for money.

Joe Garner

Only a handful of times in Carlisle's history have they paid a six-figure transfer fee for a player. Up until January 2024, when United purchased Luke Armstrong from Harrogate Town. Joe Garner held the spot atop the list of the most expensive players ever signed by the Cumbrians.

They paid £140,000 in January 2007 for a then 19-year-old Garner, who went on, across his multiple stints with the club, to become a legend.

In that first stint, he netted 19 times in 49 League One matches before being bought by Nottingham Forest for £1.14 million, handing Carlisle a £1 million profit.

Owen Moxon

Here lies another example of when the Blues did brilliantly well to find a raw gem and turn it into a diamond. Owen Moxon played for Annan Athletic in the Scottish League One before moving to his hometown club in the summer of 2022.

Given his background in football, very few people saw the impact that he would have on United coming. He helped to transform the side from one that had been fighting to survive relegation the season prior into one that was a genuine contender for automatic promotion at one point.

Carlisle missed out on the top three but Moxon put in superb performance after superb performance in the play-offs, including winning the Man of the Match award in the final against Stockport County, at Wembley, helping the Blues to their third promotion under Paul Simpson.

He would go on to be sold to Portsmouth in January 2024. Their subsequent title win meant that he went from a semi-pro to a Championship footballer in just two seasons.

Karl Hawley

In a similar vein to Moxon, Karl Hawley wasn't anticipated to be a game-changing forward for Carlisle when they signed him in the summer of 2004 on a free transfer from Walsall. But, for whatever reason, things clicked for Hawley at Brunton Park.

Across the 2004/05 and 2005/06 seasons, he scored 35 league goals, spearheading Carlisle's back-to-back promotions under Simpson.

Chris Lumsdon

The younger Blues fans will probably know Chris Lumsdon's northeast accent from his work as a pundit for BBC Radio Cumbria Sport better than his footballing abilities. Those who do remember the midfielder from his playing days at Brunton Park always speak highly of what he could do on the pitch.

Having come from Barnsley, Lumsdon's Carlisle story was another example of the situation suiting the player perfectly. He, too, was part of the double promotion-winning squad, and he ended up staying with the club until the 09/10 campaign when he joined Darlington.

Michael Bridges

Michael Bridges not only ended up bringing in a sizeable fee for Carlisle, but he bagged a fair few goals along the way too. The ex-Bristol City forward arrived in Cumbria in November 2005 - partway through the Blues' first season back in what is now the EFL after being relegated two campaigns prior.

He was already an established name upon joining, having been on the books of teams like Sunderland, Bolton Wanderers, Newcastle United, and Leeds United. He'd scored plenty of goals for the former pair of that club quartet, but it was with Carlisle that he had some of his best statistical years.

In 65 appearances for the club, Bridges found the back of the net 23 times, as per Transfermarkt, at a rate of 0.35 goals per game.

Bridges netted United £350,000 when he joined Hull City on deadline day in the summer of 2006 after he handed in a transfer request.

Danny Livesey

Loyalty is something that has largely been lost in football, especially in the lower divisions. But, across the last 20 years, few players have had such longevity with the Cumbrians as defender Danny Livesey.

When he eventually departed Brunton Park in 2014 to join Barrow, it marked around nine-and-a-half years since he first stepped foot into the club in January 2005.

Livesey's career achievements with Carlisle go as follows: two promotions, two trips to Wembley and one EFL Trophy victory. He was a constant at Brunton Park for the best part of a decade, rewarding the Blues with great value for money.