Kevin Keegan dies: Ranking King Kev's five best signings

Kevin Keegan passed away at the age of 75 earlier this week following a battle with stage four cancer.

As a player, Keegan was one of football's defining figures, winning two Ballon d'Or awards and scoring 254 goals in 744 appearances for the likes of Liverpool, Newcastle United, Southampton and Hamburger SV during a glittering career.

Eight years after 'King Kev' hung up his boots, he ventured into management, where he carved out another remarkable legacy and left an indelible mark on English football.

His most celebrated spell came at Newcastle United, and although the Premier League title ultimately eluded him, the Magpies became one of the most exhilarating and feared teams in the country under his stewardship.

When Keegan first arrived at St James' Park, Newcastle were languishing in the second tier and flirting with relegation, making their transformation into genuine title contenders within six years one of English football's finest managerial rebuilds.

Following his departure from Tyneside, Keegan also managed Fulham, Manchester City and the England national team before returning to Newcastle for a brief second spell, bringing the curtain down on an unforgettable managerial career soon afterwards.

Sports Mole takes a look at Kevin Keegan's five greatest signings.

5) Rob Lee - Newcastle United

Ahead of the 1992-93 campaign, while Newcastle were still competing in the First Division, Keegan strengthened his midfield by signing Rob Lee from Charlton Athletic.

The move proved inspired, as Lee quickly established himself as one of the club's most influential players and remains a cult hero among the St James' Park faithful.

The midfielder went on to make 381 appearances for the Magpies and score 56 goals, with his finest football coming under Keegan, netting 44 times during his first four seasons at the club.

4) Andy Cole - Newcastle United

In February 1993, Keegan persuaded Andy Cole to swap Bristol City for Tyneside in a British record transfer worth £1.75m.

Cole made an immediate impact, scoring 12 goals before the end of the campaign to fire Newcastle to the First Division title and secure promotion to the Premier League.

If that debut spell hinted at his quality, the following season confirmed his status as one of Europe's deadliest strikers, as he plundered an astonishing 41 goals in just 45 appearances to spearhead Keegan's swashbuckling attack.

Although his Newcastle career lasted barely three years, Cole's remarkable return of 68 goals in 84 matches ensured his place among the club's modern greats.

3) Les Ferdinand - Newcastle United

Having established himself as one of England's most feared forwards with 90 goals in 184 appearances for Queens Park Rangers, Les Ferdinand became one of several marquee arrivals assembled by Keegan alongside Shaka Hislop, David Ginola and Warren Barton.

Like Cole before him, Ferdinand wasted little time finding his feet, scoring 50 goals in 84 appearances across two outstanding seasons.

Those exhilarating Newcastle sides came agonisingly close to ending the club's long wait for the league title, only to fall just short in several title races.

Keegan later admitted that lifting the trophy could have convinced his star-studded squad to stay together, but football had other plans.

2) Nicolas Anelka - Manchester City

Following his spell in charge of England, Keegan embarked on a new challenge at Manchester City and wasted little time making a statement in the transfer market, with Nicolas Anelka his headline acquisition.

One of football's ultimate globetrotters, the Frenchman had already represented Paris Saint-Germain, Arsenal, Real Madrid and Liverpool before arriving at Man City, bringing proven pedigree despite still being in his early twenties.

Anelka hit the ground running with 14 goals in his debut campaign before raising the bar with 24 the following season, finishing his City career with an impressive tally of 45 goals in 103 appearances before joining Fenerbahce.

1) Alan Shearer - Newcastle United

Sir Alex Ferguson appeared to have won the race for Alan Shearer in the summer of 1996, but one conversation with Kevin Keegan changed the course of Newcastle's history.

Instead of moving to Manchester United, England's premier striker chose his boyhood club, joining Newcastle for a then-world record fee of £15m.

Shearer would go on to score a staggering 206 goals in 405 appearances, cementing his status as Newcastle's greatest-ever goalscorer and one of the Premier League's all-time legends.

Although Keegan only had the privilege of managing Shearer for a relatively brief period, convincing him to return home remains one of the defining moments of his managerial career and arguably the greatest signing he ever made.