From underrated signings like Andy Robertson and James Milner to high profile flops like Mario Balotelli and Christian Benteke, Liverpool have seen it all. With the advent of heavily financed clubs such as PSG and Manchester City who do not shy away from throwing in ludicrous amounts for a player, transfer fees have gone off the roof. The Reds, who were known to be conservative when it comes to spending big, fortunately, have kept up with the times and have not hesitated in breaking the bank whenever needed. Here we take a look and rate the most expensive players Liverpool have signed to date.
To make it a bit more exciting, the segment has been broken into two parts – signings that have blossomed in a Red shirt and signings that were a bit underwhelming, if not completely disastrous.
RECORD EXPENSIVE SUCCESS ARRIVALS:
#3: FABINHO – £39 MILLION
With Emre Can’s contract expiring in the summer of 2018, Liverpool snapped up Fabinho from AS Monaco for an initial fee of around £39 million. Signed on to fill in Can’s role as a defensive midfielder, he was eased into the team slowly and after a few months, made his professional debut in the league against Huddersfield on 20th October.
Under Klopp’s philosophy, almost every player needs to be constantly involved in the press which requires pace and agility on the ball. A holding midfielder is usually the first player to quickly convert defense into a counter-attacking opportunity and Fabinho has been successful at doing just that, on top of being an excellent reader of the game. He isn’t shy of making leg crunching tackles against opposition to try to win the ball and hit back. His presence allows the wing playmakers to move further ahead up the pitch, and he doesn’t hesitate to unleash an occasional screamer as well, prominent among which was his strike against Manchester City in a 3-1 win this season.
Such has been the impact of the 26-year old Brazilian that Liverpool have only lost TWICE in 48 league games the nimble-footed midfielder has played since his arrival. Dyson, the name given to him by Klopp for his ability to clean up messes in the midfield, has proved his money’s worth to the Reds.
Rating – 4/5
STATS (As of April 2020):
| SEASON | APPEARANCES | GOALS |
| 2018-19 | 41 | 1 |
| 2019-20 | 31 | 1 |
| Total | 113 | 2 |
#2: ALISSON BECKER – £66.8 MILLION
After Loris Karius’ disastrous display in the Champions League final in 2018, it was apparent that the Anfield outfit required a new pair of gloves between the sticks. After his performances against Barcelona and Liverpool for Roma, Alisson made quite a name for himself and was soon snapped by the Reds in the summer of 2018 for £66.8 million. This made him the most expensive goalkeeper at the time until the arrival of Kepa to Chelsea four weeks later.
Part of the defensive rebuilding under Klopp, Alisson instantly soothed the nerves around Anfield. His lightning reflexes, his ability to hold up against a high press, coupled with his extremely good passing accuracy (3rd highest in the league with 80.2%) made it extremely difficult for the opposition to high press the defense, a tactic highly effective against previous Liverpool keepers. The press against the defense also leads to gaps in the opposition’s midfield, something which the Brazilian has quickly demonstrated to use as an advantage on more than one occasion by quickly feeding a long ball to players higher up the pitch.
He earned the Golden Glove in his debut season after keeping 21 clean sheets in the league, and made THAT nail-biting last-minute save against Napoli in the second leg of the CL round of 16, which the Reds would go on to win. The 27-year-old showstopper also had the highest save percentage (77.8%) in the league in the 2018-19 season. His continued presence between the sticks has lifted the goalkeeper curse haunting Liverpool since the inception of the Premier League, and Anfield can finally boast of fielding one of the best goalkeepers in the world under its roof.
Rating – 5/5
MUST READ – 13 Facts About Alisson Becker
STATS (As of April 2020):
| SEASON | APPEARANCE | CLEAN SHEETS |
| 2018-19 | 51 | 27 |
| 2019-20 | 28 | 14 |
| Total | 79 | 41 |
#1: VIRGIL VAN DIJK – £75 MILLION
Signed in the winter transfer window of the 2017 season after much anticipation, Virgil Van Dijk was considered to be Klopp’s answer to the team’s defensive woes. Liverpool were in dire need of a leading center back who was confident on the ball and aerially strong, and Van Dijk was seen as the obvious choice.
Partnered with Alisson who was signed six months later, his composure mixed with his accurate long passing and physicality was seen as the final piece of the jigsaw that brought everything together for Klopp’s philosophy to thrive.
He provides crucial defensive cover along the backline, allowing the fullbacks to move and attack higher up the pitch. He also has a very low tackle rate, relying on intercepting balls rather than tackling. This leads to fewer fouls up the pitch and fewer chances to score from set-piece positions for the opposition. He went 50 games without getting dribbled past by, and his often-overlooked pace doesn’t allow players to outrun him on 1v1 situations.
Liverpool instantly reaped the benefit of his presence by lifting the Champions League last year after enduring a trophy-drought of nearly 8 years. It can be safe to say that while the most expensive, Van Dijk is also arguably Liverpool’s most sensible and worthwhile signing to date.
MUST READ- 15 Facts About Virgil van Dijk’s Personal Life
Rating – 5/5
STATS (As of April 2020):
| SEASON | APPEARANCES | GOALS |
| 2017-18 | 22 | 1 |
| 2018-19 | 50 | 6 |
| 2019-20 | 41 | 4 |
| Total | 113 | 11 |
However, not all signings have been such fairy tales under the Anfield lights, and we take a look at the big money transfers that failed to deliver in a Redshirt.
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EXPENSIVE YET UNDERWHELMING TRANSFERS:
#3: CHRISTIAN BENTEKE – £32.5 MILLION
Christian Benteke is perhaps the prime example of the failures of Liverpool’s transfer committee which existed before it was dismantled under Klopp’s administration. With the Reds losing players like Suarez and Sterling upfront, the 6ft 3in Belgian was signed from Aston Villa for a reported fee of around £32.5 million in 2015, making him the second most expensive transfer for Liverpool at the time.
After failing to learn from the mistake of signing players such as Balotelli and Lambert after the departure of Luis Suarez, the committee signed another promising player without realizing that the team did not have anyone to service Benteke’s predatory instincts. The Belgian was initially supported by Coutinho and Firmino on the flanks, but the lack of a natural wide player meant Benteke did not receive the service he wanted. With Brendan Rodgers’ insistence on playing the same 4-3-3 formation deployed under Suarez, there was practically no chance for the Belgian to thrive. However, he did score a consolation overhead kick against Manchester United, his solo goal in a 3-1 loss the only memorable performance by him in a Redshirt.
After the arrival of Klopp, Benteke was used sparingly in domestic cup appearances, and the German-made it clear that the Belgian did not fit into his game plan. After just 42 appearances and 10 goals for the club, Benteke was sold to Crystal Palace for a fee of around £27 million.
Rating – 0.5/5
STATS:
| SEASON | APPEARANCES | GOALS |
| 2015-16 | 42 | 10 |
| Total | 42 | 10 |
#2: ANDY CARROLL – £35 MILLION
With Liverpool scrambling to replace Torres after the Spaniard departed to join Chelsea on the last day of the winter transfer window, Liverpool hauled off Andy Carroll from Newcastle for a reported fee of around £35 million. They also procured the services of a certain Luis Suarez a few hours later, but Carroll was supposed to be the headline grabber.
The then manager, Kenny Dalglish employed a 4-4-2 formation which theoretically was supposed to suit Carroll’s playstyle with the wingers putting in swift crosses for the 6 ft 4 inch Englishman to head home. However, he missed the first few months of his time at Anfield owing to an injury sustained before he was signed. Making gradual appearances as the season progressed, he finally won the League Cup in 2012 and also scored a bullet of a header in extra-time against Everton to help Liverpool reach the finals of the FA Cup that same year.
Unfortunately, Kenny Dalglish quickly got the boot afterward and new manager Brendan Rodgers preferred to play Luis Suarez up front in a 4-3-3 with an emphasis on passing and scoring which did not employ any of Carroll’s strength. Coupled that with injuries and a drought in front of goal, with only 11 goals in 58 appearances for the club, Carroll never could adjust himself to life at Merseyside and after just 18 months at the club, he was loaned out to West Ham in August 2012, and that move made permanent a year later.
Rating – 0.5/5
STATS:
| SEASON | APPEARANCES | GOALS |
| 2010-11 | 9 | 2 |
| 2011-12 | 47 | 9 |
| 2012-13 | 2 | 0 |
| Total | 58 | 11 |
#1: NABY KEITA – £48 MILLION
In the summer of 2017, it was announced that the-then 22-year-old Keita would join Anfield next year after the club triggered his release clause of £48 million. With a playstyle similar to Gerrard, he was given the same number 8 shirt as well. His box-to-box abilities, coupled with his unpredictability on the ball and his aggressive pressing, was seen as a near-perfect fit to Klopp’s system and there was much hype generated about his arrival.
He made his debut against West Ham in August 2018 and was involved in creating chances right from the get-go, playing a part in Salah’s opening goal in that game. As is the case with most players under the German, Keita was being eased gradually into the team, restricting his playtime to cup appearances in the first few months. By the turn of the year, he started to gain momentum and was becoming a regular in the first team when a groin injury saw him ruled out for the rest of the season. The 2019-20 season also saw him getting injured frequently, with the 25-year-old Guinean missing 16 games due to injuries already this season. This has seen him fall back in the pecking order with Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain seen as a more reliable replacement at central midfield.
These frequent injuries add up to an inconsistent performance in a Red shirt, with many believing that the Guinean playmaker has failed to live up to their expectations. While it’s too soon to call Keita a failure in this regard, unless he finds his form quickly after play resumes, he will find himself under more scrutiny to justify the price tag.
Rating – 2.5/5
STATS (As of April 2020):
| SEASON | APPEARANCES | GOALS |
| 2018-19 | 33 | 3 |
| 2019-20 | 18 | 3 |
| Total | 51 | 6 |
To sum it up, this is the list of the top 10 record transfers (highest transfer fee) in Liverpool’s history:
| PLAYER NAME | TRANSFER FEE | FROM |
| Virgil Van Dijk | £ 75,00 mil. | Southampton |
| Alisson Becker | £ 66,80 mil. | AS Roma |
| Naby Keita | £ 52,75 mil. | RB Leipzig |
| Fabinho | £ 43,70 mil. | Monaco |
| Mohamed Salah | £ 36,90 mil. | AS Roma |
| Andy Carroll | £ 35,00 mil. | Newcastle |
| Alex-Oxlade Chamberlain | £ 35,00 mil. | Arsenal |
| Sadio Mane | £ 34,00 mil. | Southampton |
| Christian Benteke | £ 32,50 mil. | Aston Villa |
| Roberto Firmino | £ 29,00 mil. | Hoffenheim |
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