The transfer window is here again and Liverpool have already been busy signing a number of new players. Liverpool are one of the most successful clubs in English football and they have had some truly amazing players who have played for them over the years. There have been some amazing signings made by the Merseyside giants and to pick the 5 greatest signings of all time for a club of the size and stature of Liverpool is no easy task.
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The players mentioned in this list are all Liverpool legends and have definitely played a major role in making Liverpool the global brand it is today. Without much ado, let us take a look at the 5 greatest Liverpool signings of all time
#5 Ron Yeats
One of the most inspirational leaders in Liverpool history, Ron Yeats’ signing was a Bill Shankly master stroke. Yeats a stockily built 6 ft 2 in defender was signed for a fee of around £20,000 from Dundee United. Immediately installed as captain, Yeats played a crucial part in Liverpool’s rise from a second division club to one of the most successful clubs in English football.
Bill Shankly wanted a captain who could intimidate and pleased by his new signing’s imposing physical appearance, Shankly introduced him to the waiting journalists in his trademark style saying: "The man is a mountain, go into the dressing room and walk around him".
Yeats lived up to the reputation and his nickname (”Colossus”), playing at the heart of Liverpool’s defence and guiding them to their first major trophy in nearly 20 years when they won the league in 1964. A second division championship in his debut season, 2 league titles, 1 FA Cup and three community shields, Ron Yeats kickstarted the glory years for Liverpool.
Bill Shankly later credited the signings of Ron Yeats and Ian St John as the “turning point” in Liverpool’s fortunes. The captain who converted Liverpool from also-rans to one of the most feared clubs in Europe, Ron Yeats was definitely one of the greatest Liverpool signings of all time.
#4 Phil Neal
One of the most decorated players in English football, Phil Neal was signed on 9 October 1974 from Northampton Town for £66,000 by Liverpool manager Bob Paisley. Phil Neal initially played as a left-back but he is best known for his energetic and solid performances at the right-back position for Liverpool FC.
Phil Neal was a big match player who always delivered on the important occasions. He scored a crucial penalty in the 1977 European Cup final against Borussia Monchengladbach to help Liverpool win their first European trophy. He also played a crucial role in the 1978 and 1982 finals where Liverpool beat Club Brugge and Real Madrid respectively.
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His most important contribution was in the 1984 European cup final when he popped up to score the winning goal against a much fancied Roma side in Rome becoming the only Liverpool player to feature in all four of Liverpool's European Cup wins in the 1970s and 1980s.
Winner of eight League titles, four League Cups, four European Cups, one UEFA cup and one UEFA Super Cup during his 11 years at Liverpool, Phil Neal was one of the best signings of the Bob Paisley era and is still considered to be Liverpool’s best full-back of all time.
#3 John Barnes
Born as John Charles Bryan Barnes in Kingston, he moved to London along with his family when he was 12. After playing for Stowe Boys’ Club and Sudbury Court, he was noticed by second division side Watford. It was at Watford that he caught the eye with great performances and it was not long before he was snapped up in a £900,000 deal to join Kenny Dalglish's Liverpool.
An Englishman with a touch of Brazilian magic in him, Barnes left defences flat-footed thanks to his supreme dribbling skills and close control. A player who was capable of winning a match almost single-handedly, Barnes was easily one of the most skilled and talented players in Liverpool’s history.
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Winner of the PFA Player’s of the year twice and Football Writers of the Year once, Barnes won two League titles, two FA Cups and a League club with the Merseyside giants. Barnes had such a huge impact at Liverpool that in a poll of Liverpool fans' favourite players, Barnes stood fifth and he was even named Liverpool’s best player of all time by FourFourTwo magazine.
A true superstar who gave the Kop many moments to cherish thanks to his spellbinding dribbling skills, Barnes has cemented his legacy as one of Liverpool's greatest players of all time.
#2 Ian Rush
One of the main reasons for Liverpool’s success in the 1980s, Ian Rush was the greatest goalscorer Liverpool has ever had in its long list of super strikers. The Welshman was always in the right position at the right time, netting an astonishing 346 goals in 660 appearances for Liverpool.
His goalscoring skills were so popular among Liverpool fans that he was voted as the 3rd greatest Liverpool player ever by the fans in a 2006 poll.
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The Welshman won a host of trophies with Liverpool, winning the English First Division 5 times, FA Cup 3 times, League Cup 5 times, and the European Cup 2 times. Rush played a major role in all those triumphs popping up with important goals time and time again for the Reds.
Rush notably scored a quartet of goals against Everton in a famous match at Goodison Park and the song “Rush scored one, Rush scored two, Rush scored three, Rush scored 4” is still sung fondly by the Liverpool fans.
Bob Paisley shelled out £300,000 a then record fee on a teenager to sign Rush from Chester City in 1980. 26 years on, he still remains one of the club’s greatest ever signings.
#1 Kenny Dalglish
Whenever Liverpool FC is mentioned the name of Kenny Dalglish is often part of the conversation. His Anfield playing career – including 3 European Cup wins, 6 English championships, 4 League Cups, 1 FA Cup and 1 European Super Cup – would have been enough to guarantee him a place in the fan’s hearts forever. As if all that wasn’t enough, King Kenny succeeded Joe Fagan in the dugout and concluded his first campaign in 1985/86 as a player-manager by winning the double.
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Amazingly, when the Scot initially signed from Celtic in 1977, there were doubts about his ability to replace the recently departed Kevin Keegan. Paisley spent £440,000 on what undoubtedly turned out to be the club’s best acquisition. Paisley later admitted:
“I just hoped after the trials and tribulations of my early years in management, someone up high would smile on me and guide my hand. My plea was answered when we got Kenny Dalglish.
“Whar a player, what a great professional.”
Every Reds supporter would agree with those sentiments about the man known as ‘the King’. Even now, the chant ‘Dalglish!’ is regularly belted out by Liverpool fans wherever they go. Kenny Dalglish is undoubtedly Liverpool’s greatest signing of all time.
Honourable mentions: There have been plenty of legends who have played for the Reds in their illustrious and successful history and players like Kevin Keegan, Graeme Souness, Emlyn Hughes, Xabi Alonso and Luis Suarez are extremely unlucky not to make the cut.
