With the 2016/17 transfer season well and truly underway, teams across Europe are leaving no stone unturned in their pursuit of coveted targets. As clubs line up for signatures of players they are after, agents negotiate with interested parties while making sure their player(s) get the best deal possible.
In an era of inflated transfer markets and high release clauses, Liverpool have exerted their financial might without shying away in pulling off pricey deals for players wanted by the club. Whether it involved paying a premium for English players or young talents emerging across Europe, the Reds have stood up to the challenge and faced it. However, price hasn’t always meant quality or successful deals on the pitch for the club.
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An increase in money flowing into Premier League teams’ coffers thanks to a new TV deal has only added to their fiscal power. The English giants have made their sixth signing under manager Jürgen Klopp with the purchase of Dutchman Georginio Wijnaldum from Newcastle.
In this piece, we take a look at Liverpool’s top ten costliest transfer incomings of all time.
Please note: All transfer fees have been obtained from transfermarkt. The fees include add ons and have been adjusted for inflation.
10) Lazar Markovic - €25m
The then 20-year old Markovic was one of Liverpool’s most expensive purchases during the 2014 summer spending spree. The Serbian winger was bought from Benfica for a substantial sum but he was meant to fill a glaring gap in the Liverpool side – that of a genuine wide player.
Rated as one of the most promising young talents in European football and nominated for the ‘European Golden Boy’ award for 2013/14, Lazar had already made his mark by winning four league titles - three at Serbian outfit Partizan Belgrade and one at Portuguese side Benfica. He was a regular starter at both clubs, a scorer of vital goals and helped Benfica secure the domestic championship title while also being instrumental in enabling them to finish runners-up in the Europa league.
Markovic failed to replicate his European form in England, scoring just 2 goals in 19 Premier League appearances for the Reds during his first season. However, his performances during the second half of the season were encouraging and he was sent out on a season-long loan in 2015 to Turkish side Fenerbahçe. His stint with the Süper Lig franchise was hampered by multiple injuries, prompting a return to Liverpool at the end of the season.
9) Dejan Lovren - €25.3m
The former Southampton centre-back arrived at Liverpool in the summer of 2014 following days of protracted negotiations with the Saints. Then manager Brendan Rodgers praised Lovren’s leadership and defensive abilities and justified the enormous outlay on another centre-back following Mamadou Sakho’s arrival from PSG only the previous summer.
During his first season with Liverpool, Lovren was far from the confident leader and protector of the defence. In fact, his errors cost Liverpool several goals and games; before the season was out, he was on the list of players that fans wanted sold by the club.
The Croatian’s fortunes, however, saw a massive upturn with the appointment of a new manager mid-way through his second campaign for the Reds. His performances improved drastically as he shored up the defence with centre-back partner Sakho, as Liverpool reached two Cup finals in Klopp’s first managerial season.
In due course, Lovren established himself as a regular in the first team and his popularity among the Liverpool fans scaled up as he scored the crucial winner against Borussia Dortmund in the Europa League semi-final in the dying minutes.
8) Luis Suárez - €26.5m
Suárez was acquired from Dutch club Ajax in January 2011, a transfer window that saw Liverpool make two of the most expensive signings in their history. The two-time Ajax ‘Player of the year’ and ‘Dutch Footballer of the Year’ for 2010, racked up a total of 111 goals in 159 appearances during his three-and-a-half year stint at the club. Suárez also captained Ajax and won the Eredivisie with them in 2011 (he was given a winner’s medal for his contribution despite transferring to Liverpool mid-season).
The Uruguayan settled well at Liverpool, becoming the club’s top goal-scorer in his first full season with them. Despite controversies surrounding the player on and off the pitch – due to his biting and public courtship of Arsenal – Luis went on to stay with Liverpool and powered them to a second-place finish during a thrilling title challenge in 2013/14. He formed a lethal partnership with teammate Daniel Sturridge and topped scoring charts again with a tally of 31 goals in 33 appearances for the Reds.
Suárez endeared himself to Liverpool fans with his work-rate, commitment, never-give-up attitude and ability to drive up the performance of his teammates. Along with the nickname ‘El Pistolero’ (the gunman), he earned numerous plaudits for his performances with the English side including PFA Players' Player of the Year, Football Writers’ Association (FWA) Footballer of the Year, European Golden Shoe (shared with Cristiano Ronaldo), Premier League Golden Boot and Liverpool FC Player of the Year (two consecutive seasons).
A Bloomberg Sports study in 2014, named the former Liverpool number 7 as the most influential player across Europe’s top five football leagues, ahead of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. His achievements saw him move to Spanish giants FC Barcelona where he continues to enthral fans with his ingenuity, dedication and perseverance.
7) Georginio Wijnaldum - €27.5m
Liverpool prised away Newcastle midfielder Wijnaldum from the Tyneside club in the ongoing transfer window to bolster Klopp’s options in the centre of the park. The Dutchman adds strength, pace, sharpness in attack and most of all goals, to the Merseyside club very much in need of those very attributes.
Since Klopp took over at Liverpool, the Reds have seen an improved focus and marked upturn in attack; however, this has not necessarily translated into goals due to poor finishing and / or placement. Wijnaldum’s arrival in the North West is expected to add to the score sheet as evidenced in his prior seasons.
It is telling that the player, essentially a midfielder, has scored 11 Premier League goals during 2015/16, which is more than anyone at Liverpool.
The Dutch international excelled with PSV Eindhoven, scoring 41 goals and propelling his club to the Eredivisie title in 2014/15. He represented his country at the 2014 FIFA World Cup and was also named Dutch Footballer of the Year.
Wijnaldum’s talent and ability has received a rousing endorsement from his former manager Rafael Benítez, who claimed that the player can make any position in midfield his own. It remains to be seen whether he can replicate his performance and goal-scoring exploits with the Reds on a consistent basis.
6) Adam Lallana - €31m
The former Saints captain was part of a 2014 summer ‘raid’ on Southampton by Liverpool, which also included the purchase of Dejan Lovren and Rickie Lambert. Lallana was a product of the Saints academy and a fan favourite; the attacking midfielder had been central to Southampton’s promotion to the Premier League and then maintaining their place. However, his transfer to Liverpool was a lengthy and somewhat messy affair, leaving a sour taste with some of the fans.
The Englishman’s career at Merseyside started off a bit late into the 2014/15 season as he suffered from a knee injury at the start; just when it looked like he would hit form, Lallana was sidelined again by a thigh strain in January. It was only during the second half of the season that he somewhat came into his own, in terms of performance levels.
The arrival of Klopp in October 2015 rejuvenated the attacker and he nailed down a spot in the first team with his work-rate, pressing and commitment to the team’s cause. Despite his work ethic, the midfielder has been found wanting in terms of end product; while his turns and passes are a joy to watch, his at-times poor finishing has exasperated the Reds fanbase.
5) Fernando Torres - €38m
Rafa Benítez brought Torres to Liverpool from Spanish club Atlético Madrid, in time for the latter to begin the 2007/08 season with his new employers. During his three-and-a-half year stint with the Reds, the Spaniard became one of the most feared strikers on the planet as he amassed goals at an unbeatable rate. He became the fastest to score 50 goals for Liverpool in the Premier League era, less than two years into his time at the club and taking just 84 games to achieve the feat.
Torres’s finishing prowess, pace and skill combined effectively with Steven Gerrard’s vision to create one of the most fruitful partnerships in front of goal. The Reds went close to winning the Premier League in 2008/09 but finished runners-up as ‘Nando’ struggled with injuries. The following season, the striker finished atop the goal charts for Liverpool again, as Benítez and his players tried to keep the off-field ownership and financial disputes from affecting performances on the pitch.
However, the departure of Benítez and the appointment of Roy Hodgson, along with Torres’s spate of injuries saw his Liverpool career being surrounded by uncertainty.
The player chose to move to Chelsea in January 2011 but couldn’t do an encore of his Reds career with the London club. Despite winning trophies, his time with the Blues was lacklustre; it was followed by a forgettable loan stint at AC Milan before he moved back to childhood club Atlético.
4) Roberto Firmino - €41m
When Liverpool landed promising Brazilian forward Roberto Firmino in the summer of 2015, it was heralded as a coup of sorts. The attacker was brought in from Bundesliga outfit Hoffenheim in a hush-hush deal, following his instrumental showing in front of the net, scoring 38 league goals in his four-and-a-half years at the club.
Firmino’s Liverpool career began modestly as the Brazilian needed time to adapt to the Premier league, a new team and also his position. He also suffered a back injury not too long into the season and it wasn’t until Klopp’s arrival that fans got to witness the attacker they were promised.
The Brazilian played as a second striker / focal point in attack and enjoyed a notable turn in fortunes and with 10 goals in his debut season, went on to become the highest goal-scorer for Liverpool in the league. Firmino was also central to Klopp’s plans in the Europa league as Liverpool went on to finish runners-up in the competition while also reaching another domestic Cup final.
It is exciting times for the player and fans as he is expected to feature regularly in the manager’s long-term plans with Klopp being an admirer of the forward from his Hoffenheim days.
3) Andy Carroll - €41m
On transfer deadline day, Andy Carroll became one of Liverpool’s most expensive signings in the January of 2011. The player had experienced relegation with Newcastle and was the driving force behind their promotion back to the Premier League the following season, topping the goal charts. The former Magpies striker arrived with a notable reputation on Merseyside, of being an aerial threat and a consistent goal-scorer.
Carroll scored some crucial goals for Liverpool, mainly en route to his first trophy in 2012 - the Carling Cup – and others in the FA Cup, notably the winner against Everton at Wembley in the semi-final. However, he wasn’t as prolific in front of the net for the Reds as he was at Newcastle.
With the emergence of Suárez’s firepower combined with the acquisition of Daniel Sturridge, Carroll was deemed surplus to requirements during Brendan Rodgers’ time in charge at the club. He was loaned out to West Ham during 2012/13, and after an impressive spell with the Londoners, the move was made permanent.
2) Sadio Mané - €41.2m
It is common for expensive signings to be usually greeted by fans with cheer as an indicator of their appreciation of their club’s player pursuits. The same, however, may not be applicable wholly in the case of Mané’s transfer to Liverpool, with him being their fifth signing from the Saints. It is important to note, though, that Mané arrives with the backing of Klopp, who in turn indicated that he has the first and last word on all transfers at Liverpool.
The Senegalese international is expected to inject pace and goal threat in a fairly inconsistent Reds side. Also, at a club woefully short of wide players, Mané’s transfer is seen as a shrewd move by Klopp, despite the significant transfer outlay involved. The former Saints man can play on both wings and is seen as a creator and scorer of goals.
He recorded 21 goals and 11 assists for Southampton in the Premier League during his two years at the club, making him an entity to look forward to under the stewardship of Klopp.
1) Christian Benteke - €46.5m
Liverpool’s then manager Brendan Rodgers’ search for an aerial goal-scoring threat in his side was thought to have ended with the purchase of Benteke. The tall Belgian forward’s exploits at Aston Villa and his role in enabling them to avoid relegation wasn’t missed by the Reds gaffer; the player’s release clause was triggered for a record fee of €46.5m in the summer of 2015.
Benteke struggled to fit in at Liverpool and injuries didn’t help his cause. He managed to score just 9 goals in 29 Premier League outings for the Reds, a far cry from his prolific scoring rate at Aston Villa.
A change of guard at Liverpool in October 2015, with Jürgen Klopp assuming reins of the head coach, did nothing to improve the striker’s position at the club as he fell far behind in the pecking order. Benteke’s lack of movement and suffering confidence levels combined with the Reds’ style of play lacking in crosses, eventually left him as fourth choice striker behind Daniel Sturridge, Belgian compatriot Divock Origi and Brazilian forward Roberto Firmino.
