Liverpool have been blessed with visionaries in their recruitment team who have played key roles in the great club’s re-emergence following years in the mire.
The start of FSG’s tenure at Anfield was undermined by sub-par management and big swings (and misses) in the transfer market. Liverpool spent big on the likes of Andy Carroll with little return and it wasn’t until Michael Edwards rose to prominence that the Reds started to emerge as the envy of their Premier League counterparts.
Edwards, of course, had a big say in identifying Jurgen Klopp as Brendan Rodgers’ successor in 2015 and the analytical whizz would go on to play an instrumental role in the club’s rise with the German at the helm.
Liverpool have undoubtedly been shrewd in the market and copped their fair share of bargains, but the nature of the modern-day market means the club has been forced to splash heaps of cash to get to and retain their place at football’s top table.
Here are the ten most expensive signings in Liverpool’s history.
Liverpool showed linear progression in 2017/18 domestically but exceeded expectations in Europe by reaching the Champions League final.
Still, Klopp required a few missing pieces to his Scouse jigsaw. A holding midfielder emerged as a summer priority in 2018 and they wasted little time to secure the signing of Monaco’s Fabinho.
The Brazilian proved to be the linchpin Liverpool so desperately needed. A calm head at the base of midfield, Fabinho was dominant for much of his time at Anfield before his athleticism dwindled off the back of multiple injury setbacks.
A towering figure who boasted a shrewd positional sense and was tough in the tackle, Fabinho was the perfect stabiliser for Klopp’s side and the Reds are yet to find his true successor.
If Klopp had his way, Liverpool fans may have been lamenting Julian Brandt’s inconsistency at Anfield. Klopp wanted Brandt, not Mohamed Salah, to spearhead his attack from the start of the 2017/18 campaign, but Edwards convinced the Reds boss to opt for the Egyptian winger.
Salah had endured a miserable Premier League spell at Chelsea but rediscovered himself in Serie A with Roma. It was perhaps the greatest decision the club ever made.
A fee in excess of £43m was regarded as pricey given Salah’s previous woes in England, but he didn’t take long to hush any doubters. The Egyptian’s debut campaign was electric and he’s since established himself as an all-time Liverpool and Premier League great.
Only Roger Hunt and Ian Rush top Salah’s scoring tally for the Reds, with the winger playing a starring role in Liverpool’s Champions League and Premier League successes under Klopp.
Cody Gakpo joined midway through the 2022/23 season from PSV Eindhoven, but it’s fair to say there’s more to come from the highly-coveted Dutchman at Liverpool.
Klopp thought he could convert the gangly forward into a Roberto Firmino clone, but Gakpo has yet to show off his best work in a central position.
The arrival of Arne Slot could see the Dutch international, who stars for his country at major tournaments, return to his favoured left flank where he could flourish on Merseyside.
Diogo Jota had the impossible task of attempting to break into Liverpool’s imperious front three when he joined from Wolves for a lofty £45m in 2020.
The Portugal international was forced to play second fiddle for quite some time, but his contributions off the bench never went unnoticed and he proved to be the perfect ‘sixth man’ – to use a basketball reference – in Liverpool’s attack.
Jota’s got the knack of being in the right place at the right time, is a sharpshooter in the box and leaps like a spring chicken to latch onto crosses.
He’s adored at Anfield and has been one of the Reds’ clutchest performers since his arrival.
Another mid-season addition, Luis Diaz lit the Premier League up during his first six months at the club.
Diaz was pre-emptively signed as a replacement for modern-day great Sadio Mane and it initially appeared as if Liverpool had pulled off another masterstroke.
However, the Colombian has since struggled for a consistent groove, suffering major injury setbacks and unique personal issues in recent times. Nevertheless, Diaz is a relentless wide man who gives it his all every time he takes to the field.
He’s been far from a flop but there’s been some disappointment he’s never quite built on the majestic start to his Liverpool career.
Okay, the first outright flop has arrived.
Naby Keita eventually joined the club in 2018 with sky-high expectations having emerged as an dynamic goal-scoring midfielder at RB Leipzig. Full of energy and guile, he was regarded as the ultimate addition to Klopp’s engine room.
The diminutive Guinean, however, would depart Anfield for Werder Bremen in 2023 as a free agent. Keita offered glimmers but nothing more and never racked up more than 25 Premier League appearances in a single season.
He was beset by injuries and fitness concerns during his time on Merseyside, never being regarded as an instrumental figure while Klopp’s Reds won the lot.
Liverpool’s midfield required major surgery in the summer of 2023 and they efficiently went about their rebuild.
Once again, the club dipped their toe in the Saxon pond and signed RB Leipzig’s Dominik Szoboszlai for £60m – the most they’ve ever spent on a midfielder.
Hungary’s captain had built quite the reputation within the Red Bull network as a powerful box-to-box operator with fierce ball-striking capabilities. The very best of Szoboszlai manifested during the first half of his debut season at Anfield, but the athletic marvel faded considerably down the stretch.
Still, Liverpool’s newest number eight appears to be a considerable improvement on Keita and the club will hope they can build around Szoboszlai for years to come.
Philippe Coutinho was the talismanic figure during Klopp’s early years at Liverpool, but the club simply couldn’t refuse a whopping £142m sum from Barcelona for his services in January 2018.
Clubs can go a little bit doolally when tasked with replacing their previous superstar and re-investing the cash – exhibit A being Tottenham in 2013 after selling Gareth Bale – but instead of mimicking Spurs’ scattergun approach, Liverpool opted for serious quality at key positions. They spent big in a couple of key areas, one of them being goalkeeper. Simon Mignolet nor Loris Karius was ever going to get Klopp’s Reds to where they wanted to be.
So, in came Alisson from Roma. The Brazilian was only briefly the most expensive goalkeeper in history but he’s certainly fared better in the Premier League than the man who usurped his monster fee: Kepa Arrizabalaga.
Alisson has been recognised among the world’s best since he joined the Reds. They wouldn’t have achieved half of what they did under Klopp without the level-headed Brazilian.
If Alisson was the final piece of the puzzle in Klopp’s project, Virgil van Dijk was doubtlessly the most significant.
Liverpool spent a huge £75m to acquire the Southampton defender weeks before they sold Coutinho to Barcelona.
The Reds had been plagued by erratic centre-back play and Van Dijk’s addition was utterly necessary for the club to progress. The Dutchman’s impact was nothing short of transformative and he’s been regarded as the world’s best in his position for much of his time on Merseyside.
The imperious centre-half finished second in the Ballon d’Or off the back of Liverpool’s Champions League success in 2019 and he was, of course, instrumental in their maiden Premier League triumph the following year.
Few are built in labs like the towering Dutchman and Van Dijk has certainly made full use of his gift.
Alisson and Van Dijk have been undisputed hits, but the jury’s still out on Liverpool’s record signing.
There are few who polarise opinion more than Darwin Nunez. Celebrated by some for the positions he gets himself in but slandered by others for his final third inefficiency, the exciting Uruguayan forward is yet to find a stable equilibrium at Anfield.
Nunez is remarkably inconsistent in front of goal and in need of refinement in several departments, but his raw ability is what convinced the club to splurge over £85m for his services in 2022. Blessed with an elite athletic profile and the capacity to score lots of goals, everyone is waiting for Nunez’s explosion in the Premier League.
But will it ever arrive?
Liverpool’s ten most expensive signings ever
|
Rank |
Player |
Joined from |
Year |
Fee |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
1. |
Darwin Nunez |
Benfica |
2022 |
£85.36m |
|
2. |
Virgil van Dijk |
Southampton |
2018 |
£75m |
|
3. |
Alisson |
Roma |
2018 |
£65m |
|
4. |
Dominik Szoboszlai |
RB Leipzig |
2023 |
£60m |
|
5. |
Naby Keita |
RB Leipzig |
2018 |
£52.75m |
|
6. |
Luis Diaz |
Porto |
2022 |
£50m |
|
7. |
Diogo Jota |
Wolves |
2020 |
£45m |
|
8. |
Cody Gakpo |
PSV Eindhoven |
2023 |
£44m |
|
9. |
Mohamed Salah |
Roma |
2017 |
£43.9m |
|
10. |
Fabinho |
Monaco |
2018 |
£43.7m |
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