Liverpool have spent big in this transfer window – spending in excess of £80m for the second summer in succession. Christian Benteke and Roberto Firmino have become two of our three most expensive signings of all time and, regardless of their quality, are both going to be under immense pressure to produce immediately.
However, we’ve also picked up some bargains this summer in the shape of James Milner and Nathaniel Clyne, who we hope will have little trouble in proving value for money.
Off the back of our summer business, the Liverpool Echo produced this list of the thirteen best value for money signings in our club’s history – dating back to the early 1960s and moving right through to the modern day.
Will any of this year’s crop be on a list such as this in the future?
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1961: Ron Yeats – £22,000 (£450,000 today)
The formidable centre-half joined the Reds from Dundee United. The Scot made in excess of 450 appearances for us in all competitions, winning seven major honours in the process. In his first season with the club he helped us win the Second Division title, and within four years we’d also won the First Division twice and the FA Cup.
1961: Ian St John – £37,500 (£775,000 today)
The powerful centre-forward scored 118 goals in 425 games for Liverpool, following his move from Motherwell. He became a key part of Bill Shankly’s side and, along with Yeats, was considered the main reason for our incredible transformation from Second Division side to English champions. He scored a hat-trick vs Everton on his debut.
1977: Kenny Dalglish – £440,000 (£2.8m today)
Arguably the greatest Liverpool player of all time. The third successive Scotsman on this list joined us from Celtic, where he had already enjoyed incredible success. He replaced the outgoing Kevin Keegan and miraculously helped the Reds rise to the next level. We won six First Division titles and three European Cups with him in our side.
1977: Alan Hansen – £100,000 (£650,000 today)
The defender joined us from Partick Thistle. He made more than 600 appearances for Liverpool in all competitions and, like his compatriot Dalglish, he helped inspire us to three European Cup victories in the space of six years. We won eight First Division titles with him in our side as well, during a golden generation of success.
1980: Ian Rush – £300,000 (£1.3m today)
The most prolific striker Liverpool have ever had, the Welshman enjoyed two hugely successful spells with the club, having first arrived in 1980. He won the League Cup during his first season at the club and would proceed to win 18 major honours, scoring a truly incredible 346 goals in the process – more than any other Reds player.
1981: Steve Nicol – £300,000 (£1.1m today)
Back to the Scots, and another defender who was an integral part of our massive success in the 1980s. He played in five First Division title winning sides and one European Cup victory. A versatile player who could fill in across the back line, he was most prominently used at right-back following the departure of Phil Neal in 1986.
1991: Jamie Redknapp – £500,000 (£1m today)
We jump a decade forward now to find this talented midfielder, who we poached from Bournemouth at the start of a difficult decade in which he was regularly one of the few shining lights. Despite our limited success during his period at the club, he was still able to lift both the FA Cup and the League Cup. He played more than 300 times.
1999: Sami Hyypia – £2.5m (£4m today)
Other than Jamie Carragher, the big Finn has undoubtedly been our best defender of the Premier League era. He formed a highly capable partnership with the former academy graduate and the pair played an integral role in our Champions League victory in 2005. The former Willem II player left the Reds in 2009 after more than 450 games.
2000: Gary McAllister – Free
Comfortably the most successful free transfer in Liverpool’s history – something for James Milner to aspire too this season. The Scottish midfielder, who signed from Coventry City at the age of 35, won five trophies during his two years at the club – including the treble in 2001. He also scored nine crucial goals in his impressive 87 appearances.
2004: Xabi Alonso – £10.5m (£14.8m today)
The Spaniard formed a memorable midfield partnership with Steven Gerrard during his time at the club, with the pair helping us win both the Champions League and the FA Cup, as well as the Community Shield and the UEFA Super Cup. Only the league title alluded him, while he made us a tidy profit when he joined Real Madrid in 2009.
2007: Fernando Torres – £20m (£26m today)
Rafael Benitez was crying out for a prolific striker to lead the line for his new look Liverpool, and he found exactly that in El Nino, who scored 81 goals in just 142 games for the club. Unfortunately, he’s never been able to rediscover that form since leaving Anfield – although we still scored a sizeable transfer fee when he left in 2011.
Luis Suarez – £22.8m (£26.1m today)
Torres’ replacement proved to be an even more formidable player, scoring 82 goals in 133 appearances. He won the PFA Player of the Year award in 2014, as he inspired us to our best Premier League finish in half a decade, and his energy, work-rate and incredible ability to take his chances made the former Ajax man a firm fan favourite.
Raheem Sterling – £500,000 (£600,000 today)
If you thought the amount of money we made off the back of the last three players was impressive, it’s worth remembering that we sold this particular individual for an almighty £49m this summer. The youngster won the Golden Boy award while at Liverpool, having scored 23 goals in 129 games, but won’t be hugely missed.
