Liverpool’s Summer Of Spending
Home Of The Most Expensive Center Back In The World
Liverpool has spent a dramatic amount of money this summer. It’s unusual. By unusual I mean most summers with the Anfield club are generally filled with countless rumors of big names that never end up making there way to the club.
Instead, Liverpool would contend with “smart” buys. Sometimes these would turn out great like a Luis Suarez or even a Mohammed Salah (Yes, even Salah).
But these “smart” buys also meant players like Stewart Downing, Andy Carroll, Charlie Adam, Lazar Markovic, Divock Origi and Mamadou Sakho, among many others. Some do fine, many end up being sold, all in all, most of them are not the top targets that will push a team to Premier League glory.
This summer seems to be a different story. Actually, it seems to have started last season when Liverpool made a 70 million pound bid for Virgil van Dijk — making him the most expensive center back in history. It was a step in the right direction, and Liverpool had money considering they sold Coutinho for 112 million pounds after buying him from Inter Milan for 11 million in 2012.
Many people doubted the van Dijk move, considering the price and persistence by Jurgen Klopp. Liverpool needed help in defense, and many pundits thought it might be better to spread that money out. However, it didn’t take long to see that van Dijk had the ability to not only show his individual defensive prowess but turn Dejan Lovren into a completely different defender. Van Dijk = Great Purchase.
While technically bought last year for 54 million, Naby Keita would not join Liverpool until this summer (part of the purchase deal). Keita lit up the Bundesliga last year playing for RB Leipzig. He fits perfectly into the Klopp attacking style with his speed and creativity. Keita adds a very necessary creative option in the center of the field for Liverpool and will give other teams trouble trying to mark and evade him.
Of course, we have to talk about Alisson Becker. For a short period of time he was considered the most expensive goalie in the world (like really short amount of time, I had to change the subtitle of this post), which was taken by the recent Chelsea signing from Athletic Bilbao, Kepa Arrizabalaga (72m). Becker is a Brazil national team goalie who stands commanding in between the posts. It was one of the worrisome areas for Liverpool, having Karius and Mignolet ready to make a mistake at any moment of the game. Becker will without a doubt be the number 1 in goal and it should be an immediate improvement.
Fabinho was bought from Monaco for 40 million. The 24-year-old looks like a direct replacement for Emre Can, who left for Juventus this summer. The Brazilian defensive center midfielder has been dubbed one of the smartest players in the world. While his play isn’t flashy, Fabinho is consistently in the right place at the right time. He is entering a stacked midfield, which is nice to say considering the loss of Coutinho, and will need to impress game to game in order to get solid minutes.
The cheapest, yet refreshing arrival of the summer comes in the form of a miniature sized hulk. Xherdan Shaqiri arrives at Anfield for 13 million pounds. The 5'7" winger will most likely struggle to get regular minutes when Liverpool’s front 3 are healthy. But having his speed and tenacity coming off the bench will be frustrating for the opposing teams’ defense.
Overall, Liverpool has had an impressive transfer market. It’s something that is a bit unusual, and it’s why Liverpool fans are particularly excited for this season.
My prediction for this season is that Liverpool wins the Premier League in a close battle with Manchester City.
