The Sterling sale follows a familiar pattern of Liverpool selling their best players

Raheem Sterling is yet another big name who will depart Anfield

After a summer full of speculation, strong indications of discontent and a breakdown of relations between Mr. Raheem Sterling and Liverpool Football Club, confirmation finally arrived: A fee of £44 million (potentially rising to £49 million with add-ons) was agreed with Manchester City, and the forward would shift base to Eastlands, pending a medical and agreement of personal terms.

Raheem Sterling’s widely publicised transfer saga, as well as his time at Liverpool have come to an end, and although Liverpool have extricated a massive fee from Manchester City, there is no denying that this is another attacking talent lost.

When exactly did Liverpool become a ‘selling club’? The key moment can be pinpointed as the summer of 2009. Having come within four points of the Premier League title, Liverpool lost Xabi Alonso to Real Madrid.

A hefty sum was wired to Merseyside from the Spanish capital in return, but Liverpool were unable to spend it effectively, bringing in the decidedly under par and injury prone midfielder Alberto Aquilani, who never produced anything beyond the few flashes of skill when fit.

That began a trend that Liverpool, worryingly, have not been able to shake in the new decade. There were some high-profile departures, including first team regulars Javier Mascherano (summer 2010) and Fernando Torres (winter 2011), with Torres’ replacements in particular - Andy Carroll and Luis Suarez – proving to be very much the yin and yang of 31 January 2011. Raul Meireles left in the summer of 2011, Dirk Kuyt and Maxi Rodriguez departed in 2012 and Luis Suarez himself said goodbye in 2014.

Constant state of flux

The departure of first team regulars to pastures with greater financial and footballing appeal is one thing, but Liverpool have constantly lost the other battles as well; perfectly serviceable rotational players were shown the door (Yossi Benayoun, Albert Riera), influential senior players were ushered to the exit (Daniel Agger, Pepe Reina, Steven Gerrard), unsuccessful transfers were binned without extended chances (Sebastian Coates, Luis Alberto) and this constant shuffling of the deck every few months left Liverpool in an almost constant state of flux. Suffice to say, even the slightest of changes bring a sense of unfamiliarity and unease with them, and too many of them leave clubs desperately scrapping for direction.

The departure and influx of players is matched by other problems in the transfer market: several rumoured and/or identified targets have not been captured (Henrikh Mkhitaryan, Yevhen Konoplyanka, Diego Costa, Alexis Sanchez) and this has been compounded by a fight to keep their better players – as was the case during the 2013 summer window with Luis Suarez.

Clubs in Liverpool’s position often find out the hard way that signing capable players is only half the battle; the other half is keeping a hold of the good ‘uns you already have, because that way, you are building from a position of strength, not weakness.

Case in point: Tottenham, who have found themselves in comparable positions, have faced similar problems. Losing Luka Modric and Gareth Bale in successive summers certainly poses a challenge, and it is a mark of how difficult it is to directly replace that level of quality that Tottenham have been unable to scale peaks like the 2011/12 season again.

Bulk buying

Liverpool’s practice of buying in bulk has also followed a frustratingly repetitive course, the logic behind which is conspicuous by its absence. Several players arrive, make a few odd appearances in red and are packed off on loan to some corner of Western Europe before being sold at a discounted price. This scatter-brained approach seems to indicate a lack of clarity and common focus to transfers

And so, comes the summer of 2015, and out goes Raheem Sterling. Having faced criticism at several points during his time at the club for any perceived number of flaws and tasked with various areas for improvement, Raheem Sterling has chosen to leave, with the promise of a more lucrative contract and a better chance at silverware. The news has evoked a range of emotions in the fan base, ranging from satisfaction to disgust to relief.

And in come the new recruits, who, frankly, do not look up to the task.

At first glance, Liverpool seem to have addressed some of those needs – Nathaniel Clyne arrives from Southampton to fill the space left by Glen Johnson, Adam Bogdan replaces Brad Jones as backup goalkeeper and James Milner brings with him several technical and tactical qualities as well as the convenient absence of a price tag.

However, Luis Suarez’s big shoes have not been adequately filled, there seems to be some doubt as to who takes over from Steven Gerrard and a lack of steel in the middle of the park is an area of concern.

Roberto Firmino is, ostensibly, the Gerrard replacement – an attack minded midfielder with a hard working mentality capable of giving Liverpool the edge in tight games. He arrives, mind you, as the club’s second most expensive acquisition (assuming terms of the add-ons are fulfilled) and most eyeballs will, no doubt, be pointed his way when he makes his debut for the club.

The most crucial need is one that has not sufficiently been addressed for twelve months now. Names of the order of Christian ?Benteke, Alexandre Lacazette, Gonzalo Higuain and Javier Hernandez are being tossed around like confetti by the overworked rumour mill, although there has been little in the way of concrete action. Following Luis Suarez at Liverpool is an immense task and their season could well depend on the man chosen for the job.