Liverpool: How have Klopp's summer signings fared this season?

As the 2018/19 season draws to a close for most clubs, Liverpool still have their most important game of the season to look forward to.

After stunning Barcelona at Anfield in the Champions League semi-final second leg a fortnight ago, the Reds set up a mouth-watering final clash against fellow Premier League opposition Tottenham Hotspur. Whether Jurgen Klopp’s men lift the trophy on 1st June or not, Liverpool fans will fondly remember this team and the wonderful moments that the players have produced this season.

The fans have rejoiced all the goals, all the late winners and every stunning comeback that the team have produced over the course of the season. They will remember how far this team have come – from losing 3-1 to Sevilla in the Europa League final three years ago to making it to back-to-back finals of the Champions League.

All the plaudits will go to Klopp and his team, but one must also applaud the work Michael Edwards and company have done in the transfer market. Each of their transfer targets has been well analysed – their strengths and weaknesses and whether they will fit into Klopp’s grand scheme of things before splashing the cash.

This has resulted in some of the best signings in Liverpool’s history with the likes of Alisson, Virgil van Dijk, Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane entering through the Anfield doors in recent years.

On the whole, Liverpool brought in four first-team players last summer. In this article, we analyse how each of Klopp’s signings in the past summer has performed over the course of the 2018-19 season.

#4 Naby Keita

Injuries have prevented Keita from reaching his best

The arrival of Naby Keita was actually confirmed in the summer of 2017 but the Guinean was slated to join the Anfield club a year later in 2018. Liverpool paid a hefty amount of £52.75 million to RB Leipzig to attain the services of the creative midfielder.

Keita arrived with a lot of fanfare, having elected to wear Steven Gerrard’s legendary No. 8 jersey. With the departure of Philippe Coutinho to Barcelona in January 2018, hopes were high as the Guinean was expected to hit the ground running and provide creativity from midfield.

But his debut season didn’t go as planned as he managed just three goals and one assist in all competitions. A series of muscular injuries meant that the former Leipzig man could not enjoy an extended run in the team. Eventually, when he started to hit form in April, with strikes against Porto, Southampton and Huddersfield, a groin injury sustained against Barcelona at the Camp Nou put an end to his season.

Although there are chances that the injury might not be as severe as first thought and he might make it to the bench in Madrid. After a successful season for the team as a whole, the Liverpool fans will expect Keita to hit top gear next season and show the fans why the club paid the premium for his signature.

Verdict: 5/10

#3 Xherdan Shaqiri

Shaqiri has been a decent squad player for the Reds

Xherdan Shaqiri joined a select band of players when he signed for Liverpool last summer. The Swiss international was signed from a relegated Stoke City team for a sum of £13.5 million.

Liverpool have made it a habit of plucking out the brightest players from the relegated sides for measly sums and turning them into wonderful team players. Andy Robertson in 2017 (Hull City) and Gini Wijnaldum in 2016 (Newcastle) provide great examples of this brilliant recruitment tactic.

So, it wasn’t really a surprise when Shaqiri made his move to Anfield. The 27-year-old was brought in due to his versatility as he could play both on the wings as well as in a midfield three. After a slow start to the season, Shaqiri came to life at the start of November as he scored a brace against bitter rivals Manchester United to give Liverpool a 3-1 victory at home.

After chipping in from the bench regularly at the start of the season, Shaqiri fell out of favour with the boss as Klopp favoured the likes of Divock Origi and Keita whenever he needed an attacking impetus during the title run-in.

In spite of a poor ending, Shaqiri could be considered a relative success as he did his job well, ending the season with six goals and five assists in all competitions.

Verdict: 6/10

#2 Fabinho

Fabinho's importance has grown through the season

Liverpool stunned the world when they announced the signing of Fabinho for £39 million from AS Monaco, just hours after their defeat to Real Madrid in last year’s Champions League final.

Fabinho’s capture showed the world that Liverpool mean business. Rather than licking their wounds after the shocking capitulation, the Reds were back on their feet, plotting for next season. Liverpool had been sorely lacking a good defensive midfielder since the days of Javier Mascherano.

Despite finishing fourth in the Premier League the season before, the Reds had conceded 38 goals in the league itself. Klopp knew that to challenge the might of Manchester City, keeping clean sheets and proper game management at crucial junctures was important. In Fabinho, he found a player that could tick all the boxes.

As Klopp slowly integrated the Brazilian to the rigours of the Premier League, Fabinho’s first start came two months into the season against Cardiff. From that game onwards, there has been no looking back for the Brazilian anchorman. Strong performances have since followed, clean sheets have emerged and ultimately Liverpool have become stronger than ever.

With a season under his belt, Fabinho has the potential to become even better and scale greater heights with this Liverpool team.

Verdict: 8/10

#1 Alisson Becker

Liverpool finally have a reliable man in between the sticks

When Liverpool signed the Brazil international for a then-world record fee for a goalkeeper, the margin for error was very less. Football fans have minimal patience with the players these days and as Loris Karius would find out, making mistakes on the grandest stage can slam the door shut on your career.

Therefore, Alisson Becker, after one great season in Rome, had a lot of pressure on his shoulders. The keeper had the fans’ heart in their mouths in the opening few games but after a string of calm showings, the Liverpool fans came to terms with his flair.

Despite an error or two, Alisson was near-perfect throughout the season with a bunch of crucial saves keeping the Reds in the game on many an occasion.

His save against Napoli in the dying moments of their final group game in the Champions League, a number of important saves against Barcelona in the second leg of the semi-final and the point-blank save against Everton in the 0-0 draw at Goodison stand out. These instances became the defining moments for the Reds this season.

To cap it all off, the Brazilian took home the Golden Glove award with 21 clean sheets to his name in the league this season. At just 26 years of age, the Brazilian keeper is yet to hit his prime and could guard the Anfield sticks for a good number of years to come.