Ranking the top 8 signings made by Liverpool in the last 10 years

Over the last decades, Liverpool has made some questionable transfers. But there has not been a mass shortage of really good deals in the transfer market for the Reds. It has been a staple for many years, for Liverpool to buy up-and-coming talent and nurture them on their way to becoming world beaters. However, the downfall of the club meant that the players who grew at Anfield would end up seeking other clubs to achieve a certain standard of success. It is Jurgen Klopp's job now to ensure that Liverpool remains consistent and ambitious to ensure the futures of all the best talent at the club.

This year though, Liverpool have really spent big money. They broke the world record fees for both, a defender and a goalkeeper while other moves involving close to £45 to 50 million each being confirmed over the course of the previous twelve months. Only now have the Reds started splashing the cash. Over the years, Liverpool has had a conservative approach to transfers and would help in the development of the players they signed. There are, of course, some exceptions. Brendan Rodgers spent ridiculous amounts of cash in 2014 as a reaction to Luis Suarez moving to Barcelona and it backfired.

Jurgen Klopp's approach is an excellent one, one which has really made Liverpool the force it has become once again. He has a certain set of targets and he won't move from them. If he cannot get them in one transfer window, he will wait for the next one. This kind of patience is rare in football and it has helped Liverpool reach the Champions League final. Klopp has not made a monumentally bad transfer for the Reds and will predictably be heavily featured on this list. These players are ones who have come in and made an impact at Anfield, impacting them positively and could potentially spur the Reds on to further success.

Here are eight of the best Liverpool transfers in the last ten years but first, some honourable mentions.

Maxi Rodriguez
Raul Meireles
Daniel Sturridge
Andy Robertson

#8 Virgil van Dijk

Despite only joining the club in January, Virgil van Dijk has become the backbone of the Liverpool defence. But honestly, it should not come as any surprise. Jurgen Klopp was adamant that the big Dutch was the answer to all of Liverpool's centre-back problems and tried to get him last summer. He eventually arrived in the winter for a whopping £75 million, a world record fee for a defender. It seemed like a risk but Klopp was so sure of this signing.

He would be proven right as van Dijk has literally transformed the entire Reds defence over the course of the second half of last season. He played a key role in the inspiring run to the Champions League final as Liverpool defended heavy leads against Manchester City and Roma. Another reason why he is already so adored by the Kop faithful is the fact that he scored a late winner on his debut against Everton in the FA Cup third round.

His overall strength and technique with the ball have revitalized the Reds and it showed significantly as they comfortably finished in the Premier League top four. There was a considerable improvement shown by Dejan Lovren as well, who did not enjoy the best of seasons before van Dijk joined the club. His confidence showed as he was part of the Croatian team that reached the World Cup final. van Dijk looks set to play an even bigger part this season as the Reds will look to pose a title challenge. And for that, your defence needs to be in top form.

The former Celtic and Southampton defender is set to be the backbone of the Liverpool defence for many years to come. He is also a possible candidate for the captain's armband as he has already shown to be a big leader on the field for the Reds.

#7 Jordan Henderson

When Jordan Henderson signed for Liverpool in 2011, people instantly wrote him off. How could Liverpool sign a kid from Sunderland for £16 million? What is wrong with them? Kenny Dalglish would be proven right over the course of time. Henderson was brought to Anfield along with the likes of Charlie Adam and Stewart Downing. Fortunately for him, he would be able to distinguish himself from them at Liverpool.

His first season was a difficult one and he was strongly considered by then-new manager Brendan Rodgers to be sold to Fulham in exchange for American forward Clint Dempsey. He refused to move and decided to fight for his place at Anfield. He would become a mainstay in the Liverpool midfield by the end of the year. His tireless workhorse mentality was so crucial to the Reds as they mustered up a title challenge and his absence through suspension would prove costly at the end of the season as Liverpool could not get it over the line.

Henderson went on to replace Steven Gerrard as the captain of this football club and has endured some rocky spells due to foot injuries. But overall, he has grown into the role and is the right man to be leading Liverpool as they will look to embark on a journey towards silverware. He was a big part of the midfield as Liverpool reached the Champions League final last season and will continue to anchor it in the big games to come in the future.

The former Sunderland man was also the main man in midfield for England as they reached the semi-finals of this year's World Cup. His qualities are what make managers love players like him. Not one of them has anything bad to say about Jordan Henderson. However, he is one of those players who will always have doubters, no matter what.

#6 Roberto Firmino

It may be a wonder why Roberto Firmino is so low on this list. It is because he was bought by former manager Brendan Rodgers. The current Celtic manager had Firmino at his disposal but had no idea how to use him, playing him out wide in a position which the Brazilian was not comfortable with. He was and is a central player. When Rodgers got sacked and Klopp came in, that's when Firmino started coming of use.

He would be played as a central attacking midfielder or a false nine for Jurgen Klopp during the rest of the 2015-16 season. That was when his quality shone through. Becoming a hard-working forward who helps out the midfield and defence made him a favourite of the German manager. Firmino became an even better player in the months to come as he helped to get the Reds over the line to qualify for the Champions League in 2016-17.

The Brazilian is a master at integrating the midfield and attack, helping to build up play and unselfishly give others the space to move forward and cause problems. That is where he is most effective. Despite all of his unselfishness, Firmino scored 25 goals in a prolific season for him. His Brazilian skill and flair are on full display at Anfield whenever he takes the ball and his expertise has brought plenty of success to Liverpool already.

Firmino has bags of ability and tactical awareness which makes him a step ahead most of the time. He is the ultimate Jurgen Klopp player and along with his forward friends, will always be the first name on the teamsheet at Anfield. Bobby also played a part during his limited playing time with Brazil at the World Cup, when he tapped in their second goal against Mexico in the second round. Firmino has low-key become one of the best forwards in the world today.

#5 Sadio Mane

Sadio Mane was Jurgen Klopp's first marquee signing as the Liverpool boss and now we know why. The Senegalese winger has terrorised defences with his pace for years now, including Liverpool's when he was at Southampton. Mane would settle at the club pretty much immediately, as he scored a scorcher on his debut at the Emirates Stadium. Since then, he has not looked back. His first season saw him become the Reds’ key player as he scored some really important goals, none more so than the 94th-minute winner at Goodison in his first Merseyside derby.

Mane’s soaring presence in attack was so badly missed when he went for the African Cup Of Nations with Senegal. He would return and slot right in, as he was a major reason why Liverpool finished in fourth that season. The winger would not be the only key figure in the Reds attack in 2017-18 as he was joined by fellow African superstar Mo Salah, more on him later. Mane still played a pivotal role for the Reds as he scored in every stage of the Champions League season.

There is a reason why Real Madrid made contact to try and poach him from the Reds, he was excellent in the final against them. While Salah gets in the positions and scores most of the goals, Mane is not one to be ignored. He has pace like very few do in this sport and is an extremely lethal finisher. Mane did suffer a lapse in form and confidence since his red card at Manchester City in September, but he picked up in January as the Reds made a massive charge in both the league and in Europe.

His joyful and humble attitude is perfect as he prefers to stay quiet and let the others do the leading. It is great because he does his talking on the pitch. Mane is set to take on even more responsibility as he has become the new number 10 of Liverpool, a number which has been worn by many Anfield heroes. He will want to follow in the footsteps of the likes of Jan Molby, John Barnes and Philippe Coutinho among others. The rapid winger will continue to stun defences across England and Europe this season as the Reds will want to build on their recent successes and get even better.

#4 James Milner

Another one of Rodgers’ signings from his last transfer window, James Milner has been excellent for Liverpool since arriving on a free transfer from Manchester City. The midfielder is the perfect utility man and will perform any task given to him with maximum effort. He showed it at his previous clubs, just how well-rounded and versatile he is. Milner has also brought immense experience to the club as he has won two Premier League titles.

The English midfielder has been one of Jurgen Klopp's most reliable players as he took up the responsibility of filling in for Jordan Henderson as captain, whenever the England international would be out. Milner would also be called upon to fill various gaps in the Liverpool team, particularly at left-back. He spent the entirety of the 2016-17 season playing at that dreaded position because Alberto Moreno could not be trusted and Klopp had not found the one yet.

Liverpool would eventually sign Andy Robertson from Hull City for $8 million the following summer, another fantastic signing, meaning that Milner returned to his favourite position in central midfield. He may be classed as boring, but that is so far from the truth. Milner's valuable assists took Liverpool to three cup finals in three seasons. He also went on to break the record for the highest number of assists in a single Champions League campaign.

While he is not getting any younger, Milner is still an important member of the squad as he can play at various different positions and is always so reliable. He has that quality which makes it impossible to hate him, one that makes him an unlikely favourite of Jurgen Klopp. But here he is, Mr Dependable, who is set to play an important part in another season filled with ambition and hopefully, glory.

#3 Mohamed Salah

It has just been one season, but what an impact Mohamed Salah has made at Liverpool. It is unbelievable how good he has been since signing from Roma for only £37 million. Salah had previously played in the Premier League for Chelsea, where he struggled to a high degree. A few years on from his failure in England, he returned to prove himself. He ended up doing that, and more. The Egyptian winger has been an absolute revelation for the Reds this season, doing much better than his highest hopes.

Salah would just work non-stop to use his supreme pace to get in promising positions and more often than not, he would see the ball bounce off the back of the net. He linked up perfectly with Firmino and Mane as the trio combined excessively well. They scored a bucketload of goals that would help the Reds immensely throughout the entire season. His pace is just frightening, so frightening that even the lightning-fast Mane was blown away by how fast he was.

The former Roma man scored a record-breaking 32 goals in the Premier League and scored countless important goals in the Champions League. Everything he would touch would turn into goals and there was no wrong he could do. He blistered his former club in the semi-final of the Champions League as he scored an excellent brace and set up two more goals. He was virtually unplayable that night and that was the difference between the two clubs over the tie.

Unfortunately, Salah's golden season ended in ultimate heartbreak. He got injured and had to walk off early on in the Champions League final and that put his World Cup hopes in severe doubt. He managed to make it to Russia where he would score two goals, but it did not matter as Egypt lost all three of their games and were the first team to be eliminated from the competition. Salah will absolutely want to brush all of those tears and bruises off as he is readying himself for another breathtaking year at Anfield.

#2 Philippe Coutinho

It is baffling how Liverpool managed to secure such a fantastic talent for only £8 million. Philippe Coutinho joined Liverpool as an extremely young attacking midfielder with messy hair. His development under Brendan Rodgers was valuable for his career in so many ways as he instantly broke out as a star. Coutinho had a knack of scoring important goals for Liverpool, the biggest coming in the thrilling 3-2 victory in the "title-decider" against Manchester City. It was evident that he would eventually achieve greatness.

Coutinho has a brilliant eye for goal and often attempts the spectacular, getting it right on more than a few occasions. The Brazilian grew even further under Klopp as he quickly became Liverpool's talisman. He scored brilliant goals at critical stages against Manchester United and Borussia Dortmund in the Reds' run to the Europa League final. Coutinho would continue his rich vein of form into the next season as well. He became more and more influential to Liverpool as he and Sadio Mane were the driving forces behind the team's success.

The period when Coutinho was injured, from December to February, saw Liverpool struggle immensely as a potential title challenge turned into a race for the fourth spot. His return in March sparked the Reds' return to form and he scored seven goals in the final two months of the season, in the absence of Mane. He provides opportunities for himself as well as he does for others, that's what makes him a very dangerous player. He also played a big part in the first half of last season, which would prove to be his final months as a Red.

Coutinho contributed big in the Champions League as he got a hat-trick in the final group game against Spartak Moscow. He scored seven goals in the month of December before moving to Barcelona for £142 million. That is a staggering profit made on one of the finest players in world football, who was made into a beast at Anfield. Coutinho lit up the World Cup as he was Brazil's main attacking threat over Neymar. A player so good is very difficult to replace as Liverpool are looking for a way around the situation in preparation for the upcoming season.

#1 Luis Suarez

Luis Suarez's time at Liverpool was an extremely interesting one. It was filled with controversy and brilliance but in the end, one outweighed the other. The Uruguayan star signed for Liverpool alongside Andy Carroll. The English striker got most of the attention but on the pitch, it would be the absolute opposite. Suarez helped Liverpool rise from the ruins that Roy Hodgson left them in. He was their main threat heading into 2011-12 with Kenny Dalglish continuing on as the Reds manager.

Suarez would blow hot an cold throughout the season as he was involved in an ugly saga which took over the core of his season. He was accused of racially abusing Manchester United's Patrice Evra and got banned for eight games. Once he returned, he was in the news again for allegedly refusing to shake Evra's hand before the Reds' return game against United. Suarez would end the season on a high as he scored a terrific hat-trick against Norwich, a club that he would destroy every time he played against them.

The former Ajax hotshot enjoyed a much better season in 2012-13 as he scored 30 goals in all competitions, including some unbelievable strikes against Newcastle United and Zenit St Petersburg. But his end to the season was bitten off as he was banned for ten games because he bit Chelsea's Branislav Ivanovic during a match against Chelsea at Anfield. That game illustrated the good and bad sides of Luis Suarez like nothing else as after somehow avoiding a red card for biting, he scored a 97th-minute equaliser to save the game for Liverpool.

That summer he wanted to leave and was desperate to do so. However, Steven Gerrard helped to convince the Reds' star player to stay put for at least one more season. And it was the right decision. Suarez enjoyed an unbelievably fantastic season as he scored a then-joint record of 31 goals in the Premier League, despite missing the first five games due to suspension. The Uruguayan was consistently phenomenal as he came close to driving Liverpool all the way to the Premier League crown, but it all ended in tears for him.

After another biting incident at the World Cup in 2014, Suarez ended up getting a move to Barcelona. The Reds received £75 million for him but could not find a way to replace him in any way. Suarez has been constantly missed at Anfield until the combined strikeforce of Salah, Firmino and Mane took England and Europe by storm. Not in a very long time did Liverpool see an individual striker so ridiculously talented and complete. He was one-of-a-kind. Luis Suarez might have had his downside. But it was all worth it because he was just that damn good.

Edited by Sripad