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#3 Dejan Lovren - 20 million pounds - 27 July 14
The self-proclaimed best defender in the world has had an absolute roller coaster of a career at Liverpool. The Croatian centre-back is a decent defender having started out with Dinamo Zagreb and then making 102 appearances for Lyon in Ligue 1. He impressed in France and earned a move to the Premier League when a strong looking Southampton side picked him up for around 9 million pounds. He played well for Southampton making 31 appearances in his solitary season for the Saints.
Liverpool signed the Croatian for 20 million pounds to cover for the impending departure of Daniel Agger. After arriving, he made 38 appearances in his first season. However, he just couldn't establish himself, making error after error. Most people started doubting his price tag after an error-strewn season.
After Klopp's arrival, Lovren formed an unstable partnership with Mamadou Sakho. However, his best moment in a red shirt, of that season or for that matter of his Liverpool career came when he nodded in James Milner's cross to complete the comeback against Borussia Dortmund in the Europa League quarterfinals.
After that season he formed an ever-present but an unstable and leaky partnership with Joel Matip after the departure of Sakho. His form improved drastically in that season and he helped Liverpool reach the top four and the Champions League final. However, for every couple of good displays, Lovren made one high profile error.
After putting in good performances for Croatia in their road to the 2018 FIFA World Cup finals it looked as if Lovren had finally established himself as a proper Liverpool centre-back. However, a pelvis injury before the start of the league season forced Klopp to try a Joe Gomez and Virgil van Dijk partnership at centre-back; and what a partnership they formed! Liverpool were picking up clean sheets as easy as you like.
Further, even after the injury to Joe Gomez, Klopp preferred to play Matip and Lovren dropped to Liverpool's fourth choice centre-back. And now with Matip performing admirably alongside van Dijk, it is hard to imagine Lovren getting many more starts for Liverpool.
His transfer from Southampton falls somewhere between the success and failure category.
