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Transfers within Premier League clubs are always tricky. It gets even more complicated when two rivals are involved.
19-time English champions Liverpool have rarely done business with their rivals, but there have been a few stars who have bravely jumped the fence.
Here are the top five Liverpool players who directly joined a rival in the Premier League era (1992-present):
#5 Yossi Benayoun - Chelsea
Former Israeli playmaker Yossi Benayoun joined Liverpool from West Ham United for €7.3m in July 2007. Rafa Benitez was aware of the qualities the player brought, but used him largely as an impact substitution.
In his first season, Benayoun was subbed-in a whopping 21 times across all competitions. He ended his first season with 11 goals, which included hat-tricks in the Champions League and the FA Cup.
His best season in a Liverpool shirt came in 2009-10. He had more opportunities in the second half of the season and rarely disappointed. His vision and work on the ball was extraordinary and helped clinch some clinical wins.
At the end of the season, he surprisingly joined the Reds' Premier League rivals Chelsea for €7m, putting the blame on Benitez. The Israel international’s spell with Chelsea was rather insignificant as he featured in only 24 games for the Blues.
#4 Raul Meireles - Chelsea
When Liverpool went for Portugal international Raul Meireles in 2010, he was already a respectable midfielder in Europe. He had won four league titles with Porto and was a regular member of the Portuguese national team.
The industrious midfielder did not always grab headlines with goals and assists, but he was almost always instrumental to his teams.
Meireles was at Liverpool for a single season and it was a successful one. Sitting in the middle of the park, he barged from his box to his opponents’, pitching in with key passes and interceptions.
Meireles featured in 41 games for the Reds in the 2010-11 season, pitching in with five goals and as many assists.
The former Portugal international surprisingly joined Chelsea the following season and quickly became one of their key personnel. He appeared in 45 games for the Blues that season and won the Champions League and the FA Cup.
Unfortunately, he could not play in the final against Bayern Munich after picking up a booking in the semi-finals.
At the end of the 2011-12 campaign, he joined Fenerbahce SK and eventually retired there in 2016.
#3 Robbie Keane - Tottenham Hotspur
Tottenham Hotspur star Robbie Keane signed for Liverpool in the summer of 2008 for €24m. He was brought in to partner Fernando Torres up top, but he quickly turned out to be a burden.
Despite being an excellent player, the Irishman struggled to settle in at Anfield.
It took him 11 first-team appearances to score his first Liverpool goal against PSV Eindhoven and until November to score in the league.
Liverpool rectified their impulsive mistake by selling him back to Tottenham, but for a significantly reduced fee of €16.7m.
#2 Fernando Torres - Chelsea
Fernando Torres was one of the most versatile and skillful forwards of his time. The Spaniard conjured match-winning goals out of thin air, impressing even his biggest critics.
Liverpool got their hands on the player in the summer of 2007, signing him from Atletico Madrid for €38m. He quickly became one of the first names on the team sheet and was an instant hit with the fans.
Torres improved upon his Atletico Madrid days and emerged as one of the best strikers in the Premier League.
Torres scored a total of 81 goals in 142 appearances for the Reds, but failed to win a single trophy with them.
Chelsea capitalized on Torres’ desire for silverware and picked him up for €58.5m in January 2011. Torres won his first and only Champions League title with Chelsea the same season.
#1 Raheem Sterling - Manchester City
Manchester City winger Raheem Sterling has won multiple trophies with the reigning Premier League champions. He has turned into an exceptional winger under Pep Guardiola, capable of influencing a match single-handedly.
Sterling’s journey to Premier League excellency, however, did not start at Manchester City; the Sky Blues were not the ones to discover him. It was Liverpool who introduced Sterling to Premier League football.
The Reds got the Englishman on their payroll in 2010, signing him from Queens Park Rangers’ youth academy. He rose through the ranks swiftly and earned his first senior team cap in March 2012, aged only 17 years and 107 days.
Over the next three seasons, Sterling went on to become a valuable member of the club. Unfortunately, it all came crashing down in the first half of 2015.
A contract dispute ensued and the club fell out with the player and his agent. Eventually, Manchester City came calling and snatched him up for €63.7m.
So far, Sterling has featured in 307 games for City, bagging 116 goals and 89 assists.
