Since FSG took over the club in 2010, Liverpool has signed a slew of midfielders, and the ECHO has ranked them from least to most successful.
The majority of Liverpool’s problems this season have been attributed to injuries in the midfield. Several key players for the club have been sidelined with injuries in the early weeks of the season, with many yet to return.
With midfield being a problem area for Liverpool this season, it’s worth reviewing the club’s track record for bringing in players in that position during the FSG era.
We’ve ranked them from least successful to a most significant impact in this section. We limited ourselves to players who played in the middle of the field, excluding wingers and those in more advanced positions.
Signed with a lot of promise in Brendan Rodgers’ first summer transfer window, Sahin’s arrival certainly excited supporters.
However, he could never hit the heights that many expected him to achieve following a loan from the La Liga giants.
In the end, his loan spell would get cut short after just a few months and he would later go on to have a successful career under Jurgen Klopp and Borussia Dortmund.
16. Luis Alberto
Signed from: Sevilla
Fee: £6.8m
Apps: 12
A promising young player from Spain, Alberto was brought to Anfield in 2013 with the view of being a future star Anfield.
But alas, that did not happen, and he would end up mustering only 12 appearances during three years contracted to the club. His highlight probably was his assist for Luis Suarez in a memorable 5-0 win over Tottenham Hotspur in December 2013.
He has since had a good career in Italy with Lazio, and was even linked with a move to Manchester City in recent years.
15. Kevin Stewart
Signed from: Tottenham
Fee: Free
Apps: 20
Signed on a free transfer from Tottenham in 2014 as a teenager, Stewart was always earmarked as a player for the future.
Klopp certainly handed opportunities to the youngster, as did the club, with Steart earning two contract extensions while at Anfield.
In the end, he was sold to Hull City for £7.5m in 2017, with Liverpool making a significant profit on the young midfielder.
14. Charlie Adam
Signed from: Blackpool
Fee: £7.5m
Apps: 37
Signed by Sir Kenny Dalglish in the summer of 2011, it was one of FSG’s early financial outlays in the transfer market.
Liverpool had wanted Adam in the January of that year, but Blackpool resisted. However, Adam’s career at Anfield would only last a single season before he was sold to Stoke City.
13. Marko Grujic
Signed from: Red Star Belgrade
Fee: £5.1m
Apps: 16
Grujic will forever hold the honor of being Klopp’s first official signing at Liverpool. But he was never able to establish himself at Anfield.
His highlight in a Reds shirt was probably his audacious goal against Barcelona in a pre-season friendly at Wembley Stadium in 2016.
Grujic would have loan spells at Cardiff and later Porto before officially signing for the Portuguese club permanently in 2021.
12. Joe Allen
Signed from: Swansea City
Fee: £15m
Apps: 132
One of Rodgers’ first signings, Allen was tipped to be the start of a new generation of midfielders at Anfield.
His Reds career would probably peak during his last season at Liverpool during Klopp’s first few months in the job.
Allen would go on to be sold to Stoke City in 2016, with Liverpool banking a fee close to what they paid Swansea four years earlier.
11. Emre Can
Signed from: Bayer Leverkusen
Fee: £9.75m
Apps: 167
Can will be remembered for being a player with plenty of promise and what might have been.
Despite being utilized in several different positions under Rodgers, it was when Klopp came to Anfield that his fellow German would thrive.
However, with his contract running down he would eventually leave for a new challenge to join Juventus in 2018.
10. Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain
Signed from: Arsenal
Fee: £35m
Apps: 133
A somewhat surprising signing from Klopp and Liverpool on deadline day in the summer of 2017.
Oxlade-Chamberlain was one of Liverpool’s best players in his debut season until he suffered a serious injury in the Champions League home semi-final against Roma.
Since then, Oxlade-Chamberlain has been unfortunate and struggled with his fitness which may have hindered his chances of becoming a key midfielder in Klopp’s engine room.
9. Naby Keita
Signed from: RB Leipzig
Fee: £52.75m
Apps: 117
The signing of Keita was the culmination of one of the biggest transfer sagas in Liverpool’s recent history.
Keita was signed on a pre-contract agreement and arrived with plenty of hype. However, injuries have prevented the Guinea international from being a regular figure in Klopp’s midfield.
When fit, Keita has the ability to be one of the best midfielders at Anfield, but that hasn’t been the case often enough over the past four years.
8. Harvey Elliott
Signed from: Fulham
Fee: £4.3m (£1.5m plus £2.8m in potential add-ons)
Apps: 28
Signed from Fulham in 2019, Liverpool needed a tribunal to determine the fee to pay the West London club for Elliott.
He has plenty of potentials to be one of Liverpool’s best players in the future and has been utilized as a midfielder over the last 12 months.
Injuries hindered his progress last term, but two contract extensions show the club’s commitment to Elliott being a long-term project at Liverpool.
7. Philippe Coutinho
Signed from: Inter Milan
Fee: £8.5m
Apps: 201
Signed in January 2013, Coutinho was always a player destined for the biggest of stages.
He will be remembered for his long-range strikes and free-kicks, with too many to mention.
However, he did exit the club in somewhat bad circumstances given his desire to leave Anfield in the summer of 2017, before being granted his wish a few months later. Liverpool would pocket £142m following his move to Barcelona, which represented a huge profit and was essential to rebuilding the squad.
6. Adam Lallana
Signed from: Southampton
Fee: £25m
Apps: 178
Signed in the summer of 2014, Lallana was one of a group of players brought to Anfield from Southampton.
Lallana would struggle with the occasional injury, but his career would take a step up when Klopp joined the club.
He would prove to be a key figure in Liverpool’s run to the Europa League final in 2016 and qualifying for the Champions League in 2017. Lallana would leave Anfield as a Premier League and Champions League winner, after helping the club win four major trophies.
5. Thiago Alcantara
Signed from: Bayern Munich
Fee: £25m
Apps: 72
The summer of 2020 saw Liverpool heavily linked with Thiago. When a deal was done, there was plenty of hype surrounding the Reds bringing one of Europe’s top midfielders to Anfield.
Injuries have somewhat hindered his progress, but when fit he’s established himself as one of Liverpool’s best players.
With two trophies already under his belt at Anfield, there is the opportunity for more before his contract runs out in 2024.
4. James Milner
Signed from: Manchester City
Fee: Free
Apps: 297
When Liverpool signed Milner for free from Man City in 2015, not many would have expected him to still be a key player seven years later.
He has gone on to win six major trophies and scored some of the key goals during the Premier League title-winning season in 2019/20.
In the Champions League winning year in 2018/19, Milner registered nine assists which remains a competition record.
3. Gini Wijnaldum
Signed from: Newcastle United
Fee: £25m
Apps: 237
One of Klopp’s first major signings at Liverpool, Wijnaldum saw a new era begin at Anfield.
His most memorable game came in the historic 4-0 victory over Barcelona, with his two goals after coming off the bench as a substitute turning the tie in Liverpool’s favor.
Liverpool wanted him to stay beyond his contract expiring in 2021, but he would end up leaving on a free transfer to Paris Saint-Germain. He is currently on loan at Roma but is recovering from a serious injury.
2. Jordan Henderson
Signed from: Sunderland
Fee: £20m
Apps: 455
Signed from Sunderland in 2011, Henderson was listed as England’s most promising young midfielder.
After a rocky start, Henderson began to find his feet in 2013/14, and would soon get the captain’s armband from Steven Gerrard.
He has won six major trophies as captain and will go down in history as being the first Liverpool skipper to lift the Premier League.
1. Fabinho
Signed from: Monaco
Fee: £43.7m
Apps: 178
Signed just days after Liverpool’s defeat to Real Madrid in the 2018 Champions League final, Fabinho was brought to the club as a surprise addition.
He has gone on to become a mainstay in Liverpool’s midfield and even helped the club out during the center-back injury crisis in 2020/21.
With six major trophies under the belt and years ahead of him in his career to win more, Fabinho is arguably the best midfield signing in the FSG era.
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