Is the Reds’ deal to take Philippe Coutinho to Anfield our best ever?
Philippe Coutinho was nominated for the PFA Players’ Player of the Year award on Thursday, underlining his importance to Brendan Rodgers’ side.
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It’s hard to believe that the young Brazilian cost us just £8.5m two years ago, after failing to impress at Inter Milan. His transformation has seen him become renowned as one of our greatest ever bargains in the Premier League era.
But is he the greatest? We count down our top nine in the list below…
9) Steve Finnan (£3.5m from Fulham, 2003)
A player we’ve desperately struggled to replace over the last decade. After working his way up from non-league football the Irishman made 217 appearances for the Reds including the 2005 Champions League final.
8) Alvaro Arbeloa (£2.64m from Deportivo La Coruna, 2007)
A man we should never have let go. The Spanish international made 98 appearances during two and a half years at Anfield before re-joining Real Madrid in a £5m deal. Nonetheless, we got a lot out of a very cheap signing.
7) Lucas Leiva (£6m from Gremio, 2007)
A reliable servant to Liverpool, making over 250 appearances during eight years at the club. Never a headline maker but a well-liked and reliable presence in the Reds midfield, particularly when we’ve been up against it.
6) Jordon Ibe (£500k from Wycombe Wanderers, 2012)
We’ve only just begun to reap the rewards of this signing. The teenager burst onto the scene in the football league before making the switch to Merseyside. He’s made eight appearances so far this year after starring at Derby.
5) John Arne Riise (£4.6m from AS Monaco, 2001)
Created the level to which all recent Liverpool left-backs are judged. The bombarding Norwegian scored 30 goals in 339 games for the Reds, winning both the Champions League and the FA Cup before joining AS Roma.
4) Pepe Reina (£6m from Villarreal, 2005)
One of Liverpool’s best ever goalkeepers. The Spaniard made almost 400 appearances for us prior to his loan switch to Napoli and his subsequent move to Munich. He won both the FA Cup and the League Cup.
3) Luis Suarez (£22.8m from Ajax, 2011)
A hugely expensive signing in comparison with the rest of the names on this list… but boy was he worth it! His 82 goals in just 133 games, which was followed by a profit-making £75m switch to Barcelona, definitely means he can be included.
2) Philippe Coutinho (£8.5m from Inter Milan, 2013)
Could the Brazilian follow in his former teammates footsteps? We certainly hope the bit about leaving won’t come to pass for some time but he’s been the stand-out man in Suarez’s absence this season and has started to score.
1) Sami Hyypia (£3m from Willem II, 1999)
But if we’re talking value for money, there’s no beating big Sami. The Finn played almost 500 games for the Reds, scoring 35 goals and winning ten major honours. Played a crucial role in our 2005 Champions League run and will always be fondly remembered.
