Christian Benteke is set to become Liverpool’s second most expensive signing of all time this week, after the Reds agreed to meet the player’s £32.5m buyout clause in order to prise him out of the clutches of Aston Villa.
According to the Liverpool Echo, the 24-year-old will become the fifth player we’ve signed in the last twelve months to cost close to or more than £20m, as you can see in the list below.
Our top ten most expensive signing have certainly endured mixed fortunes during their respective Anfield careers, so let’s hope that Benteke joins the group which are looked upon positively.
Take a trip down memory lane and see how he compares at this stage…
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10) Javier Mascherano (£18.6m, West Ham United)
The Argentine proved to be an inspired signing. It was something of a risk at the time, following his rather spectacular failure at Upton Park, however he quickly set the record straight with his impressive performances at Anfield. He made over 100 appearances for us in all competitions before joining Barcelona in a €24 deal.
9) Robbie Keane (£19m, Tottenham Hotspur)
This one just didn’t work out as it was meant to. Keane has been a success at virtually every club he’s played for but he just couldn’t handle the pressure of playing for the Reds and wearing our famous No. 7 shirt. He managed just 19 Premier League appearances and only five goals before he was sent back to Spurs the following January.
8) Lazar Markovic (£19.8m, Benfica)
The young Serbian arrived at the club last summer after just one year in Portugal, where he helped guide Benfica to a domestic treble and a second successive Europa League final, which they lost to Sevilla. He endured a difficult first season on Merseyside, with his first-team chances limited, although he did show flashes of his vast potential.
All other transfer fees are accurate according to LFCHistory.net.
7) Dejan Lovren (£20m, Southampton)
Another arrival from last summer. After a nervous start, the Croatian found himself regularly missing out of the team, with Brendan Rodgers often electing to pick youngster Emre Can instead. However, Lovren improved during the final weeks of the season and will be hoping to continue that trend next term.
6) Fernando Torres (£20.2m, Atletico Madrid)
The Spaniard was one of the most prolific goalscorers in recent Liverpool history. He smashed in an emphatic 81 goals during 142 appearances for the Reds in all competitions, guiding us to a second place finish in the Premier League in 2009. He joined Chelsea in January 2011 but was never again able to reproduce the same run of form.
5) Luis Suarez (£22.8m, Ajax)
The only man who can boast a more impressive record than Torres in recent years. The Uruguayan might well be remembered by others for his more controversial moments, but at Liverpool he’ll always be remembered – and loved – for his goals. He struck 82 of them in total, one more than Torres, and got them in just 133 appearances.
4) Adam Lallana (£25m, Southampton)
Lallana’s progress – or lack of it – at Anfield, very much symbolises the struggles of all of last summer’s signings. He struggled with injury and fitness issues during the first part of the campaign and arguably never truly recovered. He did look better during the second-half of the season and will know he needs to push on again.
3) Roberto Firmino (£29m, 1899 Hoffenheim)
The man of the moment. The Brazilian has been in truly wonderful form for both club and country over the last couple of years and will now be hoping to make a similar impact on Merseyside. Expectations are certainly high and it will be interesting to see where in our team he is utilised – through the middle, up front or out wide.
2) Christian Benteke (£32.5m, Aston Villa)
Is he the right man for Liverpool? Ultimately, time will tell. The Belgian scored 15 goals in all competitions last season, taking his tally for Villa to 49 goals in 100 games. He was one of the most prolific players in the top flight during the last couple of months of the season, so let’s hope he can recreate that form in a Liverpool shirt.
1) Andy Carroll (£35m, Newcastle United)
Oh dear… there’s not much we can say here, is there? Would it be worth us spending £36m just so that this guy isn’t our record signing any more? It’s hard not to feel sorry for the big man. Injury problems have littered his career pretty much since the moment he left Newcastle. He’s not a bad player by any means but he’s never likely to reach his full potential or live up to this truly ridiculous price tag.
