Christian Benteke is Liverpool’s seventh signing this summer. His move takes our total spending to within touching distance of the £80m mark and makes it one of our most expensive transfer windows of all time.
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However, we’re no stranger to spending large sums of cash. In the list below, we count down our ten most expensive years ever, comprising both the summer and January transfer windows where possible.
Could the 2015-16 season be our most expensive year ever?
10) 2009-10 Season – £36m
The Reds actually made a profit this summer, thanks in no small part to the sale of Xabi Alonso. Alberto Aquilani cost half that money to bring in as a replacement, although that was still £15m too much for the injury-prone Italian. Glen Johnson was the other big-money arrival, as the Rafa Benitez era began to wind towards a close.
9) 2008-09 Season – £39m
The signing of Robbie Keane saw a large chunk of our budget disappear this summer, although we sold him back to Tottenham just six months later. Alberto Riera, Andrea Dossena and David Ngog also came in during what was a forgettable transfer window. Peter Crouch, John Arne Riise and Steve Finnan were all surprisingly moved on.
8) 2004-05 Season – £39.8m
Benitez broke our record transfer spend this season, during his first year in charge of the club. Djibril Cisse, Xabi Alonso, Fernando Morientes and Luis Garcia were all brought in, with three of those players featuring heavily during our run to the 2005 Champions League final. Michael Owen left the club for Real Madrid as well.
7) 2013-14 Season – £48.8m
Mamadou Sakho was the biggest signing of what was a fairly underwhelming summer, ahead of what proved to be our most successful Premier League season in several years. Simon Mignolet, Luis Alberto, Iago Aspas and Tiago Ilori were the other new arrivals, while Andy Carroll was the most notable sale as he joined West Ham. The new signings hardly contributed, of course.
6) 2012-13 Season – £49.3m
Brendan Rodgers spent big during his first season in charge, although we had to wait until January for the two most prominent arrivals, in the shape of Daniel Sturridge and Philippe Coutinho. Joe Allen followed Rodgers to the club from Swansea, while the Northern Irishman also brought in Fabio Borini and Oussama Assaidi.
5) 2011-12 Season – £56.4m
Kenny Dalglish splashed the cash on a series of high-profile purchases. In came Jordan Henderson, Stewart Downing, Charlie Adam and Jose Enrique, although the signings failed – for the most part – to have the desired impact. The likes of Paul Konchesky, Christian Poulsen and Milan Jovanovic were all got rid of as well.
4) 2007-08 Season – £69.75m
Fernando Torres became Liverpool’s new number nine and an Anfield hero, while Javier Mascherano also made his loan move from West Ham United into a permanent one. Martin Skrtel, Ryan Babel and Yossi Benayoun came in as well, to complete an impressive summer, while Momo Sissoko was the most profitable exit.
3) 2015-16 Season – £77.5m (plus Danny Ings tribunal fee)
Christian Benetke and Roberto Firmino are the two big arrivals this summer, while Nathaniel Clyne and Joe Gomez have also warranted a fee. The Ings tribunal fee – likely to be around the £8m mark – will take our spending through the £80m mark for only the third time. Raheem Sterling’s sale has funded much of our business.
2) 2010-11 Season – £80.45m
Kenny Dalglish’s first transfer window as Liverpool manager saw the arrivals of Andy Carroll and Luis Suarez, with those two moves funded by the sale of Fernando Torres to Chelsea. The previous year, Roy Hodgson was responsible for bringing in the likes of Raul Meireles, Christian Poulsen and Brad Jones.
1) 2014-15 Season – £117m
The Reds spent £50m on three Southampton players – Adam Lallana, Dejan Lovren and Rickie Lambert – and topped off an expensive summer with the additions of Lazar Markovic, Emre Can, Alberto Moreno, Mario Balotelli and Divock Origi. Luis Suarez’s big-money move to Barcelona helped fund our busy summer of spending.
