How Liverpool do it, we don’t quite know. His record in the transfer market since the appointment of Jurgen Klopp and Michael Edwards taking over as sporting director has been astonishing, not only for the success of his signings, but also for the eye-watering fees he has produced. have been able to get out of Edge players
They have a way of predicting player speeds, running the numbers, and making smart decisions that usually pay off. To prove it, here’s a full starting XI of players sold for far more than they were worth by Klopp and Edwards since 2015.
Danny Ward still kicking the Leicester squad / James Williamson – AMA/Getty Images
Danny Ward (GK) – £12m – Since joining Leicester in the summer of 2018, Danny Ward has scored a total of 10… and none of them have come in the Premier League. He hasn’t actually played in the top flight since his first two appearances for Liverpool in 2016.
Ki-Jana Hoever (RB) – £9m – Dutch defender Hoover was, and still is, showing some serious promise. When you’re being offered 100x the return on an 18-year-old who’s barely featured, there’s only so much you can do.
Dejan Lovren (CB) – £11m – No matter what anyone tells you, Lovren was a great Liverpool servant, and although he was a victim of the s-tshow, he wasn’t as bad as people think. However, the summer was the right time for him to leave, and getting £11m for him – aged 31 with a year left on his contract – was great business.
Mamadou Sakho (CB) – £25m – Lovren doesn’t look so bad anymore, does he? It defies the belief that Sakho made 80 appearances for Liverpool, almost as much as it defies the belief that he was sold for a tidy profit on his £17m signing.
Brad Smith (LB) – £3m – Liverpool originally included a buyback clause in the deal that took ‘Brad Smith’ to Bournemouth. A few years later, he was drawn up on loan to the MLS, and it was pretty clear that the clause would not be activated.
Coutinho’s return to Anfield was not a welcome one / Sean Bottrell / Getty Images
Ryan Kent (RM) – £7m – Let’s face it, Ryan Kent was never going to make the grade at Liverpool. He’s not that good for Rangers either, although it seems likely he’ll return to the Premier League for a hair-raising fee at some point.
Philippe Coutinho (CM) – £140m – The sale of Coutinho to Barcelona is one of Liverpool’s best bits of transfer business so far. Allowing him to leave with enough change to spend a world record fee on the goalkeeper helped fund the signing of Virgil van Dijk, and his form since then has shown Klopp wants him around. Why didn’t you worry about keeping it?
Kevin Stewart (CM) – £4m – is a midfielder who, at one point, was there.
Jordon Ibe (LM) – £16m – There was a time when Ibe was lazily billed as Raheem Sterling’s heir apparent, and his departure for Bournemouth was met with disappointment by fans who wanted to see him get more opportunities. Four years later, he has signed for Derby County on a free transfer.
Solanke breathes life into Championship / James Williamson – AMA/Getty Images
Rhian Brewster (CF) – £23m – Take the emotion out of the Brewster deal and you can see it for what it is. More than £20m for a 20-year-old whose only substantial senior experience was six months in the Championship. A buyback clause puts all the cards in Liverpool’s hands, although Smith and Ibe – who had similar clauses – should act as cautionary tales on that front.
Dominic Solanke (CF) – £19m – Signed for a nominal compensation fee. Score eleven. Sold for £19m. Michael Edwards, How Do You Do It?
Total cost of XI: £270m