After a great season that saw Liverpool draw level with Manchester United’s 20 top-flight league wins, the news that Salah and Van Dijk would be extending their stays was the icing on top. The loss of TAA is a disappointment, but only having to find one replacement has already seen Liverpool installed as the favourite to retain their Premier League title.
At present, fans will find Liverpool priced at around 11/5, but gambling expert Elliot Law explains that exploring betting sites not on Gamstop can mean bettors find better odds. TAA moving to Real Madrid is a massive loss, but having to replace two other world-class players could have derailed Liverpool’s season. With that in mind, we look at some of the biggest Anfield departures over the last 15 years.
Midfield MaestrosÂ
As a club, Liverpool has had some incredible players during its illustrious history, and it is always difficult when players eventually move on. One example of this is Xabi Alonso, who joined from Real Sociedad in 2004 and spent 5 years with Liverpool.Â
The talented midfielder moved on to Real Madrid in 2009 for around £30 million, proving his class by helping them win a league title and the Champions League. Playing primarily as a defensive midfielder, he was often compared to Pep Guardiola, whom he played under at Bayern Munich after leaving Real.
A consummate professional who was an excellent role model, he has since gone into management and become Real Madrid’s new head coach after a successful spell in Germany with Bayer Leverkusen. Another player that had to go on the list played alongside Alonso, and is widely regarded as one of the club’s greatest ever servants, Steven Gerrard.Â
Gerrard came through the club’s youth system and grew up a Liverpool fan. He went on to make 710 appearances over 17 years, scoring 186 goals and getting 155 assists. His biggest achievement for Liverpool was captaining them to Champions League glory in 2005, with many citing his half-time speech as the catalyst for their comeback after trailing a star-studded AC Milan team 3-0 at half time.
Gerrard left in 2015 to join LA Galaxy and has also moved into management, enjoying success at Glasgow giants Rangers before spells at Aston Villa and Al-Ettifaq.
Philippe Coutinho makes it onto the list as a talented player who enjoyed his best football at the club, but the biggest reason his departure is so notable is that it was Liverpool’s record transfer fee received for a player.
Coutinho moved to Barcelona in 2018 in a deal worth up to £142 million after add-ons. This was a remarkable bit of business for Liverpool, who paid a sum of around £8.5 million to Inter Milan for the services of the Brazilian midfielder.
Phenomenal Forwards
Both Luis Suárez and Fernando Torres enjoyed great spells at Anfield, with Torres scoring 81 goals in 142 appearances, and Suárez getting 82 in 133. Torres broke a few hearts by moving to Chelsea for a British record £50 million, but he never recaptured the same form as when he played in red.
Suarez moved to Barcelona for £65 million and went on to create a formidable forward line next to Messi and Neymar. During his time in Spain, Suarez scored 195 goals and got 113 assists in 283 games, putting him third on the list of all-time Barca goal scorers.
When they eventually decide to move on, Van Dijk and Salah’s departures will have a similar impact as some of these, with Liverpool facing the unenviable task of trying to replace them.
