4 Liverpool transfer sagas that worked out in the end
- Over the years, Liverpool have been involved in countless transfer sagas
- Virgil van Dijk was a man wanted and in the end, it was a perfect match
- No club can win every transfer saga, but the Reds have an impressive track record
As football fans, there are really two things that all fans love to debate and can't get enough of. One of those is the game itself where we hyper-analyze everything that happens on the pitch and on occasion, we blow it all out of proportion.
The second is the infamous transfer rumor mill. Who doesn't want their favorite club linked to 58 world class players every transfer window? It's extra fun when none of those 58 names arrive and you must justify to yourself why the loan deal they made instead is a win-win.
Yet, there are those moments in time where these "sagas" end up in favor of your team. Today, we are going to look at four times when Liverpool "won" the transfer saga.
4. Moises Caicedo picks Chelsea
We are going to start with one that is fresh in the minds and hearts of all Liverpool fans. Last summer, during the Reds midfield overhaul, it was clear that a new defensive midfield option was needed following the departure of Fabinho.
The Reds, having already secured Alexis Mac Allister from Brighton, had an interest in the Ecuadorian, but nothing substantial. Instead, they flirted with Romeo Lavia of Southampton.
FSG low-balled the Saints on multiple occasions seemingly thinking they would eventually crack. However, then came the news that Chelsea had a sudden interest in Lavia. What was the Reds response?
In the middle of the night they had a £110 million deal agreed with the Seagulls for the Blues long-term target Caicedo. It was truly a tit-for-tat situation. Caicedo, for his part, was coming off a brilliant season at Brighton.
However, in the end, he chose Chelsea who forked over a British record £115m. Liverpool would lick their wounds while shaking off such a public rejection and eventually land on Wataru Endo from Stuttgart.
The 2023-24 season at Chelsea would be a tough one for both player and club while Endo eventually found his footing and became an integral part of the Reds first XI.
It's clear Liverpool dodged a huge bullet at least in the short-term, so I'm counting this as a win for now.