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
1. Reds cash in on Philippe Coutinho and solidify their squad
Just around a year after putting pen to paper on a new 5-year deal and stating publicly he wanted to be a Liverpool legend, the Brazilian was pushing for a dream move to Barcelona.
That's an interesting legacy if you ask me. However, at the time, he was still an important part of the Reds squad and his creativity was paramount. Neymar's departure from Camp Nou accelerated things and the rumors picked up.
Fair play to the Reds brass who stood their ground rejecting two offers around £94.5m and £122m. An official transfer request from Coutinho, the threat of not playing for the club again and an unreal Nike ad that featured Coutinho with Barcelona were not enough to sway the Reds.
Finally, in the end Barca forked over £142m for the Brazilian playmaker and Liverpool gladly accepted having a fee almost 17 times what they paid to secure him from Inter.
Where did that money get invested you may ask? Alisson Becker and Fabinho would join the Reds in two moves that gave Liverpool the final spine they needed.
Alisson, the world-class shot stopper and Fabinho the do-it-all defensive midfield to unleash his fellow midfielders and attackers forward with confidence. It was brilliant work by Liverpool all-round.
As for Coutinho, he never reached the heights he would have expected and has been a club floater ever since.