Ranking the 4 best players that have played for Liverpool and Southampton
With Liverpool's next fixture after the international break coming against Southampton FC, I think it's a good time to remind ourselves just how much transfer activity there has been between these two clubs over the years.
Some of the absolute best players of recent years have made the move from the Saints to the Reds as they ascended in their careers.
As a result, Southampton has become an integral partner when looking at transfer dealings for Liverpool and it wasn't until the Romeo Lavia fiasco where the two sides were finally unable to meet halfway for a player.
In this article, I'm going to rank the four best players that have suited up for both Liverpool and Southampton over the years.
Honorable Mentions: Peter Crouch, Nathaniel Clyne, Dejan Lovren, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain
4. Adam Lallana
We begin our rankings with a player that has played 244 times for Southampton and donned the famous red shirt 177 times across all competitions.
Lallana was an exciting attacking midfielder in his prime that had a very underrated technical ability about him that he would use to terrorize defenses. He was a dribbling wizard that could create space for himself in the tightest of situations.
His versatility to play in a variety of advanced roles is not too dissimilar to Harvey Elliott today, as Lallana made himself valuable to the side when he was fit.
That proved to be one of his glaring issues as staying healthy was a big concern for the Englishman. Despite that, as a Liverpool player, he won both the Champions League and Premier League as an essential utility player for Jurgen Klopp. He also scored that goal to beat Norwich in 2016.
His early years at Liverpool, pre-Klopp, were interesting under Brendan Rodgers. He never truly established himself but in the end he won over the club to become a vital piece of the machine.
His inconsistency and inability to stay fit hampered him from really taking the next step in his career, but he is a wonderful footballer for both these clubs to call their own.