The ex-Benfica Lisbon forward Darwin Nunez joined Liverpool a few days ago, and his purchase became the second most expensive transfer in the history of the club. In this article we will talk about three more acquisitions by the Reds, the value of which may be the envy of many famous clubs in Europe.
Virgil van Dijk, defender (Southampton) – £76.2m.
The acquisition of the giant from the Netherlands in 2018 was a landmark for Liverpool and largely determined the team’s future success. Before the transfer, bookmakers were actively taking bets on whether Van Dijk would become a Liverpool player. It was possible to bet on this event in Crickex, and increase your deposit by 2 times. At the time, it seemed that Van Dijk might be a real flop, despite his excellent level of play and anthropometric data, since Virgil had a rather severe injury. However, the player showed himself amazingly from the first game, was able to become the team’s vice-captain and a true leader of the defense.
At Liverpool, Virgil has already suffered a severe knee injury, but was able to return to the field and demonstrate the highest level of play. Van Dijk contract is valid until 2025. To date, the Dutchman has scored 16 goals in 181 games.
Alisson, goalkeeper (Roma) – £56.25m.
The Brazilian goalkeeper is also included in Liverpool’s record-breaking list: the club has never paid such big money for a goalkeeper before. Alisson has justified absolutely every penny invested in his acquisition: the coaching staff, players, club personnel and fans are confident that Alisson is the team’s number one for a very long time. The Brazilian saves the team very well and helps his teammates to score, as well as scoring by himself: all the fans remember the magical goal to West Bromwich in the last seconds of the game!
Before the arrival of the Brazilian every shot at the goal of Liverpool could cause panic even for the most reserved fans, but now the situation has changed: Alisson is a real brick wall.
The Brazilian joined the club in 2018 and has already managed to re-sign his contract, which ends in 2027. Becker has conceded 145 goals in 184 games played, with Alisson already having 86 clean sheets for the Reds.
Naby Keita, midfielder (Red Bull Leipzig) – £54m.
This transfer is still causing controversy among the team’s fans. On the one hand, Keita is still considered a very high quality midfielder who can perfectly link the defense and attack. On the other hand, Naby has not been able to reach his full potential at Liverpool until now. He began to get more playing time only in the last season, and until then the guy was hampered by injuries. Keita’s contract expires in 2023 and there are reports that the player will extend his contract: the club is also interested in it. Therefore, the 2022/2023 season will be key in the Guinean midfielder’s career.
Darwin Nunez, forward (Benfica) – £75+25 million
Benfica’s Uruguayan striker Darwin Nunez is now the second most expensive player in Liverpool history. The young forward, according to public opinion, was acquired to replace Sadio Mane, and this transfer could mark a transition from the Salah-Mane-Firmino era to a radical upgrade of the attacking line, as the club now has Jota, Luis Diaz and Darwin Nunez. The Uruguayan showed himself excellently in Benfica, scoring 26 goals in 28 Portuguese league games, becoming the top scorer of the tournament.
Liverpool vice-captain Virgil Van Dijk has already noted the newcomer with a flattering comment: “He’s tenacious, strong and very fast”. The upcoming season will show if Nunez is worth as much as 100 million. It is also interesting that Darwin, based on Jurgen Klopp’s belief in the right team building, is clearly not guaranteed a place in the starting lineup yet.
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