Summary Liverpool's summer signings have had a positive impact on the team's performance, with three wins and one draw in the opening four Premier League matches. The departures of players like James Milner, Naby Keita, and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain have led to significant changes in Liverpool's midfield. While some signings, like Dominik Szoboszlai and Alisson Becker, have been successful, the signing of Naby Keita has been regarded as a costly mistake due to his injury record and underwhelming performances.
Liverpool have undergone a successful summer transformation and the early signs are that it could pay off bountifully for Jurgen Klopp's side as they pursue silverware once more after a forgettable campaign.
The Reds' summer signings have contributed instrumentally to a much-improved start to the Premier League campaign, securing three wins and registering one draw (away to Chelsea) across the opening four fixtures of the term.
Alexis Mac Allister
£35m
Dominik Szoboszlai
£60m
Wataru Endo
£16m
Ryan Gravenberch
£34m
All fees sourced via Sky Sports
The fresh faces are already showing promising signs of gelling marvellously over the coming weeks and months, but as Anfield welcomed the new arrivals, there was an inevitable outlay of departures too, with the midfield now looking comprehensively altered in such a short time.
What are Liverpool's biggest signings?
The Merseyside outfit pulled off some astute work indeed this summer, but freshening up the ranks was always imminent with James Milner, Naby Keita and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain headed for the exit this summer for some time upon the expiry of their contracts.
Jordan Henderson and Fabinho's respective sales to Saudi Arabian sides alleviated the financial blow of spending £60m on Dominik Szoboszlai, though the Hungary captain's start to life on English soil confirms that this was a move well made.
One of the most expensive signings in the club's distinguished history, Szoboszlai didn't quite make the top three, with last summer's £85m acquisition of mercurial forward Darwin Nunez remaining the club-record move.
Club captain Virgil van Dijk comes in at second, with his £75m transfer from Southampton in December 2017 possibly the most crucial, cataclysing move of Klopp's illustrious reign.
Equally important, a £67m deal to secure Alisson Becker's services to fortify the sticks with a superlative presence has proved an incredible piece of business, with the Brazilian time and time again his squad's saviour.
So much has hit the mark, and that's without going into the shrewder purchases the Anfield side has been bespeckled with – Mohamed Salah, Andrew Robertson, and Sadio Mane, to name a few – but there have been instances of blunder on the transfer front, with none more poignant than the signing of Naby Keita.
How much did Liverpool pay for Naby Keita?
In 2017, Liverpool surpassed Keita's £48m release clause with RB Leipzig to sign a talented midfielder touted for a place at the forefront of the game, eclipsing the long-time club-record deal to sign Andy Carroll for £35m in 2011 and the £34.3m fee of Mo Salah.
The Guinean ace was described as being like "two players" by Schalke sporting director Christian Heidel as he flaunted his dazzling skills in Germany, dynamic and exciting as a multi-functional midfield force.
It later became clear that the Anfield side paid closer to £53m, offering a premium to ensure they landed their man, but what looked to be a dreamy swoop for a glimmering gem quickly grew into a nightmare, with Keita's horrendous injury record inhibiting him from tapping into even a portion of his potential at the club.
That's not to say he didn't exude quality at times; across his 129 appearances, the 28-year-old scored 11 goals and supplied seven assists, even being labelled "world-class" by Van Dijk, who prayed for his fitness to endure.
Well, it didn't. The 54-cap international never really managed to sustain form and fitness for long enough that he would earn a regular role in Klopp's burgeoning outfit, actually missing a staggering 87 matches for club and country between 2020/21 – 2022/23.
Why did Naby Keita leave Liverpool?
Branded "woeful" by journalist Louis Dangoor on one of the few times he made it onto the pitch across the last few campaigns, Keita's contract with Liverpool was never renewed and as it entered its conclusive year last season, there were no concrete signs of an agreement and he departed on a free transfer.
His efforts last term did not exactly aid his case, with Sofascore recording the player's average match rating in the Premier League at a frankly shambolic 6.47 across his eight outings.
Across those fixtures, Keita – who earned £130k-per-week with the Reds – completed just 78% of his passes, averaged only 0.6 tackles, 0.4 clearances and 0.3 interceptions per game and succeeded in winning 31% of his duels – for reference, Oxlade-Chamberlain won 36% last term.
With Keita even said to be Klopp's "worst signing" by Liverpool writer Charlotte Coates, it's one that will go down in the record books as a shambolic misfire.
While the player's prospects of success have been decimated by his terrible injury record, rather than an actual lack of ability, it's hard to look past the high transfer fee – projected to be a club-record when Liverpool agreed a preliminary deal.
How is Naby Keita doing now?
Having put a disappointing, if illustrious – while Keita struggled, he still contributed to an auspicious period in the Reds' history, there for each slice of silverware under Klopp to date – spell behind him, Keita penned a contract back in Germany with Werder Bremen.
When it rains it pours, and it's been torrential for beleaguered Keita for some time now; having arrived at Bremen for a fresh start, the dynamo picked up an injury in pre-season, suffering an adductor muscle injury in July and yet to make his maiden appearance for the club.
Werder Bremen lost their opening two fixtures of the 2023/24 league campaign against Bayern Munich and Freiburg but rebounded with a galvanising 4-0 victory over Mainz before the international break – as fully-fit Keita would be more than just a welcome addition, but his chances of cementing a spot dangle by a tenuous thread.
Valued at just £8m at present by Football Transfers, Keita's ill-fated career looks unlikely to receive a dramatic resurgence at this stage, and Liverpool and Klopp will forever rue the misfortune that prevented an immensely talented jewel from shining.