Is this value for money?
Is this finding hidden gems?
Are the stats uncovering truths that most of the world refuse to acknowledge?
John Henry and Fenway Sports Group rode into Liverpool in October 2010 on the crest of a silver-laden wave. They had lifted the curse of the Bambino and delivered the World Series to the Boston Red Sox for the first time in 86 years and Anfield was the next home that needed rescuing.
They had championed the Moneyball philosophy in America. They found value in undervalued baseball players and put together a cost-effective squad because the rest of the sport didn’t appreciate them like they should’ve. Mathematics cut through all the bullshit.
At least that’s what we were told but then, with their first transfer window, Liverpool’s new owners went out and splashed £35m on Andy Carroll. It wasn’t value for money and the stats sure as hell weren’t pointing to anything the rest of the world were missing.
Reds fans don’t care that much – football fans generally don’t. Yes, there’s a lot of money being wasted but they’re under an ownership that’s ready and willing to invest in the team every single season. They’re under ownership that genuinely wants to win and that’s rare to find these days.
But since the January 2011 window, Liverpool have spent money on 13 different players from teams that sat below them in the Premier League or just won promotion to the Premier League. Sadio Mané is the only exception in that list, with Southampton edging in front of Jurgen Klopp’s men at the end of the season just past.
Liverpool have spent a total of £237m on players from Southampton, Villa, Sunderland, Swansea, Blackpool, and Newcastle since January 2011.
Five and a half seasons, 11 full transfer windows and 13 players from Premier League rivals later – excluding the like of Tottenham and Manchester City – and Liverpool are no further on from where they started.
Valuations are accurate as per soccerbase.com.
Of course, there’s the little matter of Jurgen Klopp running the team now as opposed to Roy Hodgson but, still, that’s a lot of money spent hoovering up players from what’s supposed to be a grade below.
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