Liverpool sealed late January transfers with World Cup winner and £23m legend
The January transfer window has delivered decidedly mixed results for Liverpool over the past two decades.
In recent seasons, the Reds have limited themselves to only one or two signings, usually to beat rivals to bring in their top targets. That happened with both Luis Diaz and Cody Gakpo, with Jurgen Klopp bringing in the duo six months earlier than originally planned.
It has not always been like that though, with Liverpool's strategy before Klopp arrived in 2015 landing them plenty of misses as well as hits. Having said that, some modern day greats have been signed during the winter.
It is the transfer moves that Klopp has made that really stand out, though the German is unlikely to bring any more new faces in before his summer exit. Here, Mirror Football looks at some of the January windows of Liverpool's past.
2007: Alvaro Arbeloa and Javier Mascherano
January 2007 delivered two stars to Anfield in the form of Alvaro Arbeloa and Javier Mascherano. A stint with Deportivo la Coruna shot the former to Rafael Benitez's attention and he arrived for a bargain £2.6m.
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The full-back quickly proved to be a quality buy as he starred in the run to the 2007 Champions League final. He had a relatively short stay though, moving to Real Madrid in 2009, where he would win La Liga and two Copa del Reys, as well as the World Cup with Spain.
Also arriving in that window was Javier Mascherano, who was signed from West Ham for £20m. His initial loan had to be ratified by both FIFA and the Premier League, with special permission needing to be granted for him to play for the Reds.
That was received by the February though, wih the Argentine quickly developing reputation as the top-flight's best midfield enforcers. He was sold to Barcelona in 2010, with Masherano going on to win every available honour with the La Liga giants.
2011: Luis Suarez and Andy Carroll
Both Andy Carroll and Luis Suarez were signed on transfer deadline day in 2011 (Getty Images)No window demonstrates Liverpool's previous muddled thinking in the transfer market better than 2011. Luis Suarez was signed for £23m on the same day the Reds signed Andy Carroll for £35m from Newcastle.
Suarez would become a modern day legend for the Reds, scoring 82 goals in 133 appearances and almost firing Brendan Rodgers ' side to the title in the 2013/14 season. One of the best strikers to ever feature for Liverpool, he would move to Barcelona for £74m in 2014.
He continued to maintain his place as one of the world's best strikers, before helping Atletico Madrid to win the La Liga title in 2021. While Suarez was a roaring success, Carroll was a desperate disaster.
Despite costing more than Suarez, in the process becoming the most expensive British footballer of all time, Carroll failed to impress. He was unable to make his debut until that March, which set the tone for a disappointing spell at Anfield.
The one highlight for the striker came when he scored a late winner against Everton in the 2012 FA Cup final. But the move was ultimately a disaster, with Carroll moving to West Ham in 2012.
2021: Ben Davies and Ozan Kabak
A decade after Suarez and Carroll's arrival, Liverpool produced one of the most perplexing deadline days in their history. An injury crisis meant that Klopp needed reinforcements at centre-back.
With time running out, he plumped for Preston star Ben Davies and Schalke's Ozan Kabak. Davies was signed for £2m, but failed to ever make an appearance for the Reds before moving to Sheffield United on loan.
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Following in the footsteps of Davies was Kabak, who was brought in on loan from Bundesliga strugglers Schalke. A dreadful debut against Leicester set the tone for his short spell at Anfield though and he was sent back to Germany at the end of that campaign.
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