Every player signed by Liverpool from Southampton

Given the recent relationship between the two clubs, it might be somewhat surprising to learn that only 10 players in Liverpool history have been signed directly from the Saints — with six of those coming in a four-year period between 2014 and 2018.

Full back Joseph Hoare was the first to swap the Saints for the Reds for the princely sum of £75 way back in 1903, followed by another defender, Frank Grayer, in 1912. His deal costing an eye-watering £100.

Here's every player Liverpool have signed from Southampton since:

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Paul Jones

Year: 2004

Fee: Loan

A boyhood Red, Jones was brought in on an emergency loan during the 2003/04 season and became the club's oldest post-war debutant at 36 years and eight months young.

The veteran stopper only played two games before Jerzy Dudek returned from injury, but the Welshman did keep a clean sheet on his debut at Anfield, which he later described as "a dream come true."

Hit or Miss? HIT

Peter Crouch

Year: 2005

Fee: £7m

Following their Champions League heroics, Rafa Benitez and Liverpool went shopping for a new striker landing on the famously 6ft 7in Crouch, who had already been through eight clubs by the age of 24.

Despite going his first 19 matches without scoring, Crouch endeared himself to the fans with his selflessness and personality.

A technically gifted player, once he broke his duck, Crouch developed a knack for scoring spectacular goals — most notably a scissor kick against Galatasaray in the Champions League.

Hit or Miss? HIT

Rickie Lambert

Year: 2014

Fee: £4.5m

Signed at the start of the summer of 2014, Liverpool's plan for life after Luis Suarez was to spread the income from his sale across multiple signings rather than plumping for a big-money replacement.

Another boyhood Red, Lambert had made his way up through the Football League having been let go by Liverpool as an academy player.

Though relatively cheap, his signing was still decidedly underwhelming. Having scored 28 in the Premier League across his previous two seasons with Southampton, the striker netted just twice in 25 outings for Liverpool and is now synonymous with that dark pre-Klopp period.

Hit or Miss? MISS

Adam Lallana

Year: 2014

Fee: £25m

Arriving the same summer, Lallana made the step up look much easier.

The attacking midfielder made the transition from Brendan Rodgers to Jurgen Klopp well and was an especially important player in the 2016/17 season, as the Reds regained Champions League football — setting them on the path to success in the following years.

Injuries stopped Lallana from remaining as central in later years but he signed off with a Premier League winner's medal in 2020.

Hit or Miss? HIT

Dejan Lovren

Year: 2014

Fee: £20m 

Making up the trio of signings from the Saints in 2014 was Lovren, who was brought in to add leadership to Liverpool's defence.

After arriving with a big reputation and price tag to match, the Croatian defender initially struggled to meet the expectation — occasional gaffes coupled with some less than humble public remarks made him a target for opposition fans. However, those jokes lost their relevance in later years as he formed a strong partnership with Virgil van Dijk and the trophies started to roll in.

His stoppage-time winner Borussia Dortmund has gone down in club folklore.

Hit or Miss? HIT

Nathaniel Clyne

Year: 2015

Fee: £12.5m

Signed as the replacement for Glen Johnson, Clyne looked to be one of the most promising full backs of his generation.

Though a mainstay in his first two seasons at Anfield, he made just 10 appearances over the next three campaigns, with serious injury and the rise of Trent Alexander-Arnold putting an end to any realistic chance of regular game time.

Hit or Miss? MISS

Sadio Mane

Year: 2016

Fee: £30m

Mane had spent two seasons at Southampton prior to his move to Anfield and was best known for his hat-trick in just two minutes 56 seconds, breaking Robbie Fowler's old Premier League record.

The Senegalese forward took to Liverpool like a duck to water, scoring 120 times in 269 appearances — and winning a Premier League Golden Boot in 2019. Statistics alone hardly do justice to the impact of the forward who was often the Reds' most important player in one of their most glorious periods.

Hit or Miss? HIT

Virgil van Dijk

Year: 2018

Fee: £75m

A world-record transfer fee for a defender, Van Dijk immediately looked worth every penny, thumping a powerful headed-winner against Everton on his debut.

Unquestionably the best centre back in the world for much of his time at Liverpool, the mere existence of Van Dijk has often been enough to put strikers off their game.

In addition to winning the lot with Liverpool, he was named UEFA Men's Player of the Year in 2019 and finished second in the Ballon d'Or rankings the same year. Calm as you like.

Hit or Miss? HIT