Liverpool stole £22m last summer and they can't keep getting away with it

Liverpool struck an incredible deal last summer that saw them 'steal' £22m. They can't keep getting away with this - surely?

There was a time when Liverpool didn't realise generate any money from their young players. Any sale was simply to get someone off the books or a major sale to a club aiming higher than the Reds.

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That changed under Jurgen Klopp as he helped raise the entire floor at Liverpool. The reputation of the club and squad climbed dramatically and suddenly, even the Reds' cast-offs were seen as good players.

After all, Liverpool's squad was now so good that failing to make the grade wasn't necessarily a sign of being a bad player. It could well mean that you're a top player.

Dominic Solanke is a fine example of that. He struggled to break into the first team at Anfield, getting games here and there but never becoming a regular.

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Bournemouth (then directed by Richard Hughes, of course) paid Liverpool £19m to sign him, though. Solanke turned out to be the player they'd hoped for, scoring consistently and eventually joining Tottenham Hotspur for an initial £55m.

But he's really the only success story from clubs buying Liverpool's players. That includes one sale last season that feels like an actual robbery.

Fabio Carvalho to Brentford

Liverpool sold Fabio Carvalho to Brentford last summer, getting an initial £22.5m for a player they didn’t intend to use. Carvalho has endured a difficult couple of seasons, for one thing.

His debut campaign ended up being a struggle for Liverpool as a whole. It left Jurgen Klopp wanting his most trusted, senior players on the pitch and Carvalho barely featured.

A loan to RB Leipzig was made for the 2023/24 season but that was an absolute disaster. Carvalho featured for just 165 minutes across the opening half of the Bundesliga season and the loan was terminated.

A return to the Championship with Hull City brought fruit but not enough for Liverpool to find a first-team place. Instead, they sold to Brentford - who also can't find a first-team place for the playmaker.

Carvalho has played for just seven minutes in the Premier League in 2025. The Daily Mail claim that's entirely down to preference from Thomas Frank and has nothing to do with fitness.

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In other words, Brentford have pretty much given up already.

But this isn't even the first time it's happened. Liverpool got £20m from Sheffield United for Rhian Brewster and he's never delivered anything like that kind of value.

Jordan Ibe was another - £15m to Bournemouth a few years ago.

Then there are success stories like Neco Williams to Nottingham Forest (£17m) and Harry Wilson to Fulham (£14m). That keeps teams coming back.

Brentford, even, also signed Sepp van den Berg from Liverpool last summer (£20m). The jury is still out there but it's another sign that teams are eager to snap-up players from the Reds.

But how long can this actually go on? There are very few out-and-out success stories and at least three complete disasters.

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Obviously, we hope it goes on for a while yet but Liverpool making incredible amounts of money here for doing very little. None of these players would be in Slot's first XI and none of them would get much game time at all.

And yet the Reds boast over £100m from them all. Long may it continue - but it does feel like robbery.

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