Ranking all 39 Liverpool signings of the Jurgen Klopp era

SOLID ROLE PLAYERS

28. CB Ozan Kabak, Schalke (loan, February 2021)

• Liverpool stats: 1,124 minutes, two shots, one chance created, 139 progressive passes and carries, 176 defensive interventions

Ah yes, the amazing season of 2020-21, when seemingly every center-back the club had ever signed -- Virgil van Dijk! Joe Gomez! Martin Skrtel! Jamie Carragher! (I'm kidding on those last two ... probably) -- suffered knee injuries, and Kabak came to town on loan. He had a pretty cheap buy option, but Liverpool passed.

27. GK Adrián, West Ham United (free, August 2019)

• Liverpool stats: 2,283 minutes, 64.9% save percentage, +0.6 goals prevented

A solid keeper who stayed in town for five seasons after a free transfer. This was a perfectly solid deal that didn't really affect the club much overall.

26. CM Naby Keita, RB Leipzig (€60 million, July 2018)

• Liverpool stats: 6,503 minutes, 11 goals from 140 shots, six assists from 83 chances created, 1,227 progressive passes and carries, 860 defensive interventions, 500 ball recoveries

In "Data Game: The Story of Liverpool FC's Analytics Revolution," author Josh Williams wrote, "Keita was one of Graham's leading lights. He was an analytics darling who portrayed himself as a restless, all-action midfielder in the numbers. The norm for most players was to add to their team's goal difference by contributing in attack or defence, but Keita dazzled across the board. The numbers depicted him as an outlier in comparison to his peers."

Liverpool paid a hefty sum, and he flashed massive early potential with over 260 progressive carries and 240 defensive interventions in just 1,818 league minutes in 2018-19. But he never topped that first impression; injuries wouldn't let him.

25. GK Loris Karius, Mainz (€6.2 million, July 2016)

• Liverpool stats: 4,410 minutes, 66.2% save percentage, -7.5 goals prevented

A decent keeper forever remembered for one really, really bad match.

24. RW Xherdan Shaqiri, Stoke City (€14.7 million, July 2018)

• Liverpool stats: 2,499 minutes, eight goals from 54 shots, nine assists from 59 chances created, 382 progressive passes and carries

Forever bothered by muscle injuries (frequently in the calves), the stocky Shaqiri was solid at times, but played only nine full 90s in three seasons on Merseyside.

23. CF Takumi Minamino, Red Bull Salzburg (€8.5 million, January 2020)

• Liverpool stats: 2,251 minutes, 14 goals from 60 shots, three assists from 20 chances, 200 progressive passes and carries

Minamino had averaged 11.5 combined goals and assists over four full years in Salzburg, and he was on pace for much more than that in his age 24 season -- he had five goals and five assists in just 905 minutes -- when Liverpool snatched him up halfway through their 2019-20 title season. But he would score just four league goals in parts of three seasons, doing most of his damage in a couple of League Cup runs.

This is a pretty good example of a player who is clearly good (he had nine goals and six assists for a strong Monaco team this season), but not quite good enough to raise Liverpool's level.

22. CB Ragnar Klavan, Augsburg (€5 million, July 2016)

• Liverpool stats: 3,696 minutes, two goals from 10 shots, eight chances created, 663 defensive interventions, 232 ball recoveries

He arrived in Klopp's first summer with the club and helped to lay a foundation, and one of his two Liverpool goals was an injury-time game-winner. Not too bad.

Stoppage time 𝙎𝘾𝙀𝙉𝙀𝙎 ⏳#OnThisDay in 2018, Ragnar Klavan got the year off to a perfect start with a dramatic late winner at Turf Moor 🤩 pic.twitter.com/RkbY32t5pi

— Liverpool FC (@LFC) January 1, 2022

He also went on Estonia's version of "Dancing with the Stars," for whatever that's worth to you.

21. CM Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Arsenal (€38 million, August 2017)

• Liverpool stats: 6,570 minutes, 18 goals from 179 shots, 13 assists from 95 chances, 1,116 progressive passes and carries, 647 defensive interventions

Hey, there are worse things in the world than producing more than 30 combined goals and assists while making more than half your appearances off the bench. Especially when you've got a flair for a long-range thunderbolt ... and when one of said bolts is part of a Champions League thumping of Manchester City.

Every good team needs a guy who can produce in a pinch. Paying nearly €40 million for such a guy, however, might dampen the experience a bit.

20. LB Kostas Tsimikas, Olympiacos (€13 million, August 2020)

• Liverpool stats: 4,693 minutes, 41 shots, 16 assists from 103 chances created, 754 progressive passes and carries, 649 defensive interventions, 338 ball recoveries

Like Oxlade-Chamberlain, Tsimikas has filled a niche through the years. He eats minutes against lesser opponents and keeps the floor reasonably high filling in for injured starters. And his price tag was less than one-third that of AOC.

REGULAR STARTERS

19. CM Thiago, Bayern Munich (€22 million, September 2020)

• Liverpool stats: 6,554 minutes, three goals from 74 shots, six assists from 93 chances, 1,499 progressive passes and carries, 978 defensive interventions, 550 ball recoveries

A luxury acquisition of sorts, Thiago was 29 when he arrived at Anfield, and his injury history was already quite lengthy. But Liverpool still couldn't pass up an opportunity to nab one of the best passers in the world and a guy coming off his best run of form at Bayern.

In the end, they got what they paid for: some beautiful long-range passes and lots and lots of injuries.

18. CB Ibrahima Konaté, RB Leipzig (€40 million, July 2021)

• Liverpool stats: 7,156 minutes, three goals from 44 shots, two assists from 18 chances, 1,442 progressive passes and carries, 1,112 defensive interventions, 456 ball recoveries

Another player acquired despite a lengthy injury history, Konate has yet to play even 50% of league minutes in a season, but when he's in form you see what Liverpool saw: a player who combines great physical (read: aerial) prowess with all the ball progression capabilities you need from a modern centre-back. He's also only 24.

17. CM Ryan Gravenberch, Bayern Munich (€40 million, September 2023)

• Liverpool stats: 1,818 minutes, four goals from 39 shots, two assists from 36 chances, 267 progressive passes and carries, 224 defensive interventions

It's a little bit early to determine whether Gravenberch will end up worthy of his price tag, but the 22-year-old was meant to be a Klopp midfielder. He's both versatile and urgent.

16. DM Wataru Endo, Stuttgart (€20 million, August 2023)

• Liverpool stats: 2,757 minutes, two goals from 20 shots, one assist from 31 chances, 363 progressive passes and carries, 378 defensive interventions

You'd like to be able to sign a non-stop stream of high-upside 21-year-olds, but sometimes you need a stopgap, too. Endo was already 30 when he signed from nearly relegated Stuttgart, and while plenty saw it as a sign that Liverpool had missed on a number of more high-profile defensive midfield targets, Endo didn't break the bank and proved his worth by eating up nearly 3,000 minutes and making loads of defensive interventions.

15. CM Dominik Szoboszlai, RB Leipzig (€70 million, July 2023)

• Liverpool stats: 2,702 minutes, seven goals from 87 shots, four assists from 70 chances, 467 progressive passes and carries, 310 defensive interventions

That's five straight players from the Bundesliga here. Seems like a theme.

A midfielder with an attacker's stat line, Szoboszlai is one of Europe's more exciting passers and when he was on a proper creative streak, Liverpool was ridiculously good this season. In the 18 appearances in which he created at least two chances, Liverpool lost only once and averaged 2.5 points per game. In the 27 in which he created zero or one chances, Liverpool lost five times and averaged 1.8 points per game.

14. LW Cody Gakpo, PSV Eindhoven (€42 million, January 2023)

• Liverpool stats: 4,873 minutes, 23 goals from 152 shots, eight assists from 77 chances, 492 progressive passes and carries

Klopp never really figured out what Gakpo was, but he's impossibly versatile, he's good off the bench (more than half of his league appearances this season were as a substitute), and he's logged minutes everywhere from left wingback to right wing to centre-forward. He's a good attacker for a midfielder, and he's a good presser for a forward. We'll see where Arne Slot thinks the 25-year-old provides the most value.

13. CF Luis Díaz, Porto (€50 million, January 2022)

• Liverpool stats: 6,660 minutes, 24 goals from 228 shots, 11 assists from 125 chances, 964 progressive passes and carries

A boundless source of energy and ball progression, Diaz was another custom-made Klopp player. And with just a little bit more in the finishing department -- he scored just eight goals from shots worth 11.9 xG in Premier League play this season -- he might rank a couple of spots higher. You can't question his flair for the dramatic, however.

Came for @LuisFDiaz19's goal...stayed for his dad celebrating it in the same short sleeve and gloves combination ❤️ pic.twitter.com/liKYSNk0wg

— Liverpool FC (@LFC) February 22, 2024

12. CF Darwin Núñez, Benfica (€85 million, July 2022)

• Liverpool stats: 5,392 minutes, 33 goals from 282 shots, 17 assists from 87 chances, 433 progressive passes and carries

It sometimes feels impossible to have a rational conversation about Nunez. On one hand, he has been a dreadful finisher since joining Liverpool. His 33 goals have come from shots worth 43.7 xG, a level of underachievement that even tops the overachievement he managed at Benfica prior to his arrival (45 goals, 37.9 xG). He has underachieved in terms of goals versus xG in 66 Liverpool matches, a list that includes 17 draws and seven one-goal losses; with even average finishing from Nunez, there might have been another trophy on the table.

On the other hand ... he's undeniably awesome. Fifty combined goals and assists in just 5,392 minutes averages out to 0.83 per 90 minutes. That's not exactly miles behind the 0.96 that Mohamed Salah has averaged in a Liverpool shirt, and at 24, he's only begun to enter his prime. And again: He overachieved as a finisher before he came to England! He could right the ship in that department and end up making his €85 million price tag look cheap.

11. CM Harvey Elliott, Fulham (€1.7 million, July 2019)

• Liverpool stats: 6,214 minutes, 10 goals from 169 shots, 14 assists from 142 chances, 1,046 progressive passes and carries, 590 defensive interventions, 399 ball recoveries

Elliott hasn't made a bigger impact than the players ranked 12th and 13th on this list, but (a) he's still only 21, and (b) his transfer fee was almost nothing. Per-capita value nearly earned him a top-10 slot. He's also really damn good. Play him for 90 minutes, and you'll get 15 progressive carries and passes, 10 defensive interventions, 5.8 ball recoveries and 4.4 combined shot attempts and chances created.

Even though Elliott has recorded more than 6,000 minutes for the club before age 22, Klopp recently told the media that he regretted not playing the youngster more. Slot might not make that same mistake.

10. CM Fabinho, Monaco (€45 million, July 2018)

• Liverpool stats: 16,506 minutes, 11 goals from 109 shots, nine assists from 99 chances created, 2,443 progressive passes and carries, 2,350 defensive interventions, 1,231 ball recoveries

Now we get to the first member of the 16,000 Club. Twelve Liverpool players logged more than 16,000 minutes for Klopp, and while four were already in tow when Klopp arrived, eight can be found here in the top 10.

Fabinho, who left for the Saudi Pro League last summer, was ostensibly a central midfielder, but he logged at least 1,100 minutes in both defensive midfield and central defense as well. Wherever he played, he was a reliable fire extinguisher. And the middle of the pitch was all his.

(Source: TruMedia)

9. DM Alexis Mac Allister, Brighton (€42 million, June 2023)

• Liverpool stats: 3,498 minutes, seven goals from 58 shots, seven assists from 62 chances, 577 progressive passes and carries, 496 defensive interventions, 257 ball recoveries

We're projecting a bit with this one, but the former Brighton star recorded almost 3,500 minutes in his lone season with Klopp, and he did so mostly out of position. But from a defensive midfield role he wasn't necessarily expected to fill, he contributed 14 combined goals and assists while averaging nearly 15 progressive passes and carries and 13 interventions per 90 minutes. That's good work, and his transfer fee was lower than Fabinho's was six years ago (and before the recent run of inflation).

8. CB Joël Matip, Schalke (free, July 2016)

• Liverpool stats: 16,144 minutes, 11 goals from 126 shots, six assists from 54 chances created, 2,665 defensive interventions, 1,018 ball recoveries

It feels like a backhanded compliment to call someone a "glue guy" -- it sounds like something you say when you don't know what else to say. But Matip, who departed the club alongside Klopp, was one hell of a glue guy.

Getting 16,000 minutes and lots and lots of glue from a free transfer? That's outstanding business right there.

7. CF Diogo Jota, Wolves (€44.7 million, September 2020)

• Liverpool stats: 8,438 minutes, 56 goals from 299 shots, 19 assists from 139 chances, 878 progressive passes and carries

Another player held back by injuries, Jota is quite the difference-maker when he can stay on the pitch. He's recorded over 3,000 minutes at both centre forward and left wing, plus over 1,000 on the right wing, and he makes constant scoring contributions wherever he's lined up. But after recording 2,372 minutes in league play in 2021-22, he's managed only a combined 2,281 in the past two seasons. It's the only reason he's not in the next category.

DIFFERENCE-MAKERS

6. CM Georginio Wijnaldum, Newcastle (€27.5 million, July 2016)

• Liverpool stats: 18,210 minutes, 22 goals from 247 shots, 15 assists from 171 chances created, 2,153 progressive passes and carries, 1,872 defensive interventions, 1,245 ball recoveries

As Klopp attempted to evolve tactically, figuring out ways to play with more control and shifting the creative onus to his full-backs, there was Wijnaldum, ready to fill in whatever gaps needed filling. And when that gap was "Liverpool's down 3 heading into the second leg of the Champions League semis," there he was to score his only LFC brace.

5. LB Andrew Robertson, Hull City (€9 million, July 2017)

• Liverpool stats: 24,971 minutes, 11 goals from 159 shots, 65 assists from 475 chances, 4,762 progressive passes and carries, 3,113 defensive interventions, 1,708 ball recoveries

In his book "Net Gains," my co-worker Ryan O'Hanlon wrote about all the ways Liverpool looked for tiny edges, be it hiring a throw-in coach or refusing to overspend on midfielders. They also plumbed teams going down.

"They've frequently purchased players from relegated teams, capitalizing on the desire of those sides to cut costs and the fact that abject team-level performance can obscure impressive individual outputs," he wrote. "They acquired left back Andy Robertson from relegated Hull City for just $9.9 million, and he quickly became one of the best fullbacks in the world. How'd they identify him? [Former Liverpool head of research Ian] Graham told Stephen Dubner of Freakonomics that the Scotsman's stats had popped on his expected-possession-value model."

Indeed, the Liverpool attack grew immensely more dangerous as Klopp leaned on his full-backs for creative output, and they spent a total of $10 million in transfer fees for those two full-backs. During Klopp's tenure, Alexander-Arnold and Robertson ranked second and fourth, respectively, in assists, first and fourth in chances created, third and first in progressive carries, third and fourth in progressive passes and first and second in total touches. (They were also second and third in defensive interventions and first and third in ball recoveries.)

This might have been Klopp's second-biggest contribution to the modern game, behind gegenpressing itself, and it came almost entirely from brilliant talent identification and development instead of raw spending.

4. LW Sadio Mané, Southampton (€41.2 million, July 2016)

• Liverpool stats: 21,577 minutes, 120 goals from 634 shots, 37 assists from 389 chances created, 2,950 progressive passes and carries

He was the first of the Mane-Firmino-Salah combination to leave town, joining Bayern Munich, and both his steadiness and finishing ability were missed when he departed. In all competitions, Mane averaged 20 goals and six assists per year. He scored seven goals in seven knockout round matches as Liverpool made a shock run to the Champions League final in 2018, and he scored a career-high 22 in league play in 2018-19, as the Reds leaped from fourth place to second with an incredible 97 points.

When he was at the top of his game, Liverpool was at the top of its game.

3. GK Alisson, Roma (€62.5 million, July 2018)

• Liverpool stats: 23,665 minutes, 71.4% save percentage, +35.3 goals prevented

Liverpool might not have a nation state's resources, but the club has money. And when it was time to spend big to fill a hole as they were building toward trophies, the club rarely missed. Following Karius' unfortunate mistakes in the 2018 Champions League final, they made Alisson the most expensive keeper ever (at the time), and for the last six seasons he's simply been one of the best keepers in the world.

Klopp's high-risk, press-heavy style can sometimes open the door for opponents to counterattack. He has snuffed out a lot of them.

2. CB Virgil van Dijk, Southampton (€84.7 million, January 2018)

• Liverpool stats: 23,939 minutes, 23 goals from 256 shots, 10 assists from 70 chances created, 3,641 defensive interventions, 1,425 ball recoveries

Six months before the Alisson deal, Liverpool made van Dijk the most expensive defender ever. Six years later, we can pretty definitively say he came cheap. At 32, he remains one of the best centre-backs in the world, and perhaps no Klopp era player added more to Liverpool's general attitude and aura.

Don't believe me? Ask Chelsea's Kepa, who actually attempted to psyche him out during a penalty shootout.

1. RW Mohamed Salah, Roma (€42 million, July 2017)

• Liverpool stats: 28,123 minutes, 211 goals from 1,228 shots, 87 assists from 583 chances created, 3,216 progressive passes and carries

One good thing about leaning on analytics a bit more than others is that you're less susceptible to unhelpful context clues. Just because Andy Robertson had played on a relegated team didn't mean he put off some sort of negative aura, and just because Mo Salah, as a young Chelsea player, couldn't make Jose Mourinho happy, didn't mean that he wasn't good enough for the Premier League. Salah's numbers jumped off the page during two excellent seasons at Roma -- 15 goals and six assists in all competitions in 2015-16, then 19 and 12 in 2016-17 -- and even though Klopp pushed hard for the addition of Borussia Dortmund's Julian Brandt, the club went with Salah.

Safe to say, it's worked out reasonably well.

(Source: TruMedia)

Salah has scored 42 goals in 66 Champions League matches for the Reds (including 11 in 15 during their 2018 run to the finals), and he's averaged a ridiculous 30.1 goals and 12.4 assists in all competitions during his seven years with the club.

If they had spent €100 to bring him to town, it would have been worth it. But they didn't even have to spend half of that.