There is a lot of anticipation for the first signing under a new manager, but they have not always gone on to have a long and successful career at Anfield.
A lot of fans are still twiddling their thumbs and impatiently waiting for the arrival of Arne Slot‘s first signing at the club, and that player may be one he doesn’t even use this season.
Goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili is anticipated to agree to a deal to join Liverpool, but he will only link up with the squad in 2025 at the earliest.
If signed, he will go down as the Dutchman’s first transfer at Anfield, and it got us thinking about who his predecessors first added to their squads when they arrived.
Slot will hope the list is not too indicative of success rates as only two first signings across the last nine managers in charge have accumulated more than 200 appearances.
The first permanent signings for last 9 LFC managers:
Kenny Dalglish (1985): Steve McMahon, £350,000
Graeme Souness (1991): Mark Wright, £2.2m
Roy Evans (1994): Michael Stensgaard, £30,000
Gerard Houllier (1998): Jean Michel Ferri, £1.5 million
Rafa Benitez (2004): Josemi Rey, £2 million
Roy Hodgson (2010): Joe Cole, Free
Kenny Dalglish (2011): Luis Suarez, £22.8m
Brendan Rodgers (2012): Fabio Borini, £10.4m
Jurgen Klopp (2016): Marko Grujic, £5.1m
Steve McMahon was the first signing for Dalglish when he took over in 1985, and he accumulated the most appearances (277) of any first transfer on the abovementioned list.
Souness’ maiden foray into the transfer market in 1991, meanwhile, led him to Mark Wright, who signed for £2.2 million and went on to play 210 games for the Reds – the second-most after McMahon.
From then on, Liverpool’s managers did not quite have a great track record, and perhaps it is no surprise that Dalglish would later be the exception when Luis Suarez arrived from Ajax in 2011.
A dazzling forward who attracted controversy, Suarez finished his Reds career with 82 goals in 133 outings, for a very impressive games-to-goal ratio of 1.62.
Michael Stensgaard, Evans’ first permanent deal in charge, failed to make an appearance for the club, he’s most known as the man who dislocated his shoulder when an ironing board fell on him at home.
Houllier did not have much luck with Jean Michel Ferri either, as he left one year after he arrived having played a measly 50 minutes across two games.
Joe Cole was seen as Hodgson’s first official signing – although Danny Wilson was announced on the same day – and we all know how that went.
As for closer to the present day, you will recall Fabio Borini (Rodgers) and Marko Grujic (Klopp) as the first ones through the door for their respective managers.
The Italian left Liverpool with more appearances (38) than Grujic (16), but the Serbian was on the club’s books longer having arrived in 2016 and stayed until 2021.
Here’s hoping Slot gets his first signing in the door this summer and that they enjoy a longer and more successful career at Anfield than some of those who came before them!
