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Liverpool Echo
Liverpool Echo
Sport
Dave Powell

List reveals Liverpool transfer trick that turned £9m into £115m for FSG

For some time now Liverpool have been among the leaders when it comes to getting value for money in the transfer market.

From Philippe Coutinho to Mohamed Salah, from Sadio Mane to Andrew Robertson, the Reds' approach to detail and deep analysis of players prior to entering the market has removed as much risk as possible and allowed them to sign players far below their true market value.

Liverpool like to have room for growth in the players that they sign. When they acquire a player the idea is most often to see that player grow and flourish, and if they find their route to the first team blocked and wish to move elsewhere then they will command a fee far in excess of what was paid by the club. It has been a transfer trick that has been on a loop at Anfield.

Robertson's arrival at Liverpool, low key when it was finalised, saw him switch from a relegated Hull City to the Reds in a £9m deal. Few would have predicted that the Scottish left back would blossom into the world class operator he has become, with the 28-year-old having become a hugely important cog in Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool machine.

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On the opposite side of defence is Trent Alexander-Arnold, a player who progressed through the Academy ranks at Liverpool to cement his place in Reds folklore.

Still just 23 and having another three years remaining on his deal with the club, Alexander-Arnold, according to analysts at the Swiss-based CIES Football Observatory, who use a variety of metrics to determine the market value of players, have released their top 10 most valuable full backs in world football, with both Alexander-Arnold and Robertson featuring.

In fact, Alexander-Arnold tops the list with a value of €87.4 (£74.6m), ahead of the likes of Reece James of Chelsea, Joao Cancelo of Manchester City, Achraf Hakimi of Paris Saint-Germain and Alphonso Davies of Bayern Munich. The age, length of contract, on-field success and marketability of Alexander-Arnold have all formed a part of the metrics to make up the value of the Reds' homegrown right back.

Robertson, the oldest player in the list, has a market value of €46.7m (£40m) according to CIES, putting him eighth on the list, above Nuno Mendes of PSG in ninth and Real Madrid's Ferland Mendy in 10th.

Given Alexander-Arnold being a product of the Reds' Academy and Robertson bargain signing from Hull, Liverpool have a full back value of some £115m for a £9m outlay, an example of the success that has been gleaned by putting emphasis on both youth development and acquiring undervalued talent that others may have overlooked.

Barcelona's Sergino Dest and AC Milan's Theo Hernandez occupy the other spots in the top 10.

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