Southampton sold Adam Lallana, Dejan Lovren and Rickie Lambert to Liverpool in the summer of 2014. Each move seemed like a dream come true when it happened, but have proved to be nightmares leaving each player’s career in the balance.
Liverpool plundered Southampton with the purchase of three of the South Coast’s best players. At the time it looked like shrewd business by Brendan Rodgers and the Liverpool transfer committee. Each player arrived at Anfield with big expectations. Just two years later each player’s career hangs precipitously in the balance after their big money moves.
The worst case of the three has to be that of Lovren. He was an exceptional defender during the 2013-14 season for Mauricio Pochettino’s Southampton side but he can’t find the field with a map at Liverpool. He was purchased with the idea that he’d be the bedrock of the Liverpool defense but he’s only started five Premier League games this season. Even when he’s gotten the starting nod his performances have been uneven.
His Whoscored.com average of just 6.85 on the season illustrates his lack of effectiveness. When you purchase a defender for a reported 20 million pounds you’re expecting world-class play. Instead Lovren’s play has made him an excellent candidate to be shipped out of Anfield in January.
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Adam Lallana may have arrived at Liverpool with the greatest expectations of the trio. He came in with a whopping price tag of 25 million pounds and was expected to help soften the blow of losing Luis Suarez. His acquisition certainly hasn’t gone as planned.
As comfortable as he looked when playing for Southampton he’s looked at least that out-of-place at Liverpool. He still shows flashes of the skill and trickery that made him such a joy to watch at Southampton but those moments are few and far between. He hasn’t managed to score in the Premier League this season and has only tallied one assist. That’s a pretty poor return for a big name England international. There’s still time for him to regain his lost form, but at 27 years old it’s not overly likely.
Rickie Lambert may have the saddest case of all. He’d grown up dreaming of donning the red jersey of Liverpool and finally got his opportunity on a modest 4 million pound deal. He leveraged his solid Southampton season to his dream move. It was the stuff fairy tales are made of.
Unfortunately for Lambert this is real life. The 33-year old striker’s performance fell of a cliff when he left the South Coast. His goal output dropped from 13 to 2 in just one year. He only managed seven starts for Liverpool before being jettisoned to West Brom this year. He hasn’t seen much more time there, but he has managed to start three Premier League games this season for the Baggies. It’s a safe bet he doesn’t still feel the same fondness he did for Anfield at the time of his arrival.
Premier League teams outside the usual top four should use these three players as a cautionary tale to its own stars. The road from Southampton to Liverpool has put three promising careers in serious jeopardy. The same could happen to any Premier League player who is tempted to leave a good situation for the promise of fame and fortune at a bigger club.