Liverpool have been one of the busiest teams so far this summer window.
The Reds, who bid farewell to Naby Keita, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and veteran James Milner at the end of the season, desperately needed to sign at least two top midfielders and have tied up their business as early as possible.
Signing Alexis Mac Allister from Brighton and Hove Albion for just £35m (Sky Sports) last month, with Dominik Szoboszlai recently following suit after the club agreed a £60m (€70m) deal with RB Leipzig (Fabrizio Romano), Liverpool have left the rest of England trailing in their wake.
And with the two midfielder’s combined fee of well below £100m, former attacker Stan Collymore believes his old club’s business has not only been impressive, but it has also highlighted an ‘over-the-top premium’ applied to English players – especially Declan Rice, who is on the verge of joining Arsenal for around £105m.
“Liverpool’s business of signing Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai proves there is an over-the-top premium applied to English players,” Collymore said in an exclusive interview.
“Liverpool have signed both of those players for almost the same price Arsenal have offered West Ham for Declan Rice.
“Don’t get me wrong, Rice is a good player and one that will certainly improve Mikel Arteta’s team, but he doesn’t have the same CV as the likes of Mac Allister, who has just won a World Cup. His price tag is not his fault – but although he’s just played in the Conference League and won it, he hasn’t exactly set the world alight on the international stage yet. So when it comes to team’s early summer business, Liverpool are streets ahead of everyone else.”
Do you agree with Collymore? – How impressed have you been with Liverpool’s transfer dealings this summer? – Let us know in the comments section below.
Rice is decent but no world beater, £105m is way too expensive. To get two top class midfielders for £10m less is impressive.
Home grown players have always been overvalued, but that is the way team structures are built. You’d think England win every major tournament.
Some think Liverpool struggle because they don’t pay enough, I’d rather pay lower and build them up, makes them hungry.
I suppose the proof will be in the pudding.
I’m aresnal fans. L’pool have not do anything that will worry me bay now. I have good player in arsenal just last year & we add 3or4 more we welcome Nicolas Pepe. I’m sure bay god we will be a formidale. And that’s. Edu & Arteta have done well. in 2023/24 arsenal are a magnificent. thanks
using nicolas pepe as an example of how good arsenal are is bonkers,hes been useless,no team wil pay more than 20 mill for a player who cost them 70 odd mill,might look good in france but hes nowhere near good enough for the prem nevermind arsenal
The willingness to talk up recent LFC business as ‘clever’ is actually embarrassing. Liverpool can’t afford the higher end players like Rice but want to suggest they’re still competitive, so delusional apologists like Collymore say players like Mac Allister are just as good. Bottom line is, Mac Allister doesn’t come close to Rice (he has a better CV because he happens to be Argentinian) – all LFC supporters know that, and trying to say otherwise is insulting.
Liverpool had a good buy even better but what good in having players dat won’t take them anywhere, they won’t be consistency in Mac or slaz games n that’s what rice brings to the table, over priced comes with value, penny wise players get a Penny wise results
It is not often that I agree with Collymore, but on this occasion, he is absolutely right on the button!
Is this not the same Stan the man who has won nothing in a long career and not the same Stan who was me rally unstable…
Collymore….absolutely on point