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.