Liverpool have made their first signing of the Arne Slot era by buying Giorgi Mamardashvili from Valencia – but how have their previous La Liga imports fared?
Mamardashvili will remain at the La Liga side for the remainder of the 2024/25 season before moving to Merseyside next summer.
We’ve taken a look at the first-team players Liverpool have previously signed from La Liga and ranked them from worst to best.
Please note: We have not included players initially signed to the youth team, which excludes the likes of Miki Roque and Antonio Barragan.
21. JosemiThe first signing of the Rafa Benitez era, Josemi left Málaga and completed a £2 million move to Liverpool in the summer of 2004.
The right-back struggled with the pace of English football and made just 35 appearances for the Reds before signing for Villarreal midway through the 2005/06 season.
20. Mauricio Pellegrino
After working with Pellegrino at Valencia, Benitez brought the former Argentina international to Liverpool in January 2005.
He did not feature in the Champions League and made 13 appearances in all competitions during a forgettable six-month spell at Anfield.
19. January KromkampKromkamp arrived at Liverpool from Villarreal in January 2006 as part of the deal that saw Josemi move in the opposite direction.
He failed to displace Steve Finnan as the first-choice right-back and made just 18 appearances for the Reds, although he did feature in the FA Cup final victory over West Ham United.
18. Aly Cissokho
Liverpool signed Cissokho from Valencia on a season-long loan in 2013, but he struggled to make an impression during his short spell at the club and the Reds opted not to make his move permanent.
17. Javier ManquilloManquillo joined Liverpool on a two-year loan deal in 2014 but made just 19 appearances for the club and returned to Atlético Madrid after just one season.
16. Iago QuotesA product of Celta Vigo’s academy, Aspas signed for Liverpool in 2013 and was placed behind Luis Suarez and Daniel Sturridge in the pecking order.
The forward scored one goal in 15 appearances for the Reds, with the lasting memory of his time at Anfield being a dreadful corner in the 2-0 defeat to Chelsea.
It’s crazy how this poor cornerback got Aspas thrown out of England before he revived his reputation again with Celtic… photo.twitter.com/qEBAiF6gaA
— Charisma (@PLHolics) August 26, 2024
15. Louis Alberto
Alongside Aspas, Alberto also joined Liverpool in the summer of 2013 and the pair failed to impress club captain Steven Gerrard.
“Immediately, as soon as I saw them in the dressing room, I knew they were not going to make it to the Premier League,” Gerrard wrote in his autobiography.
“It was all about the physicality. They had little boy bodies – they looked like they were about fifteen. I thought, ‘Jesus, how are you going to deal with John Terry, Ashley Williams and Ryan Shawcross?’”
He made 12 appearances for Liverpool and had loan spells at Málaga and Deportivo La Coruña before joining Lazio on a permanent deal in 2016.
14. Nuri SahinAfter struggling for regular first-team minutes in his debut season at Real Madrid, Sahin joined Liverpool on a season-long loan deal in 2012.
The midfielder registered three goals and two assists in 12 appearances but struggled to secure a first-team place and his loan spell was terminated after just five months.
Remember Nuri Sahin at Liverpool?
photo.twitter.com/pTc476qWJt
— Premier League India (@PLforIndia) January 3, 2024
13. Antonio Nunez
When Liverpool let Michael Owen join Real Madrid in the summer of 2004, they received a transfer fee of £8 million and Antonio Nunez in return.
The midfielder spent just one season at Anfield but made history by becoming the only player to score his only goal for Liverpool in a major final, finding the net as the Reds were beaten 3-2 by Chelsea in the League Cup.
12. Jari Litmanen
Litamen joined Liverpool on a free transfer from Barcelona in January 2001 and made a big impression on his teammates.
“From the moment I saw Litmanen at Melwood I was spellbound,” said Steven Gerrard. “He was like a chess grandmaster, always anticipating three or four moves ahead.”
But injury problems plagued his time at Anfield and he missed all three World Cup finals in the 2000/01 season, which saw him win three titles.
The former Finland international still showed signs of his ability, registering nine goals and six assists in 43 appearances before joining Ajax on a free transfer in 2002.
11. Fernando MorientesMorientes arrived at Liverpool in January 2005 with a solid CV, having scored 100 goals in 272 appearances for Real Madrid.
But the striker failed to live up to expectations during his 18-month spell at Anfield, scoring just 12 goals in 60 appearances across all competitions.
He also won the FA Cup and UEFA Super Cup, although he was tied in the Champions League winning campaign.
10. Alberto Riera
Riera completed a deadline day move to Liverpool in the summer of 2008 and enjoyed a promising debut season, helping the Reds finish second in the Premier League.
The former Espanyol striker fell out of favour in his second season after publicly criticising Benítez’s management, and was sold to Olympiacos in 2010.
9. Alberto Moreno
Liverpool won the race for Moreno’s signature in the summer of 2014 after agreeing to pay Sevilla an initial fee of £12 million.
The left-back made 141 appearances for the Reds and improved under Jurgen Klopp, but he still made a number of high-profile errors and was eventually replaced by Andy Robertson.
He joined Villarreal on a free transfer in 2019 and eventually won the affection of Liverpool fans by helping Unai Emery’s side beat Manchester United in the 2021 Europa League final.
“Get out, Man United!”
Alberto Moreno sent a message to #LFC fans after Villarreal’s Europa League win over #MUFC…
photo.twitter.com/NQ7EMozFKQ
— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) May 27, 2021
8. Maxi Rodriguez
Rodriguez spent four and a half years at Atlético Madrid before joining Liverpool on a free transfer in January 2010.
The former Argentina international became a cult hero at Anfield and scored 17 goals in 73 appearances for the Reds, including hat-tricks against Fulham and Birmingham City.
“I have tried to give my all every day I have worn the LFC badge,” he wrote in a farewell letter in 2012. “It has been a great honour to wear this shirt for two and a half years.
“I return home with a suitcase full of great memories, good friends within the team and also within this big family that works every day at the club.
“Thank you so much for your support. You CANNOT imagine what a great honour it was for me when the Kop sang, ‘Maxi, Maxi Rodríguez runs down the wing for me da da da da dada…’ Hasta la vista.”
7. Mohamed Sissoko
Liverpool faced competition from local rivals Everton to sign Sissoko from Valencia in a £5.6 million deal in the summer of 2005.
The midfielder suffered a career-threatening eye injury a few months later but still made 87 appearances for the club, helping them win the FA Cup, UEFA Super Cup and Community Shield.
He fell down the pecking order following Javier Mascherano’s arrival at Anfield and was sold to Juventus in January 2008.
6. Fabio Aurelio
After Pellegrino and Sissokho, Aurelio became the third former Valencia player to reunite with Benitez when he joined Liverpool on a free transfer in 2006.
Despite struggling with injury problems, he established himself as Liverpool’s first-choice left-back and made 134 appearances during a six-year spell.
The former Brazil international also contributed some important goals, including brilliant free-kicks against Chelsea and Manchester United.
#OnThisDay in 2006, Fábio Aurélio joined the Reds
photo.twitter.com/qDU2Cgq7Lz
— Liverpool FC (@LFC) July 5, 2024
5. Alvaro Arbeloa
After the signing of Dani Alves failed to materialise, Liverpool turned their attention to Arbeloa and signed the full-back from Deportivo La Coruña in January 2007.
He made his debut for the club in the 2-1 Champions League win over Barcelona and put in a brilliant performance against Lionel Messi.
The former Spain international made 98 appearances for Liverpool before joining Real Madrid at the end of the 2008/09 season.
4. Luis Garcia
Garcia initially played under Benítez during a loan spell at Tenerife in 2000/01, and followed the manager to Liverpool in the summer of 2004.
The winger scored five goals in the club’s victorious 2004/05 Champions League campaign, including the iconic ‘ghost goal’ that secured the club’s place in the final.
He also scored in the 2005 UEFA Super Cup Final victory over CSKA Moscow, and scored the winning goal in the 2006 FA Cup semi-final, although he missed the final through suspension.
The former Spain international joined Atlético Madrid in the summer of 2007, registering 30 goals and 16 assists in 121 appearances for Liverpool.
20 years ago today, Luis Garcia joined Liverpool
— The Anfield Wrap (@TheAnfieldWrap) August 20, 2024
3. Pepe Queen
Despite Jerzy Dudek’s heroics in the 2005 Champions League final, Liverpool decided to sign Reina from Villarreal a few weeks later.
The goalkeeper helped the Reds win the FA Cup in his debut season after saving goals from Bobby Zamora, Paul Konchesky and Anton Ferdinand in the penalty shootout win over West Ham United.
He also won three Premier League Golden Glove awards during his time at Anfield and kept 177 clean sheets in 394 appearances in all competitions.
2. Fernando Torres
After losing the 2007 Champions League final, Liverpool signed Torres from Atlético Madrid for a then club record fee of £26.5 million.
The former Spain international justified that price tag by scoring 81 goals in 142 games in all competitions during his three-and-a-half years at Anfield.
He may have tarnished his legacy somewhat by joining Chelsea in January 2011, but the Reds made a £23.5million profit on the striker, who failed to replicate Liverpool’s form at Stamford Bridge.
1. Xabi Alonso
Alonso joined Liverpool from Real Sociedad in the summer of 2004 and played a key role in the club’s Champions League success in his debut season.
He established himself as one of the best midfielders in the world and his performances at Anfield attracted the interest of Real Madrid, who signed him for £30 million in 2009.
“It was clear that Alonso was royalty after our first training session together in August 2004, and Rafa Benitez, who was so smart to buy him in the first place, was equally stupid to sell him to Real Madrid five years later,” said Steven Gerrard.
“He was by far the best central midfielder I have ever played with.”
READ MORE: Six defenders Liverpool could sign before transfer deadline to finally strengthen Slot’s squad
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