Liverpool

Liverpool

Premier League • England

Ranking every player Liverpool have signed from La Liga after Giorgi Mamardashvili deal

Pepe Reina, Xabi Alonso and Fernando Torres playing for Liverpool

Pepe Reina, Xabi Alonso and Fernando Torres all joined Liverpool from La Liga clubs

Liverpool have made the first signing of the Arne Slot era by buying Giorgi Mamardashvili from Valencia – but how have their previous imports from La Liga fared?

Mamardashvili will stay with the La Liga side for the remainder of the 2024/25 campaign before making the move to Merseyside next summer.

We’ve taken a look at the first-team players that Liverpool have previously signed from La Liga and ranked them from worst to best.

Note: we’ve not included players initially signed for the youth team so that rules out the likes of Miki Roque and Antonio Barragan.

21. Josemi

The first signing of the Rafa Benitez era, Josemi left Malaga and completed a £2million 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

Having worked with Pellegrino at Valencia, Benitez brought the former Argentina international to Liverpool in January 2005.

He was cup-tied for the Champions League and made 13 appearances in all competitions during a forgettable six-month stint at Anfield.

19. Jan Kromkamp

Kromkamp joined Liverpool from Villarreal in January 2006 as part of the deal that saw Josemi move in the opposite direction.

He was unable to usurp 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 win over West Ham United.

18. Aly Cissokho

Liverpool signed Cissokho from Valencia on a season-long loan deal in 2013, but he struggled to make an impression during his short stint at the club and the Reds opted not to make his move permanent.

17. Javier Manquillo

Manquillo joined Liverpool on a two-year loan deal in 2014 but made just 19 appearances for the club and returned to Atletico Madrid after just one season.

16. Iago Aspas

A Celta Vigo academy graduate, Aspas signed for Liverpool in 2013 and found himself behind Luis Suarez and Daniel Sturridge in the pecking order.

The striker scored one goal in 15 appearances for the Reds, with the enduring memory of his time at Anfield a terrible corner in a 2-0 loss to Chelsea.

15. Luis Alberto

Alongside Aspas, Alberto also joined Liverpool in the summer of 2013 and the duo failed to impress club captain Steven Gerrard.

“Straightaway, as soon as I saw them in the dressing room, I knew they weren’t going to make it in the Premier League,” Gerrard wrote in his autobiography.

“It boiled down to physique. They had the bodies of little boys – they looked about fifteen. I thought ‘Jesus, how are you going to cope against John Terry, Ashley Williams and Ryan Shawcross?’”

He made 12 appearances for Liverpool and had loan spells at Malaga and Deportivo La Coruna before joining Lazio on a permanent deal in 2016.

14. Nuri Sahin

After 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 he struggled to secure a first-team place and the loan move was terminated after just five months.

13. Antonio Nunez

When Liverpool let Michael Owen join Real Madrid in the summer of 2004, they received an £8million transfer fee 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 huge impression on his teammates.

“From the moment I saw Litmanen at Melwood, I was bewitched,” Steven Gerrard said. “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 cup finals in their treble-winning campaign of 2000/01.

The former Finland international still showcased glimpses of his ability, registering nine goals and six assists in 43 appearances before joining Ajax on a free transfer in 2002.

11. Fernando Morientes

Morientes arrived at Liverpool in January 2005 with some serious pedigree, 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, netting just 12 goals in 60 appearances in all competitions.

He did still win the FA Cup and the UEFA Super Cup, although he was cup-tied for their Champions League-winning campaign.

10. Albert 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 winger fell out of favour in his second season after publicly criticising Benitez’s man-management, and he 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 £12million.

The left-back made 141 appearances for the Reds and improved under Jurgen Klopp, but he still made a series of high-profile errors and was eventually replaced by Andy Robertson.

He joined Villarreal on a free transfer in 2019 and finally endeared himself to Liverpool supporters by helping Unai Emery’s side beat Manchester United in the 2021 Europa League final.

8. Maxi Rodriguez

Rodriguez spent four-and-a-half years at Atletico 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 everything every day that I was wearing the LFC crest,” he wrote in a farewell letter in 2012. “It has been a great honour to defend this shirt during two and a half years.

“I am returning home with a suitcase full of great memories, good friends within the team and also within this great family that works every day in the club.

“Thanks a lot for your support. You can NOT 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 fought off competition from local rivals Everton to sign Sissoko from Valencia in a £5.6million 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, the UEFA Super Cup and the 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 ex-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 the first-choice left-back at Liverpool and made 134 appearances during a six-year spell.

The former Brazil international also chipped in with some important goals, including brilliant free-kicks against Chelsea and Manchester United.

5. Alvaro Arbeloa

After a move for Dani Alves failed to materialise, Liverpool switched their attention to Arbeloa and signed the full-back from Deportivo La Coruna in January 2007.

He made his full debut for the club in a 2-1 win over Barcelona in the Champions League and produced a brilliant performance against Lionel Messi.

The former Spain international went on to make 98 appearances for Liverpool before joining Real Madrid at the end of the 2008/09 season.

4. Luis Garcia

Garcia initially played under Benitez during a loan spell at Tenerife in 2000/01, and he followed the manager to Liverpool in the summer of 2004.

The winger scored five goals in their Champions League winning-campaign in 2004/05, including the iconic ‘ghost goal’ that booked the club’s place in the final.

He also scored in the 2005 UEFA Super Cup final win over CSKA Moscow and netted the winning goal in the 2006 FA Cup semi-final, although he missed the final through suspension.

The former Spain international joined Atletico Madrid in the summer of 2007, having registered 30 goals and 16 assists in 121 appearances for Liverpool.

3. Pepe Reina

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 from Bobby Zamora, Paul Konchesky and Anton Ferdinand in the penalty shootout victory 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 Atletico Madrid for a then club-record fee of £26.5million.

The former Spain international justified that price tag by scoring 81 goals in 142 appearances in all competitions during his three-and-a-half years at Anfield.

He may have slightly tainted his legacy by moving to Chelsea in January 2011 but the Reds did make a £23.5million profit on the striker, who failed to replicate his Liverpool form at Stamford Bridge.

1. Xabi Alonso

Alonso joined Liverpool from Real Sociedad in the summer of 2004 and played an integral role in their Champions League success in his debut season.

He established himself as one of the best midfielders in the world and his form at Anfield attracted interest from Real Madrid, who signed him for £30million in 2009.

“It was clear Alonso was royalty after our first training session together in August 2004, and Rafa Benitez, who had been so clever to buy him in the first place, was equally stupid to sell him to Real Madrid five years later,” Steven Gerrard said.

“He was, by some distance, the best central midfielder I ever played alongside.”

READ MORE: Six centre-backs Liverpool could sign before the transfer deadline to finally strengthen Slot’s squad

Liverpool Giorgi Mamardashvili

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