Liverpool didn’t do anything in the January transfer window, but, over the years, the Reds have perhaps been the best operators in the winter months.
Indeed, some of the best signings in Premier League history have been pulled off by Liverpool in January.
Luis Diaz, Cody Gakpo, Daniel Sturridge and Philippe Coutinho are but a few signings that Liverpool have made in January.
Gakpo has received massive praise for his performances as of late, Sturridge was a key player for years, while Liverpool turned over a record profit for Coutinho.
However, perhaps Liverpool’s two greatest January signings were Luis Suarez and Virgil van Dijk.
Van Dijk has proven people wrong since his £75m move from Southampton back in 2019, while Suarez is a Liverpool great in his own right.
Speaking to Sky Sports, Jamie Redknapp and Gary Cahill have been ranking some of the best January signings of all-time, and they’ve made an interesting choice between Van Dijk and Suarez.
Virgil van Dijk a better signing than Luis Suarez
Cahill and Redknapp ranked who they believe to be some of the greatest January signings of all-time.
Inevitably, Van Dijk and Suarez got a mention, as did some other big names from Premier League history.
Redknapp put Van Dijk down as his second-best January signing ever, placing him ahead of not only Luis Suarez but Bruno Fernandes and Nemanja Vidic too.
| Top six January signings | Signed for |
| 1. Virgil van Dijk | Liverpool |
| 2. Luis Suarez | Liverpool |
| 3. Branislav Ivanovic | Chelsea |
| 4. Nemanja Vidic | Manchester United |
| 5. Bruno Fernandes | Manchester United |
| 6. Gary Cahill | Chelsea |
Two of Liverpool’s signings are ranked among the best in the history of the January transfer window, and who knows? Perhaps in years to come Gakpo and Diaz could also make such a list.
Luis Suarez compared to Virgil van Dijk
It’s very hard to say which of Van Dijk and Suarez were better signings.
On one hand, Van Dijk was a truly transformational signing and he’s taken Liverpool to ridiculous heights, winning the Premier League and the Champions League.
On the other hand, Suarez was cheaper, he was incredibly effective in a worse team, and he was sold for a big profit too.
| Luis Suarez | Virgil van Dijk | |
| Games | 133 | 301 |
| Trophies | 1 | 6 |
| Signed for | £23m | £75m |
| Sold for | £65m | N/A |
| Signed from | Ajax | Southampton |
Van Dijk was also a much more obvious signing – he arrived from Southampton after proving himself in the Premier League for years.
Meanwhile, Suarez came in from Ajax as a bit of a gamble, but that gamble well and truly paid off.
The fact that Van Dijk has eventually become the club captain and has won every trophy available to him probably does put him top of this list, but make no mistake about it, Suarez is also one of the best January signings of all-time.
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