One unseen quality has underpinned Liverpool’s success in the transfer market under FSG | OneFootball

The transformation of Liverpool Football Club over the past decade both on and off the pitch has been phenomenal.

A decade ago, Brendan Rodgers’ side sat 10th in the Premier League table after comprehensive defeats to West Ham and Manchester United as they struggled to adapt to life after Steven Gerrard, who left at the end of the previous season, one of turmoil for the underperforming Reds.

A month later, the Northern Irishman made way for Jurgen Klopp. The rest, as we say, is history – the German led the Merseyside club to a sustained period of success not seen since the 1980s, while FSG oversaw Anfield’s expansion from a 45,000-capacity venue to a 61,000-capacity behemoth.

We’ve all seen the game-changing impact that transformative signings like Mo Salah, Andy Robertson, Virgil van Dijk and Alisson Becker have had at Liverpool, but there’s a less tangible factor underpinning the Reds’ successful transfer activity in recent years.

Liverpool sign not just world-class players, but also elite characters

From Michael Edwards to Richard Hughes, the various sporting directors at Anfield have undertaken rigorous background checks to ensure that any players who come into the club are of reputable character and, in a phrase, pass the ‘no-dickheads’ test.

A bit like researching the best online pokies in Australia for critical factors such as customer safety, quick processing of payments and a reliable support service, FSG have done their homework on the signings made by Liverpool before agreeing to part with their hard-earned cash.

(Photo by Paul Childs/Pool via Getty Images)

The likes of Salah, Robertson, Van Dijk and Alisson – along with former Reds such as James Milner and Jordan Henderson – have all been crucial in maintaining and demanding the highest standards not just on matchday, but throughout every single minute that a player spends with the Merseyside club.

It wasn’t always that way for Liverpool

In previous generations, the LFC dressing room has been sullied by spurious characters like El Hadji Diouf and Mario Balotelli who made more headlines for their misdemeanours than any notable feats on the pitch.

More recently, domestic rivals Manchester United have been beset by players of dubious character who simply wouldn’t be tolerated at present-day Liverpool (e.g. Jadon Sancho and his infamous ‘freedom’ remarks, or Alejandro Garnacho’s open warfare with Ruben Amorim before being packed off to Chelsea).

It wouldn’t be accurate to say that the Reds are ‘lucky’ to have players of the ilk of Salah, Van Dijk et al. Rather, it’s a case of the Anfield powerbrokers undergoing due diligence on the personality of prospective signings before bringing them into the club.

Since the dismal pre-Klopp days of 2015, Liverpool have ascended to the summit of English football because of a transfer policy which represents the perfect balance of quality on the pitch and exemplary professionalism behind the scenes.