For the likes of Alexander Isak and Florian Wirtz, the pressure is on almost immediately to deliver, with expectations through the roof considering the exorbitant £100m+ price tags.

If and when the pair, alongside Bradley Barcola, do really catch fire, it'll be merely what was expected, with it so difficult to be considered a successful signing.

It's why snapping up players on the cheap, like the case of Andy Robertson, is far more rewarding, with the Scotsman a perfect example of a player who defied the odds to become a genuine world-beater on Merseyside.

Remembering Robertson's rise at Liverpool

It's easy to forget that Robertson wasn't an instant hit at Anfield, with taking time for the young Scot to really force his way into Jurgen Klopp's starting lineup.

Indeed, eyebrows were raised when FSG plucked the flying full-back from relegated Hull City on an £8m deal, the Glasgow-born speedster having spent just two seasons in the Premier League at that stage.

By his own admission, 'Robbo' was "miserable" in those first few months after making the switch, amid his lack of game time, with it taking an injury to Alberto Moreno at the end of the year for his chance to truly come.

To his credit, the infectious defender certainly capitalised on that opening, going on to start 22 league games in 2017/18, registering five assists, while also starting in the Champions League final defeat to Real Madrid.

That showpiece selection marked a remarkable rise for a man who'd been on the books at lower-league Scottish side, Queen's Park, only five years earlier, having been released by Celtic as a youngster.

The rest, as they say, is history, with Robertson growing into his role as arguably the leading left-back in the Premier League, one of the best the division has seen to date, as his 60 assists point to.

Oh, why did he have to leave?

Why Robertson deserved his emotional Anfield homecoming

There are ways to leave a football club, with Robertson's full-back partner, Trent Alexander-Arnold, doing himself no favours with regard to the manner of his exit a year ago.

Of course, Robbo is at a different stage of his career, yet even so, his own free transfer exit was met with far less animosity and toxicity, the 32-year-old deserving of the chance to seek out increased game time elsewhere.

Another notable departure from Klopp's great side, alongside Mohamed Salah, the veteran left-back was deservedly given a hero's welcome on his return to Anfield this week, amid Liverpool's Carabao Cup clash with Tottenham Hotspur.

It was a heartwarming sight to see the Spurs substitute greeted with such warmth, such a stellar ovation from the home crowd, his chant reverberating around every corner of Anfield.

At a time when needless booing has become all too commonplace up and down the country, this was a genuine touch of class, a fitting reward for what Robertson gave across his nine-year stay on Merseyside.

For all the statement signings made under Klopp's watch, be it Sadio Mane, Mohamed Salah, Virgil van Dijk or Alisson, none came at such a bargain price as the £8m addition of the Scot.

He's a gem of a player, someone who proved to be a remarkably astute, low-cost signing. Will Liverpool see his like again?

Liverpool have struck gold on their biggest bargain since Robertson

It's fair to say that there haven't been too many similar deals since Robertson's arrival in 2017, with true bargains a little difficult to identify.

The likes of Caoimhin Kelleher and Takumi Minamino certainly fit that mould, although neither player ever really achieved first-team regular status, the pair since sold on to Brentford and Monaco, respectively.

In terms of the current crop, the player who could actually follow in Robertson's footsteps is teenage sensation, Rio Ngumoha, the 18-year-old seeing his value soar since joining from Chelsea.

Plucked from Stamford Bridge back in 2024, the fleet-footed winger is believed to have cost an initial fee of just shy of £3m, the Blues seemingly devastated at the inability to keep hold of him.

That frustration is for good reason too, with Ngumoha since showing flashes of why he is so highly regarded, now already a key part of Andoni Iraola's squad.

Of course, his breakout moment came away at St James' Park back in August 2025, following that stoppage-time winner, with Arne Slot perhaps culpable for not handing the teenager more regular minutes across last season.

Thankfully, Iraola, a man who nurtured the likes of Rayan and Junior Kroupi at Bournemouth, appears ready to put his faith in this precocious talent, the Spaniard arguably the perfect manager to turn Ngumoha into a true world-beater.

He's already catching the attention at international level too, having been part of Thomas Tuchel's pre-World Cup preparations, with there having even been talk that he should be part of the final 26-man squad itself.

Having snapped him up on the cheap from a Premier League rival, the Reds really are onto a winner here, in a similar mould to the signing of Robertson, with Ngumoha boasting a sky-high ceiling, one would assume.

That's already been evidenced by his rising market value, with Transfermarkt noting that he is now worth as much as €30m (£26m), representing a 766% increase on that initial £3m investment.

It's not to say Liverpool will be looking to cash in any time soon to make a profit, but like with Robertson, this is a bargain signing who could prove to be a mainstay for the Reds for a decade or more.

Let's hope he continues to fulfil his stellar potential.