Peter Crouch
Southampton 2004-05, Liverpool 2005-08
Southampton may have been relegated for the first time in a generation during his season at the club, but Crouch rediscovered his goalscoring touch at St Mary's in 2004/05 after two barren years at Aston Villa.
His penalty-box exploits that season caught the attention of Liverpool, who paid £7m to bring him to Anfield. The striker bagged an FA Cup winner’s medal in 2006 as Rafa Benitez's charges hauled themselves back from the brink against West Ham, while he also became an England regular during his time on Merseyside.
Southampton 7/10 • Liverpool 8/10
Rickie Lambert
Southampton 2009-14, Liverpool 2014-15
He hardly got a decent crack at things under Brendan Rodgers during a tough season for a side who had come within an ace of the title the previous campaign
The Merseyside-born striker had already been round the block a few times when he arrived at Southampton at the age of 27 in summer 2009; by the time he'd bagged his dream move to Anfield five years later, he was already past his prolific best. It showed, too: Lambert scored just twice in the Premier League and once in Europe in his single season at Anfield – a haul which contrasts sharply with the 106 league goals he bagged in 2007 matches for Saints.
That said, he hardly got a decent crack under Brendan Rodgers during a tough season for a side who had come within an ace of the title in the previous campaign. Still, at least Lambert got to play for his hometown club in European football’s biggest competition.
Southampton 8/10 •Liverpool 5/10
Kevin Keegan
Liverpool 1971-77, Southampton 1980-82
He scored 37 goals in 68 games in a side containing the likes of Mike Channon and Alan Ball, before leaving Southampton in 1982
When Southampton boss Lawrie McMenemy called a surprise press conference at the Potters Heron Hotel near Romsey in summer 1980, the nation’s hacks arrived without a clue what they were about to be told. What they saw made them blink in disbelief: sitting next to an understandably grinning McMenemy was a man who'd returned to the English game after establishing himself as one of the continent’s pre-eminent players, first at Anfield and then at Hamburg.
In perhaps the most remarkable coup since General Pinochet’s none-too-peaceful takeover of Chile in 1973, McMenemy had secured the services of a two-time European Footballer of the Year – and Saints’ fans couldn’t believe their luck. Keegan didn’t disappoint, either: he scored 37 goals in 68 games in a side containing the likes of Mike Channon and Alan Ball, before leaving Southampton in 1982.
Liverpool 8/10 • Southampton 8/10
Next page: Scandal!
Adam Lallana
Southampton 2000-14, Liverpool 2014-present
Lallana's adding goals to his creative promptings, a lack of which was one of the main accusations aimed at him after his mega-bucks move north
The nearest thing to Matt Le Tissier produced by Saints since the magic man from the Channel Islands hung up his boots in 2002. Lallana left the familiar surroundings of the south coast for Merseyside shortly after England’s dismal showing at the World Cup in Brazil.
Even the most ardent admirer would admit it's taken time for the 28-year-old to settle at Anfield, but there are now signs of him flourishing under Jurgen Klopp as Liverpool eye their first title in a generation. Lallana's adding goals to his creativity, a lack of which was one of the main accusations aimed at him after his mega-bucks move north. Given he was playing League One football as recently as 2011, the midfielder's come a long way in a relatively short space of time.
Southampton 8/10 • Liverpool 7/10
Jimmy Case
Liverpool 1973-81, Southampton 1985-91
The fact that his game was never based on pace allowed him to remain a mainstay in Southampton's engine room for a further six seasons
Like Keegan, Case is a man remembered as fondly at Southampton as he is at Liverpool. He might not have won the trophies he did during a golden period at Anfield – it would be hard to match four league titles and three European Cup gongs anywhere – but Case played a huge role at The Dell during a stint that spanned over 200 matches.
Tough as granite, Case’s bone-crunching tackles in midfield made opponents wince and his own fans rejoice. By the time he joined Saints – after a four-year spell along the coast at Brighton – his considerable powers were on the wane, but the fact that his game was never based on pace allowed him to remain a mainstay in Southampton's engine room for a further six seasons. His absence was keenly felt when he then moved onto Bournemouth, as it was at Anfield when he left in 1981.
Liverpool 8/10 • Southampton 7/10
Sadio Mane
Southampton 2014-16, Liverpool 2016-present
He’ll always be remembered by Saints fans for the quickest hat-trick in Premier League history, rewriting the record books in just two minutes and 56 seconds
Notoriously shoddy at time-keeping during his spell at Southampton, it looks as though Mane has arrived at Anfield just as Liverpool needed him most. The Senegal international had his critics at St Mary’s, with many of a Saints persuasion believing him to be too erratic to make the grade at the very highest level, but his six goals in 10 Premier League appearances for Klopp’s side so far this season would appear to have resoundingly answered them.
Quick and with an eye for goal that's improved every season since he arrived from Austrian side Salzburg in 2014, Mane looks tailor-made for the style of football favoured by former Borussia Dortmund boss Klopp. He’ll always be remembered by Saints fans for the quickest hat-trick in Premier League history, altering the record books in just two minutes and 56 seconds against Aston Villa on the penultimate day of the 2014/15 season. Mane has won over Liverpool fans equally as rapidly.
Southampton 7/10 • Liverpool 8/10
Bruce Grobbelaar
Liverpool 1981-94, Southampton 1994-96
His jelly-legs routine is still talked about on Merseyside and elsewhere today; his 32-game sojourn at Southampton less so
A legendary figure at Anfield, Grobbelaar sealed his place in Liverpool folklore during his side’s defeat of Roma in the 1984 European Cup Final. His jelly-legs routine is still talked about on Merseyside and elsewhere today; his 32-game sojourn at Southampton less so.
To be fair, the Zimbabwean's best days were long behind him when he finally vacated Anfield after 13 glorious seasons in 1994. He was also joining a Southampton side who were embarking on a similar downward spiral and more concerned with survival than challenging for Europe. Allegations of match-fixing – which Grobbelaar was subsequently cleared of – also surfaced during his time at The Dell, all of which contributed to a less-than-happy stay.
Liverpool 9/10 • Southampton 5/10
Next page: Final three, final scores
Nathaniel Clyne
Southampton 2012-15 • Liverpool 2015-present
One of English football’s most reliable full-backs defensively and no slouch going forward either, Clyne’s stay at Liverpool should be a lengthy one
Consistently solid at Southampton and arguably even better at Liverpool, Clyne's £12.5m price tag in summer 2015 now looks an absolute snip. The former Crystal Palace full-back was snapped up by Saints following their promotion back to the big time, with Nigel Adkins promising him assaults on Europe rather than relegation battles.
As it was, Clyne, along with the likes of Lallana and Lovren, propelled Saints forward at a pace that even the then-departed Adkins couldn’t have imagined. The 25-year-old also settled quickly at Anfield, and is now a firm favourite of both Klopp and the Kop. One of English football’s most reliable full-backs defensively and no slouch going forward either, Clyne’s stay at Liverpool should be a lengthy one.
Southampton 9/10 • Liverpool 8/10
Mark Wright
Southampton 1982-87, Liverpool 1991-98
Wright was a classy defender at a time when stoppers were known more for blood-soaked bandages than finesse
Despite his namesake's arrival on the scene with the cast of TOWIE, there's still only one Mark Wright in the eyes of Southampton and Liverpool fans. A classy defender at a time when stoppers were known more for blood-soaked bandages than finesse, Wright began his career at Oxford before joining Saints in 1982.
He stayed for five seasons at The Dell and helped the club finish runners-up (to Liverpool) in the old First Division in 1984; a four-year spell at Derby followed before the Reds came calling in 1991. Wright was unfortunate to play in one of least-memorable periods in the club’s recent history, though he did lift the FA Cup as captain in 1992. He made a further 160 appearances in a Liverpool shirt to take his career total to over 400, but never truly hit the heights he managed while on the south coast.
Southampton 8/10 • Liverpool 6/10
Dejan Lovren
Southampton 2013-14, Liverpool 2014-present
Feted at Southampton and lampooned at Liverpool, Lovren exemplifies the vagaries of switching clubs as well as anyone in recent seasons. Signed by Saints from Lyon in 2013, the centre-back shone under Mauricio Pochettino and played a vital role as the club secured a respectable top-half finish.
He looked more Rolls Royce at St Mary’s than the clapped-out old Austin Allegro Liverpool fans were surprised with, as the club’s most expensive ever defender. A shocker in the Champions League against Basel led to him being dropped from the side and, until Klopp took charge, he looked set to be remembered as a costly flop. He's been a man transformed under the German, though, looking much more like the player remembered by most Southampton fans.
Southampton 8/10 • Liverpool 7/10
Final score: Southampton 75-74 Liverpool
