The long list of players who have made the jump from Southampton to Liverpool read as a very mixed bag.

Some have gone on to establish themselves as world-class performers, capable of delivering at an elite level over sustained period of time, helping to deliver Champions League and Premier League glory and making themselves legends in the process.

Others…haven’t.

Here, 90min takes a look back at the players who have followed the beaten path, and rank them on the impact they made – and in some cases continue to make – during their time at Anfield.

Ask any Liverpool fan, and they will tell you there are few signings in the club’s history they wanted to work as much as Rickie Lambert.

The veteran Scouse target man was handed his dream move in 2014 following the departure of Luis Suarez, but arriving at Anfield during such a tumultuous and uncertain period, it was doomed to fail from the start.

Lambert’s single season in Merseyside saw him labour to three goals in 36 appearances (often as a sub), and he was later shifted on to West Brom…to make room for Christian Benteke.

To be fair to Nathaniel Clyne, he was a steady first-choice right back throughout Jurgen Klopp’s first two seasons in England – it’s just unfortunate that things ended the way they did.

A succession of injuries limited him to just ten Liverpool appearances since the beginning of the 2017/18 season, with the rapid ascension of Trent Alexander-Arnold comfortably burying any hopes he had of re-establishing himself as a starter.

A six-month loan with Bournemouth hinted that he still had what it takes to cut it in the top flight, eventually leading to Crystal Palace taking a chance on him despite his abysmal injury record.

Ranking Dejan fifth on a list of seven seems harsh; he was a great servant to the club, and his attitude and personality are undoubtedly a major part of why Liverpool are where they are today.

Ability-wise, however, he’s a victim of the gigantic forward strides Liverpool have taken since Klopp’s arrival. No matter how hard he tried, he just wasn’t at the level the club find themselves at today.

Still, with four trophies in close to 200 appearances, he left with few real regrets.

His appearance numbers might not tell the whole story, but when Jurgen Klopp describes you as one of his most important players, you can kick back happily, safe in the knowledge that you’ve made an impact.

Lallana’s leadership is sorely missed, and even as his on-the-pitch influence faded over the years, he remained capable of coming up with a big moment when needed.

His equaliser at Old Trafford that preserved Liverpool’s unbeaten record back in October 2019 was just one example, and one of many moments that see him fondly remembered.

It came a good few years prior to the raft of signings that made the Southampton to Liverpool express line fashionable, but Crouch can easily be described as one of the Reds‘ best signings of the 2000s.

He may never be talked about in the same terms as Fernando Torres or Luis Suarez, but Crouchy’s unconventional approach to the game rapidly earned him cult hero status, as he utilised his comical gangly frame to bang in 42 goals over 134 appearances.

For a while he was a Champions League good luck charm – remarkably, the Reds never lost a game in the competition in which he scored.

When you’re signing off on a deal for the most expensive defender in the world, you want to be pretty sure that you’re getting the best defender in the world.

Precious few thought Liverpool had done that when they pried Van Dijk away from the Saints in January 2018, but it soon became apparent they knew exactly what they were doing.

He rapidly established himself as the best defender in the world, and has just played every minute in a title-winning Premier League season – how’s that for getting your money’s worth?

There isn’t much to split Mané and Van Dijk; both have hit the ground sprinting and made a name for themselves as the best around at what they do.

Where they differ is that Mané cost less than half of what was spent on Big Virg. £35m, for a player whose goals have directly won the club 18 points this season alone.

He will go down in history as one of the Reds‘ best ever signings, and serves as a gigantic point of reference any time the Saints field any bids for their top players.