What ever happened to Luis Alberto after he left Liverpool for a fee of just £4.3m in August 2016?
The Spanish playmaker arrived at Anfield with plenty of promise for the future, but his career in England didn’t go according to plan.
Almost four years on from his departure, and with the current hiatus of Premier League football in mind, it’s an appropriate time to reflect on how his career has progressed in recent years.
It’s certainly been eventful, and his progress might just leave Jurgen Klopp with more than just a tinge of regret over the decision.
Time at Liverpool
Following his £6.8m move from Sevilla in 2013, Brendan Rodgers offered a promising verdict on Alberto’s future at the club, per BBC Sport.
“He has the correct footballing profile and mentality to be a Liverpool player.
“I look forward to working with him to develop his talent.”
Whatever Rodgers envisaged failed to come to fruition. The youngster started just two games under the Northern Irishman’s tutelage and made a further ten appearances in domestic competitions.
His only highlight worth noting arrived in the shape of an 11 minute cameo at White Hart Lane back in 2013 as Liverpool smashed Spurs 5-0 on their own turf. Alberto assisted Luis Suarez for the visitors’ fourth goal of the game and that turned out to be his solitary goal contribution in the famous red shirt.
Serie A outfit Lazio eventually came calling for his signature in August 2016, offering him a route out of Merseyside and a new environment in which to harness his potential.
Liverpool cut their losses and duly accepted the £4.3m offer.
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Where is he now?
Alberto certainly didn’t settle overnight in Italy but he’s slowly established himself as a vital player at his new club.
He played just 361 minutes of Serie A football during his debut season, scoring once and assisting twice in the process to lay the foundations for what proved to be a breakthrough second season.
In the 2017/18 campaign, goal contributions arrived at scale: eleven goals and 13 assists from 34 league games underlined his ability to be a deadly playmaker in one of Europe’s elite divisions.
And in the current campaign he has already racked up 13 assists from 25 league appearances.
According to Italian media outlet Il Messaggero (via Sport Witness), Lazio are hoping to include a release clause of €100m (£91.1m) in his new contract, with Liverpool’s 30% sell on clause forcing the issue somewhat.
Meanwhile, Alberto’s Transfermarkt valuation soared to £49.5m on March 3rd, which places him in the top 10 most highly rated attacking midfielders in world football.
The only solace for Liverpool is that they will receive 30% of any fee Lazio receive for his services, but otherwise his progress suggests the club may have been too hasty with their decision to sell him in 2016.
