Joe Gomez has seen it all at Liverpool, experiencing every high and low of the Jurgen Klopp reign.
Recruited by the Reds on this day eight years ago, the defender was brought to the club by Brendan Rodgers and is the sole survivor of the 33 players signed by the 50-year-old during his three-year reign.
Arriving at Anfield as somewhat of an unknown quantity, Gomez left behind boyhood team Charlton Athletic after a £3.5million deal was paid for his services. There is no doubting Liverpool have reaped the rewards of this purchase, though this was far from being an acquisition guaranteed to deliver to success.
In keeping with a strategy often seen during the reign of Fenway Sports Group, the Reds took a gamble on a young player for a minimal fee while trusting the quality of coaching to help facilitate the step-up from Championship to Premier League level.
READ MORE: Liverpool unleash their 'Kevin De Bruyne' as new transfer subplot takes centre stage
READ MORE: Stunning new footage shows Anfield Road expansion as Liverpool stadium transformed
It goes without saying injuries have disrupted progress being made by Gomez on multiple occasions, though supporters will not have forgotten the levels reached by the 26-year-old when starring as Virgil van Dijk's partner in central defence en route to the Premier League title. Now more of a rotational option, there's every chance opportunities could be more forthcoming next season with the Europa League opening the door to overlooked players.
One other player who could benefit from this competition is Stefan Bajcetic, who was similarly plucked from elsewhere in the hope of enjoying his prime at Liverpool. A £250,000 fee was paid to Celta Vigo for the teenage midfielder, who rose to the occasion in a way many others failed to last season. Ki-Jana Hoever (£90,000) and Sepp van den Berg (£1.2m) are two examples of this transfer policy failing to deliver, though the Reds banked a sizeable profit on the former regardless.
Gomez himself has been linked with a switch elsewhere, namely Aston Villa when Steven Gerrard was at the helm, though a desire to continue fighting for a first-team place resulted in the English defender signing a new contract last summer to prolong his stay on Merseyside until 2027. Delighted at this announcement was none other than Klopp, who still believes Gomez has his 'best years to come' at the club.
"Joe is an outstanding talent. He is also an outstanding defender and an outstanding human being. He has so many qualities, I could talk about them all day, so knowing that he will continue his journey with us is a massive boost – one that everyone who loves Liverpool FC and cares about its present and future should be unbelievably happy about," he told liverpoolfc.com last July.
“One of the many wonderful things about Joe is he has experience and youth – that’s not a bad combination. He has not long turned 25 but he was at the club before I was and I think after Hendo and Millie he is our longest-serving player. Incredible. But the best thing of all is that his best years are still to come and I could not be happier that this will happen with us."
Only Jordan Henderson can claim to have outlasted the London-born defender at Liverpool, excluding academy graduates, highlighting the true value that has been gained from their initial £3.5m outlay. Going against the model adopted by other sides in the English top flight, the Reds' approach of frequently buying players for the future as opposed the finished article cannot be dismissed in terms of its effectiveness.
Gomez does not represent a player with the consistency to compete at the top-level in the eyes of some supporters, though his importance has only grown stronger following the summer exits of Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and James Milner. Acting as a homegrown member of the squad, Liverpool would have started to face serious issues in this department had Gomez too headed for the exit door.
FSG have certainly made mistakes during their Anfield reign, be it £77 ticket prices or signing up for the European Super League, though a deal struck in 2015 for the Reds' No.2 cannot be considered one.
READ NEXT:
