An anniversary is being celebrating at Liverpool this week. Five years have passed since Andy Robertson signed for the Reds from Hull City.
The Scotland international has experienced monumental success since his move. As well as winning the Premier League, Champions League, FA Cup and FIFA Club World Cup among other trophies, he's established himself as one of the world's best full-backs.
It is quite incredible once considering how little Liverpool had to pay to secure his signature. They reportedly coughed up £8m to Hull - who were said to have paid a similar fee for midfielder Kevin Stewart, who went in the opposite direction.
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Moneyball is a term that is used a lot in sport, but it doesn't always apply to the Reds in the footballing world. Given the size of the club, Liverpool are willing to spend big when required.
But in Robertson's case, he has proved to be the ultimate Moneyball transfer, improving Jurgen Klopp's team by a considerable amount after being acquired for a small fee from a team who suffered relegation from the Premier League.
Ian Graham, Liverpool's director of research, has previously touched on the idea of Moneyball. Speaking in 2021, he described the concept as 'maximum improvement for a minimum cost' when presenting a talk to an audience of listeners at Stamford Bridge.
The man labelled as Liverpool's 'stats man' by Michael Edwards has previously described Robertson as one of his favourite success stories.
"Andy Robertson’s problem was his background. He only started playing Premier League football at maybe 22. And he played for Hull City. He was a really attacking full-back playing in a really poor defensive team," said Graham.
The fundamental elements of Moneyball helped FSG deliver success in the world of baseball and, although they have perhaps been applied to a lesser extent at Anfield, Robertson is the perfect example of how shrewd and meticulous recruitment can make such a difference.
He has 45 assists to his name for the Reds in the Premier League and considering he's still just 28, he could end up close to triple figures by the end of his career.
The Scotland captain has a legitimate claim to be one of Liverpool's best ever signings, certainly when it comes to return on investment. He isn't the star of Klopp's team but when it comes to FSG's preferred means of doing business, he is the ultimate example.
Five years on from his arrival, he's proved to be worth infinitely more than the £8m the Reds paid for him.
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