Southampton FC paid just £18k for future Liverpool star - They also netted £25m cash windfall | OneFootball

Southampton paid just £18k for Adam Lallana to make him one of the best bargain signings in club history

Southampton’s £18K move for Adam Lallana earned the club millions and helped establish them back in the Premier League.

It was confirmed by Neil Perrett that Bournemouth received a total of £18,000 as part of their deal to let the midfielder join their local rivals back in 2000.

Lallana was still years away from breaking into the Saints’ first team squad at that point, but he went on to prove his worth and then some by the time he departed the club.

The now 37-year-old went on to help Southampton gain promotion from League One to the top flight, before signing for Liverpool in the summer of 2014.

It was reported by the BBC that the deal to move to Anfield was worth up to £25 million, netting the Hampshire outfit a massive profit on the player they had signed 14 years prior.

Adam Lallana’s impact at Southampton

Lallana made his league debut for Southampton during the 2006/07 season, but played just once as the club came sixth in the Championship table.

It wasn’t until the 2008/09 campaign that he cemented himself as a regular in the side, appearing 40 times as the team dropped to 23rd in the standings, resulting in relegation to League One.

But Lallana remained a key part of the side as they climbed out of the third tier two years later, contributing 23 goals and 14 assists across two terms in the division as they finished seventh and then second.

Nigel Adkins’ side earned back-to-back promotions, returning to the Premier League in 2012, with the midfielder playing a crucial role.

Lallana registered 11 goals and 10 assists from 41 appearances in the Championship, as the Saints finished second in the table for a second year in a row, with only Rickie Lambert having a greater number of goal contributions (41) that year.

His performances for Southampton in the Premier League remained impressive despite the step up in division, ultimately earning him a call-up to the England international side.

And, after two years of consistently performing well under both Adkins and then Mauricio Pochettino, he earned a move to Anfield, having contributed 12 goals and 11 assists across two years in the top flight.

Adam Lallana’s £25 million move

Southampton earned a major windfall for a player they paid just £18,000 to sign in 2000.

The 2014 deal was one of two major transfers, with Luke Shaw also departing for £27 million to Manchester United.

This was the strength of the club’s academy system, and their ability to bring through younger players, which they’ve continued even long after these two players were sold.

Lallana’s rise led to him earning 34 England caps in total, including featuring in the 2014 World Cup and the 2016 European Championship.

The England star was also a regular presence for Liverpool in his first few years at the club, before injuries started to take their toll.

While his influence over the team waned under Jurgen Klopp, he still played 15 times in the Premier League as the Reds won a first league title in 30 years in 2020.