Liverpool make millions as £500m gap emerges between rivals

Liverpool's transfer strategy in recent years has been both lauded and criticised.

For some their approach to recruitment through seeking value where others may have missed it thanks to statistical analysis is something that should be applauded at a time when heavy spend and strategy don't always go hand in hand.

For others it has been seen a sign of a perceived lack of ambition and investment into the club to the playing side of the club by owners Fenway Sports Group, something that threatens to leave them trailing the likes of Manchester City and Chelsea in the future.

Ultimately, the health of Liverpool as a football club on the pitch has been underpinned greatly by the health off it, and with the Reds one of only two Premier League clubs to have recorded an economic profit over the last five years - the other being Burnley - success has been delivered through the very clear FSG strategy, one that sees the Reds as one of very few top clubs that truly spend within their means.

A key aspect of that has been the success that the Reds have enjoyed through player recruitment and ensuring that money spent on players is done in a way doesn't see money head out of the door and fail to return in any meaningful way.

Figures presented by football finance expert Swiss Ramble have broken down outgoings of players over the past five years against what was paid to acquire their services in the first place.

Of those who have left the club in the last five years, a total of £234.1m was spent on their acquisitions, while the profit that has been returned on their sales comes in at £321.3m, with the profit coming out at £98.4m

Of course, much of that profit comes from the 2018 sale of Phillipe Coutinho to Barcelona for £142m, the