As Adam Lallana brings his playing career to an end, we take a look at some highlights from his time with Southampton, Liverpool and Brighton.
“When he left, I described him as a Liverpool legend for his contribution, and I read somewhere recently he felt a little embarrassed by that. But he absolutely shouldn’t. It’s a status he has earned and then some.”
Jürgen Klopp was in no doubt that Adam Lallana deserved his flowers for his time at Liverpool, with his former player and neighbour having played an important role in the early years of the German’s successful tenure at Anfield.
The picture of Lallana falling into Klopp’s arms in exhaustion after coming off in the former Borussia Dortmund boss’ first game in charge of Liverpool away at Tottenham Hotspur in October 2015 summed up both the demands of Klopp, the work ethic of Lallana and what the new and improved Liverpool would become.
After 19 years and 568 appearances at club level as well as 34 senior caps for England, on Wednesday, Lallana brought an end to his playing career at the age of 37.
“As I call time on my playing career, I do so with an overwhelming sense of gratitude and pride,” he posted on Instagram. “I could not be more appreciative of the opportunities I’ve been given and the support I’ve received along the way.
“You owe so much to so many on a journey like this, it’s impossible to name everyone, but to all those please know how grateful I am. I couldn’t have done it without you.”
Lallana started his career at Southampton, playing in each of the top three tiers in England with Saints. His obvious technical ability meant that despite the rise up the divisions, Lallana rarely looked out of place, shining as much in the Premier League as he had in League One.
A 2013-14 season that saw him record 10 goals and six assists in all competitions for Southampton led to a big-money move to Liverpool in the summer of 2014.
After a difficult start under Brendan Rodgers, Lallana eventually found his footing at Anfield under Klopp the following season, recording 15 goal involvements in 2015-16 (7 goals, 8 assists) and matching that total in 2016-17 (8 goals, 7 assists).
Lallana admitted in an interview with Sky Sports last year that it was Klopp who made him finally feel ‘comfortable’ at the club.
“I turned up at Liverpool and I was insecure. Big time,” he said. “I didn’t feel comfortable in the dressing room, on the pitch, in the kit. Straight away [Klopp] took that away. Straight away. And I’ll never forget that.”
The now former Liverpool boss saw Lallana as a dressing room leader, grateful for his efforts on the pitch but arguably even more so for the example he set in training. Klopp said prior to Lallana’s exit from Liverpool in 2020: “He’s had very important games for us but what he did on the training ground, that was absolutely exceptional. The young players, when they talk about their most important things in the future, what happened in their first two years, they will mention Adam Lallana, 100 per cent.”
One of Lallana’s most memorable moments came in Liverpool’s dramatic victory at Norwich City in 2015-16. The visitors recovered from 3-1 down to lead 4-3 with 15 minutes to go at Carrow Road, before Norwich made it 4-4 in stoppage time. With seconds remaining, though, Lallana pounced on a loose ball and volleyed in a dramatic winner, leading to wild celebrations on the touchline that ended in Klopp’s glasses breaking.
In the 2015-16 season, Lallana created the most chances from open play for Liverpool in all competitions (85), while he was also among the top five the following campaign (50) behind only the attacking trio of Roberto Firmino, Philippe Coutinho and Sadio Mané as well as Georginio Wijnaldum.
Lallana also put in a shift defensively, with only Firmino winning possession in the final third more often than his 37 times in the 2015-16 season for the Reds. But his involvement in the team dropped significantly in the 2017-18 and 2018-19 seasons, mostly due to injury issues as he made just nine starts across both campaigns.
He also played just 374 Premier League minutes in his final season on Merseyside, but still averaged more tackles per 90 minutes than anyone in the division who played at least 300 minutes in 2019-20 (4.6) as Liverpool won the league title, showing he still had the work ethic despite various knocks and hamstring problems suffered in previous campaigns.
By the time Lallana left Liverpool, he had won the Premier League, Champions League, UEFA Super Cup and FIFA Club World Cup.
He moved to Brighton & Hove Albion in 2020, where his output in terms of goal involvements did not match his prime years at Southampton or Liverpool. He only recorded eight (4 goals, 4 assists) across his four seasons there in 104 appearances (64 starts), but his efforts on and off the ball were still useful to a young and developing team.
In the 2020-21 season, only Leandro Trossard (1.44) created more chances from open play per 90 in the Premier League than Lallana (1.42), while nobody won possession in the final third more often per 90 (1.0). Only Yves Bissouma (7.8) and Lewis Dunk (6.9) won possession more often per 90 overall than Lallana (6.6).
When Lallana left Brighton in 2024, then Seagulls boss Roberto De Zerbi said: “I have been lucky to work with him because he is an honest guy and top man. I have learned a lot from him because of how much he loves football.
“He could be a coach now because he understands football and everything in it.”
Lallana’s career came full circle as he moved back to Southampton for the 2024-25 season, including a first-team coach role as De Zerbi predicted. He made 18 appearances (six starts), recording two assists, though it was a campaign to forget for Saints as they were comfortably relegated to the Championship.
Just looking at his record in the Premier League, Lallana played a total of 305 games (209 starts), scoring 33 goals and assisting a further 34. He registered 12 goals and 13 assists in 82 games for Southampton, 18 goals and 17 assists in 128 games for Liverpool, and three goals and four assists in 95 games for Brighton.
He earned 34 caps for England, with his most famous moment in the Three Lions shirt his stoppage-time winner in the one and only game managed by Sam Allardyce against Slovakia in a World Cup 2018 qualifier.
Elegant on the ball with an attitude to match his ability, Lallana earned all the kind words said about him by his former managers. It isn’t surprising to see him already working in coaching, and Southampton confirmed he will continue his role as a first-team coach as part of new manager Will Still’s backroom staff next season.
Should Lallana ultimately venture into management, we are sure Klopp and De Zerbi will have plenty of advice for him, probably starting with the former suggesting he should not wear glasses on the touchline.
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