| Competition | Matches | Won | Draw | Lost | GF | GA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total | 381 | 223 | 94 | 64 | 732 | 332 |
| League | 280 | 160 | 69 | 51 | 519 | 244 |
| FA Cup | 45 | 28 | 12 | 5 | 97 | 39 |
| League Cup | 38 | 25 | 7 | 6 | 86 | 36 |
| Europe | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Other | 14 | 9 | 4 | 1 | 29 | 12 |
* GF: Goals for; * GA: Goals against.
First spell:
| Player | From | Fee | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Steve McMahon | Aston Villa | £350,000 | 6 September 1985 |
| Mike Hooper | Wrexham | £40,000 | 24 October 1985 |
| John Durnin | Waterloo Dock | £500 | 29 March 1986 |
| Barry Venison | Sunderland | £200,000 | 25 July 1986 |
| Steve Staunton | Dundalk | £20,000 | 18 August 1986 |
| Alan Irvine | Falkirk | £75,000 | 24 November 1986 |
| John Aldridge | Oxford United | £750,000 | 27 January 1987 |
| Nigel Spackman | Chelsea | £400,000 | 24 February 1987 |
| John Barnes | Watford | £900,000 | 12 June 1987 |
| Peter Beardsley | Newcastle United | £1,900,000 | 14 July 1987 |
| Mike Marsh | Kirkby Town | Free | 21 August 1987 |
| Ray Houghton | Oxford United | £825,000 | 18 October 1987 |
| Nick Tanner | Bristol Rovers | £20,000 | 30 June 1988 |
| Ian Rush | Juventus | £2,800,000 | 18 August 1988 |
| David Burrows | WBA | £550,000 | 20 October 1988 |
| Barry Jones | Prescot Cables | £500 | 16 January 1989 |
| Steve Harkness | Carlisle United | £75,000 | 11 July 1989 |
| Glenn Hysén | Fiorentina | £600,000 | 15 July 1989 |
| Ronny Rosenthal | Standard Liege | £1,000,000 | 26 June 1990 |
| Tony Cousins | Dundalk | £70,000 | 2 October 1990 |
| Don Hutchison | Hartlepool United | £175,000 | 26 November 1990 |
| Jimmy Carter | Millwall | £800,000 | 10 January 1991 |
| Jamie Redknapp | Bournemouth | £350,000 | 14 January 1991 |
| David Speedie | Coventry City | £675,000 | 30 January 1991 |
Second spell:
| Player | From | Fee | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Luis Suarez | Ajax | £22,800,000 | 31 January 2011 |
| Andy Carroll | Newcastle United | £35,000,000 | 31 January 2011 |
| Jordan Henderson | Sunderland | £16,000,000 | 9 June 2011 |
| Charlie Adam | Blackpool | £6,750,000 | 7 July 2011 |
| Alexander Doni | Roma | Free | 15 July 2011 |
| Stewart Downing | Aston Villa | £18,500,000 | 15 July 2011 |
| Jose Enrique | Newcastle United | £6,000,000 | 12 August 2011 |
| Sebastian Coates | Nacional | £4,900,000 | 30 August 2011 |
| Craig Bellamy | Manchester City | Free | 31 August 2011 |
| Jordon Ibe | Wycombe | £500,000 | 20 December 2011 |
| João Carlos Teixeira | Sporting Lisbon | £830,000 | 31 January 2012 |
| Player | To | Fee | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Phil Thompson | Sheffield United | Free | March 1985 |
| Alan Kennedy | Sunderland | £100,000 | 20 September 1985 |
| Bob Bolder | Sunderland | Free | October 1985 |
| Phil Neal | Bolton Wanderers | Free | 18 December 1985 |
| Sammy Lee | QPR | £200,000 | 26 August 1986 |
| John McGregor | Free Transfer | Free | May 1987 |
| Ian Rush | Juventus | £3,200,000 | 1 July 1987 |
| Alan Irvine | Dundee United | £100,000 | 28 August 1987 |
| Mark Seagraves | Manchester City | £100,000 | 23 September 1987 |
| Ken De Mange | Leeds United | £75,000 | 24 September 1987 |
| Brian Mooney | Preston North End | £82,000 | 9 November 1987 |
| John Wark | Ipswich Town | £100,000 | 4 January 1988 |
| Paul Walsh | Tottenham | £500,000 | 15 February 1988 |
| Nigel Spackman | QPR | £500,000 | 1 February 1989 |
| John Durnin | Oxford United | £300,000 | 9 February 1989 |
| Jim Beglin | Free Transfer | Free | 15 May 1989 |
| Kevin MacDonald | Free Transfer | Free | 15 May 1989 |
| John Aldridge | Real Sociedad | £1,250,000 | 14 September 1989 |
| Jim Magilton | Oxford United | £100,000 | 2 October 1990 |
| Alex Watson | Bournemouth | £150,000 | 14 January 1991 |
Second spell:
| Player | To | Fee | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ryan Babel | Hoffenheim | £5,800,000 | 25 January 2011 |
| Fernando Torres | Chelsea | £50,000,000 | 31 January 2011 |
| Paul Konchesky | Leicester City | £1,500,000 | 13 July 2011 |
| Chris Mavinga | Rennes | £1,000,000 | 19 July 2011 |
| Thomas Ince | Blackpool | £250,000 | 3 August 2011 |
| Milan Jovanovic | Anderlecht | Free | 5 August 2011 |
| Daniel Ayala | Norwich City | £850,000 | 16 August 2011 |
| Nabil El Zhar | Free Transfer | Free | 18 August 2011 |
| Sotirios Kyrgiakos | Wolfsburg | Free | 22 August 2011 |
| Emiliano Insúa | Sporting Lisbon | £3,700,000 | 27 August 2011 |
| Christian Poulsen | Evian Thonon Gaillard | Undisclosed | 31 August 2011 |
| Raul Meireles | Chelsea | £12,000,000 | 31 August 2011 |
| David N'Gog | Bolton Wanderers | £4,000,000 | 31 August 2011 |
| Philipp Degen | Free Transfer | Free | 31 August 2011 |