Top ten transfer flops at Anfield since the start of the century.
10. Alberto Aquilani
A lot of excitement surrounded the signing of Alberto Aquilani when he joined Liverpool for £17million in 2009. Seen as the ideal replacement for Xabi Alonso, who had left for Real Madrid, the Italian playmaker was well over-hyped, considering he wasn’t even a regular at old club Roma. The midfield playmaker looked well out of his depth in English football, and it took them years to sell him, with two loan spells at Juventus and AC Milan before finally sealing a permanent move to Fiorentina. A bizarre waste of money by Rafael Benitez.
9. Joe Cole
He may have been a free transfer, but the former Chelsea star was a disaster for Liverpool. Already past his best when he moved to Anfield, injury problems meant he never really settled into the team, though he didn’t seem to suit their style of play anyway. He was sent off before half time on his debut, and that set the tone for a disappointing time with the club. The 31-year-old is now back at his first club West Ham.
8. Fernando Morientes
Often described as a ‘typical English centre forward’, the Spaniard never looked the part in the Premier League after joining Liverpool from Real Madrid. Despite his great years at the Bernebeu, he was shifted pretty quickly from Liverpool back to Spain with Valencia, after just 8 goals in two seasons at Anfield.
7. El Hadji Diouf
Signed for £10million by Gerard Houllier on the back of a promising World Cup with Senegal in 2002, El Hadji Diouf’s purple patch did not last long. Despite a good start, the forward scored just 6 goals in his first season with Liverpool, and none the following year. More than anything, he earned himself a reputation as a diver and a cheat, and has gone on to play for a number of clubs in England and Scotland, never looking particularly special again.
6. Salif Diao
Diouf’s Senegal team mate Salif Diao was also signed after the unfancied African nation surprised many at the 2002 World Cup. Even though he was relatively cheap at £5million, the midfielder was another flop in the Premier League, and it took the Reds years to finally get him off their books, with unsuccessful loan spells at Birmingham and Portsmouth before he finally moved down to the Championship with Stoke City.
5. Andriy Voronin
Another free transfer who still wasn’t worth it, Ukranian forward Andriy Voronin arrived in 2007 alongside Fernando Torres. After just 6 goals in his first season, he was sent out on loan to Bundesliga side Hertha BSC. He didn’t make much of an impression there either, and returned to Anfield for a dreadful 2009/10 season in which he failed to find the back of the net and was criticised for poor attitude. Incredibly, the club made a profit of £4million on him when he was sold to Dynamo Moscow in 2010.
4. Stewart Downing
The £20million signing from Aston Villa brought 0 goals and 0 assists in the Premier League for Liverpool in his first season. Although things have improved slightly this year under Brendan Rodgers, the ineffective winger will surely be moved on this summer after looking nowhere near the player he should have been for that kind of price. One of many big-money flops brought in during Kenny Dalglish’s brief and bad return as Liverpool manager.
3. Paul Konchesky
He may only have cost £4million, but Paul Konchesky was a bizarre signing for Liverpool from Fulham, and did Roy Hodgson no favours in his short spell at Anfield. The left-back looked well out of his depth at that level, and his spells at Nottingham Forest and Leicester City since then suggest he isn’t really even a Premier League footballer, never mind a Liverpool one.
2. Robbie Keane
One of the most bizarre transfer stories in recent years, Robbie Keane was signed for £19million after a brilliant few seasons with Tottenham. For some reason, the talented Irish forward looked lost in a Liverpool shirt, scoring only 5 goals, and lasted just half a season at the club before going straight back to Spurs in January for around £12million. He never recaptured his best form again at White Hart Lane and was sent out on loan to the likes of Celtic and West Ham before making a permanent move to the MLS with LA Galaxy.
1. Andy Carroll
The most expensive British player of all time. Liverpool signed Andy Carroll from Newcastle for a massive £35million and looked a bizarre signing at the time, given his inexperience in the top flight, though no one could have predicted quite how badly things would go for the tall Geordie at Anfield. 11 goals in two seasons would be pretty poor form for a £10million player, but for the club’s biggest signing it was really unacceptable. Now on loan at West Ham, he looks likely to leave the Reds for a smaller club this summer, if they can accept that they’re unlikely to make back anywhere near the kind of money they paid for him.