Liverpool: The 5 best and worst signings of the last decade. With the January window transfer approaching, let us look at the best and worst players bought by the Reds since 2009.
Liverpool are the reigning European Champions and Premier League leaders. Under Jurgen Klopp, the Reds have become one of the most dominant force in football right now. However, that was not always the case.
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Before his arrival and even a some into it, Liverpool would blow hot and cold. Sensible transfers have helped transform the side. However, horrible signings also risked running the club to the ground. Here are the 5 best and worst signings of Liverpool in the last decade.
Worst
#5) Paul Konchesky (2010)
Paul Konchesky is the face of Liverpool’s worst period in the Premier League era. Having played under Roy Hodgson at Fulham, the then Liverpool boss brought him to the Anfield for a baffling fee of around £5 million.
He was made the first choice left-back under Hodgson and had replaced the promising Emiliano Insua, who was loaned and eventually sold. However, with every passing game, it became evident that Konchesky was the worst player of an exceptionally poor side.
That somebody like Paul Konchesky played for the Reds just under a decade back shows just how far they’ve come. However, despite being arguably the worst player on this list, his price tag and the little expectations off him keep him quite low on this list.
Best
#5) Alisson (2018)
Liverpool purchased Alisson from Roma in the summer of 2018 for a fee of £67m. This made him the most expensive keeper at the time, the record though was broken just a few weeks later with Chelsea’s purchase of Kepa. Alisson has since proved to be worth the price and has become an integral member of the Europe Conquering Liverpool side.
He began his life in the Premier League with 3 consecutive clean sheets. With him between the sticks, Liverpool embarked on a 20-game unbeaten streak in the league. At the end of the season, Alisson had 21 clean sheets to his name, the most by any Premier League goalkeeper on his debut season.
He was also awarded the Golden Glove for his performances. His consistent performance, concentration, positional sense and ability to read the game has led to many calling him the best goalkeeper in the world. The claim finds its merit in the fact that he was named The Best FIFA Goalkeeper earlier this year.
Worst
#4) Alberto Aquilani (2009)
Alberto Aquilani is a name that will fill the Reds hearts with despair and melancholy. The midfielder was primed to be Xabi Alonso’s successor at the Anfield. However, instead he became one of their biggest disappointments.
The Italian arrived in England with an injury that kept him out for 3 months. It was not until December that he made his full debut for the Reds and while he had undeniable quality, the midfielder lacked the physicality to succeed in the English Top-Flight.
Ultimately, Liverpool decided to cut their losses by sending him out on loans to Juventus and AC Milan. However, Aquilani failed to impress and the Reds had to eventually sell him to Fiorentina for less than a million despite joining the Reds for £17 million from AS Roma.
Best
#4) Sadio Mane (2016)
Sadio Mane arrived at Liverpool from Southampton on June 2016 for a fee of £34m. This made him the most expensive African footballer at the time. Such was Mane’s impact for the Reds that despite missing the latter part of the campaign through injury, he was awarded Liverpool’s player of the season.
Sadio Mane grew by stature with every passing game and by the end of the 2018/19 season, he had firmly established himself as one of the best players in the world. The fact that Lionel Messi voted for him as his choice for the best player in the world during the FIFA Best awards is testament to the players ability and consistency.
Together with Salah and FIrmino. Mane has formed an attacking trio that rivals the best forwards in the world. The fact that he was purchased for only £34m makes his transfer that much more attractive. He is one of the biggest reasons why Liverpool are such a force in the world today.
Worst
#3) Christian Benteke (2015)
Christian Benteke is another case of poor signing; both because of his performances while wearing the Liverpool jersey and because of Brendan Rogers poor vision. After the loss of Luis Suarez to Barcelona, Rogers tried extremely hard to replace the Super Striker.
One of the men tasked with the duty was Aston Villa’s Christian Benteke. The purchase was completed for £32.5 million and although Benteke performed well in the beginning, he was not the type of striker Liverpool required.
The Reds were in need of a forward who could force the issue and create chances. Unfortunately, Benteke was a target man who simply did not fit Liverpool’s system. While he grew steadily, his decline began once Jurgen Klopp took charge of the Reds and despite being given enough chances, he couldn’t hold a place in the starting XI and was eventually sold off for £27m to Crystal Palace in 2016.
Best
#3) Virgil Van Dijk (2018)
You know you’ve made a brilliant purchase when your player pips Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi to win the UEFA Men’s player of the year. The purchase was not cheap by any means, £75m in the winter of 2018 made him the then most expensive defender in the world.
Van Dijk provided such stability to Liverpool’s back four that he was named in the UEFA Champions League squad of the season despite playing just half of the season in the Champions League. However, his best was yet to come.
In the 2018/19 season, his first full season in a Liverpool jersey, Van Dijk was named the PFA player of the year and the Premier League player of the season. He was the man of the match in Liverpool’s Champions League final victory and was adjudged the aforementioned UEFA Men’s player of the year and also finished as runners-up for The Best FIFA Men’s player.
Worst
#2) Mario Balotelli (2014)
While Benteke was one of the men tasked with replacing Luis Suarez, Mario Balotelli was the direct replacement for the temperamental striker. Balotelli matched Suarez with his off-field incidents. On the field however, Balotelli completely flattered to deceive.
Termed as a risk signing by Brendan Rogers, Mario Balotelli only found the net 4 times in all competitions for Liverpool. With his transfer costing the Reds £16m, Liverpool paid £4 for each of his strikes. Eventually he was sent back to Milan on loan.
By the time he returned to the Anfield, Jurgen Klopp had taken over, Once the mercurial striker realized that he had no future under Klopp, both him and the club decided to part ways. Balotelli would later tern the decision to join Liverpool as the “worst mistake of his life”.
Best
#2) Luis Suarez (2011)
Before there were Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino, there was Luis Suarez. This was the man who almost singlehandedly ended Liverpool’s Premier League drought. Unfortunately, the Reds missed the mark by an inch and the Uruguayan made his move to Barcelona.
Suarez’s time at the Anfield was plagued with several off-field incidents. However, when it mattered most, the forward put in the shift and rarely ever disappointed. He ended the 2012/13 season with 23 goals to his name and outdid himself by scoring 31 goals next season despite missing the first 5 matches of the season.
He was named the Premier League player of the season and shared the European Golden boot with Cristiano Ronaldo. His brilliant performances caught the attention of Barcelona. Liverpool eventually sold him off to the Catalonians for almost thrice what they paid for him.
Worst
#1) Andy Carroll (2011)
Andy Carroll will forever be Liverpool’s greatest tragedy. The tall striker arrived with so much promise. He was bought in to replace the outgoing Fernando Torres and perhaps even better him. His transfer fee of £35m didn’t help his cause as well.
At the time of his purchase, Carroll was the 8th most expensive footballer and the most expensive British footballer of all time. However, like Alberto Aquilani, Carroll arrived at the Anfield carrying an injury. Unfortunately, just like Aquilani before him, Carroll failed to live up to the expectations placed on him.
Carroll would find the net only 11 times in his 58 games for the Reds. He was eventually sold off to West Ham for around £15m. With the weight of expectations thrown at him, his knees buckled, metaphorically and literally, while the other striker bought alongside him to replace Fernando Torress flourished. His name: Luis Suarez.
Best
#1) Mohamed Salah (2017)
In the two years since he made his move to Anfield, Mohamed Salah has become an icon of sorts for the Reds. He started his career in brilliant fashion as he piled up goals after goals leading to former Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard saying “We are witnessing the start of greatness”.
Yes, Liverpool are a world beating side today that can rival the biggest names in club football. However, before Salah’s arrival, Liverpool were a midtable side who would once in a while punch above their weight.
Luis Suarez lit the sparks for a change but since his departure the flames had gone cold. It was Salah who reignited the flames and reminded Liverpool what it was like to be a winner. His record breaking 32 goals in 36 matches made him the most prolific scorer in a single premier league season, beating the likes of Luis Suarez and Cristiano Ronaldo who had 31 goals to their names.
Many had considered Salah to be a one season wonder. However, the Egyptian is into his 3rd season with the club and has shown no signs of slowing down. Two Premier League golden boot in 2 seasons, 2 Champions League finals and one Championship makes Mohamed Salah Liverpool’s greatest acquisition in the last 10 years.
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