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Liverpool, the most successful English club in Europe, still haven’t experienced Premier League glory under Klopp but are looking like a force to be reckoned with. Over the last decade, hundreds of millions have been splashed out on new players to mount a serious challenge in the league. They’ve signed some real bargains like Xabi Alonso and Sami Hypia but like Man United and Chelsea, they did make some epic transfer blunders that are still remembered to this day.
Charles Itandje
The ex-Cameroon international had a chaotic three-and-a-half year spell at Anfield as the understudy for Pepe Reina. Itandje never made any league appearance and played only seven times (in cup games) before becoming the club’s fifth choice shot-stopper behind Reina, Brad Jones, Peter Gulacsi and Martin Hansen.
Itandje was found behaving inappropriately during the memorial service for the twentieth anniversary of the Hillsborough disaster back in April 2009 and was suspended by the club for a couple of weeks. He never featured again for the Reds and was released from his contract in December 2010.
Paul Konchesky
The bald-headed fullback was one of many disastrous deals made by the hopeless Roy Hodgson during his shocking six-month spell. He was brought in for £3 million from Fulham but received stern criticism for some dreadful defensive mistakes. He made 15 league appearances before being loaned out to Nottingham Forest in January in the aftermath of Kenny Dalglish’s appointment. Konchesky left for Leicester City next summer and later became one of Billericay Town’s marquee signings.
Lazar Markovic
Avram Grant once said, “I can say that, apart from Ronaldo and Messi, Markovic is one of the best talents I’ve ever seen at 19 years old”. The former Chelsea boss, who was impressed by the young Serbian’s strides with Partizan and later Benfica. The youngster completed a high-profile £20 million switch to Merseyside on July 2014 but struggled to settle in despite making 34 appearances in his first season. Markovic was loaned to Fenerbahce to gain more game time but injuries spoiled his growth, followed by a couple of loan spells to Sporting CP and Hull City which did not help him either. Jurgen Klopp, the Reds boss, has made it clear that the winger is not in his plans and the once highly-rated youngster is now featuring for the reserves after rejecting a last-minute deadline day move to Anderlecht.
Anthony Le Tallec
The former French prodigy was acquired by Gerard Houllier based on his performances in the under-17 World Cup. The attacker spent a couple of years on loan to his boyhood club Le Havre before returning to Anfield but failed to grab his chances and didn’t impress incoming boss Rafael Benitez. He didn’t score a single goal in 17 league appearances and was not included in the 18-man squad for Liverpool’s incredible Champions League victory against AC Milan. The player was finally offloaded to Le Mans after failing to live up to the potential he showed as a kid. Currently plying his trade in Ligue 2 with US Orléans.
Bruno Cheyrou
Dubbed the ‘new Zidane’ by Gerard Houllier, he failed to handle the pressure following his £4.5 million move from Lille. The midfielder found the net twice in 31 league appearances in two seasons but was surplus to requirements under Rafel Benitez. The Spaniard sanctioned a couple of loan spells for Bruno, loaning him to Marseille and Bordeaux before moving back to France with Rennes in 2006.
Alberto Aquilani
The decorated Italian was captured for a fee of around €20 million from AS Roma but failed to replace the iconic Xabi Alonso. His medical was rushed as he was not fully fit while completing the switch, therefore, failed to adjust to the pace of Premier League football. He only made 18 league appearances in his first season before being loaned out to Juventus and AC Milan respectively. There he revived his form but could not break into the Reds squad before returning to his homeland on a permanent basis to join Fiorentina.
Mario Balotelli
This wasted talent was a surprise replacement for Luis Suarez who left for Barcelona following a scintillating 2013-14 season. The £16 million signing from AC Milan had an impressive previous stint with Manchester City but proved to be a disaster at Merseyside. Brendan Rodgers, handed him opportunities to shine but the big ‘number 9’ found the net only once in 16 league games before being Milan took him on loan the following summer. There he had yet another shocking spell and subsequently failed to make it into Jurgen Klopp’s pre-season squad. Much to the delight of fans, Balotelli left to join Ligue 1 side Nice on a free transfer in 2016.
Andy Carroll
A winter deadline day transfer from Newcastle United who cost £35 million – a British transfer record back in 2011. His signing was conducted by new boss Kenny Dalglish following Fernando Torres’ Chelsea move and the deal made headlines due to the gamble played by the club on an emerging young talent. But the transfer turned out to be a catastrophe as Carroll failed to fit in Liverpool’s system and successive injury woes hindered his performances. The centre-forward found the net only 6 times in 44 league games before being loaned out to West Ham United. There he made a decent impact which led the Hammers making the move permanent for a fee of £15 million.
El Hadji Diouf
Diouf was instrumental in Senegal’s sensational 2002 World Cup run which earned him a £10 million move to Liverpool from Lens. The hype following his arrival, was short-lived as the centre-forward found the net only twice in his debut campaign and failed to score in the next term. He let the club down during a UEFA Cup tie against Celtic where he spat at a Hoops fan and his disgraceful behaviour led to him being sold to Bolton Wanderers, ending his Liverpool nightmare.
Milan Jovanovic
Jovanovic was known to be a versatile attacker during his Standard Liege days and expectations were high for the Serbian when he was snapped up on a Bosman transfer. Jovanovic, however, surprised all with his farcical performances as he frustrated the Reds fans enough to remember him for years despite only 10 league appearances. He left for Anderlecht next season, a good move for all parties involved.
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