Sport
7 of the worst Liverpool signings in the Premier League era
Having been dominant in English football during the 1980s, it was unthinkable that it would take Liverpool nearly 30 years after their title win in the 1989/90 season to win again. Whilst The Reds won plenty of cup competitions and had some of the best footballers in England, it’s fair to say there has been quite a few disappointments to have arrived at Anfield. Some moves have been disastrous big money flops whilst other players never lived up to the expected standards leaving a sour taste for both officials and fans to comprehend. But just who were the worst Liverpool signings in the Premier League era?
7 worst Liverpool signings of the Premier League era
Iago Aspas
It’s difficult to say why Iago Aspas struggled at Anfield. The Spanish striker arrived from Celta Vigo in 2013, having scored 40 La Liga goals in the previous 18 months showcasing his credentials. Yet, his touch and skills deserted him when he played in English football with the Spaniard struggling with the quicker pace, physicality and the language barrier.
He quickly fell down the pecking order behind the likes of Luis Suares and Daniel Strurridge after an errant corner in a match against Chelsea cost The Reds a chance at securing the title in the 2013/14 season which The Blues would eventually claim. After a short loan spell with Sevilla, Aspas moved back to Celta Vigo where he returned to being a goal machine scoring 102 goals in 195 games over the next seasons. A great player but one of the worst Liverpool signings in recent years.
Paul Konchesky
Paul Konchesky was always a trusted hand for teams fighting off relegation so it baffled many when he signed for Liverpool from Fulham in 2010. Liverpool were going through the motions with their full-backs and the addition of Konchesky only furthered their issues. The Englishman never looked comfortable when playing on the left and was often singled out to be the weak link of their defence.
Fans were extremely vocal about their thoughts on his poor performances to the point where Konchesky’s own mother took to social media to defend her son. Those comments were the final nail in the coffin of Konchesky’s Anfield career as he swiftly moved to Leicester to forget about a dark moment in a very storied career.
Sean Dundee
Sean Dundee may not be a familiar name to many but the South African striker was seen as the ideal replacement for Robbie Fowler when he got injured at the start of the 1998/99 season. Having impressed for Karlsruhe in the Bundesliga, hopes were high for Dundee but they were short lived.
He always looked one step out of place in English football and had neither the touch or the pace to really stretch defences in the Premier League. His spell in the Premier League just a solitary season before the South African returned to Germany with VFB Stuttgart as one of the worst Liverpool signings in the Premier League era.
Torben Piechnik
As the Premier League took shape in 1992, Liverpool were very much in a time of transition leading to some questionable arrivals at the club. The name that really stood out was the signing of Danish defender Torben Piechnik in 1992. The defender was slow, not very skillful and woefully inconsistent leaving many to wonder what Graeme Souness saw in the centre-back.
His misfortunes were short lived as he found himself quickly dropped to the reserves leaving Piechnik wanting out by the start of the 1993/94 season. He eventually got his release moved to AaF Aarhus in the summer of 1994.
Andy Carroll
The January transfer window can be a time where clubs spend more than what some players are worth and nothing epitomizes this more than the saga of Andy Carroll who would be the first name many would think of when discussing the worst Liverpool signings ever.
Having shown promise as a powerful centre forward for Newcastle, Liverpool’s desperation to replace Fernando Torres saw The Reds pay £35m in January 2010 for still an unproven talent. With immediate pressure to deliver, Carroll struggled to find any form in front of the net scoring just twice in 7 games with injuries hampering any chance for form.
The following season wasn’t much better with just 4 goals in 35 games proving that The Red had wasted their cash. After that, Carroll would move to West Ham on loan for the 2012/13 season which became a permanent switch for the England international.
Alberto Aquilani
Alberto Aquilani enjoyed a reputation of being one of the best passers in European football when he joined Anfield from Roma in 2009 for a hefty £17m. Whilst Aquilani still retained some of his excellent passing skills, the Italian struggled with the tempo and physicality of the English game often failing to last the full 90 minutes.
His continued struggles and difficulties eventually saw him move to Juventus and then Milan on loan to try and get him to rekindle the form that The Reds knew he was capable of. However, Aquilani never returned to active duty for Liverpool and was sold to Fiorentina for next to nothing at the start of the 2012/13 season. A wasted opportunity for both parties.
El-Hadji Diouf
El-Hadji Diouf was one of the breakout stars of the 2002 World Cup so many of Europe’s big clubs were keen to sign the Senegalese winger. Liverpool would be the victors of this chase signing him from Lens alongside compatriot Salif Diao. His early tenacity made him difficult to cope with but the fame and fortune got to Diouf and he soon lost his form. Eventually developing a game which saw him focus more on tricks than basic skills, the Senegalese star quickly fell-out with teammates and fans alike particularly when he failed to score any goals in the 2003/04 season.
It was just the tip of the iceberg however as Diouf attracted more controversy with accusations of spitting towards fans and opponents as well as other indecent acts making him a major headache for everyone at the club. Diouf’s time at Anfield didn’t last long though as he was moved on to Bolton in 2004/05 and ending the chapter of one of the most disliked players to ever play in Merseyside and certainly one of the worst Liverpool players to grace the Premier League.
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