The worst ever Liverpool signings

Every footballer dreams of joining a club like Liverpool, but sometimes a move to Anfield can become a nightmare.

Here are the worst ever signings made by the Reds, including midfield flops and defensive duds.

32. Pegguy Arphexad 

Liverpool’s failure to qualify for the Champions League in 1999/00 was partly attributed to a terrific performance by Leicester goalkeeper Arphexad in his team’s 2-0 win at Anfield. Gerard Houllier promptly decided that if you can’t beat them, sign them.

Arphexad only ever made a handful of appearances for the Reds, but he still picked up six winner’s medals before departing for Coventry in 2003.

31. Jean-Michel Ferri

Having spent most of his career at French side Nantes up until that point, the 29-year-old Ferri arrived at Anfield in 1998 to add some experience to Gerard Houllier’s squad.

Ferri only played two Premier League games for Liverpool, however, and Robbie Fowler later claimed that the Frenchman was only signed to be Houllier’s mole in the dressing room. “We’d joke that he must have a tape recorder in his bag,” Fowler wrote in his autobiography.

30. Mark Gonzalez 

A South-Africa born Chile international, Gonzalez finally joined Liverpool in 2006 after a year-long wait for a work permit. “He’s a player the supporters will like to see,” Rafael Benitez exclaimed. Spoiler alert: he wasn’t.

A direct winger who usually played on the left, Gonzalez had a few bright moments but he ultimately wasn’t good enough for the Reds. He left for Real Betis in the summer of 2007.

29. Jan Kromkamp 

Kromkamp signed on the dotted line with Liverpool in January 2006, but he was bundled through the exit door within a few months. The Dutchman made 17 forgettable appearances for the Reds, with Steve Finnan winning the battle for the right-back berth when both men were fit.

Kromkamp was at least part of the Liverpool squad that won the FA Cup that year.

28. Jimmy Carter 

After four years of consistent performances for Millwall, Carter joined Liverpool in 1991. He was a Kenny Dalglish signing, but the Scot resigned within months of Carter’s arrival.

That didn’t help, but the winger simply wasn’t cut out for life at Liverpool. He only pulled on the famous red shirt five times in the league, before returning to London with Arsenal.

27. Antonio Nunez 

Real Madrid threw Antonio Nunez in as a makeweight when they signed Michael Owen in 2004. However, the Spaniard hardly lessened the blow of losing Owen, as he struggled to make any sort of impact in English football.

Nunez made 27 appearances in all competitions and even bagged himself a Champions League winner’s medal. But it was no surprise when Liverpool let him go after a year.

26. Julian Dicks

A stalwart for West Ham across two spells, Dicks wasn’t the same player at Liverpool. Graeme Souness felt the Bristolian hardman would help to toughen up his team, but the left-back quickly fell out of favour under Roy Evans.

The Liverpool fans never really took to Dicks either, not least because he noticeably gained weight during his time at the club. He returned to West Ham after a year with the Reds.

25. Oussama Assaidi 

Brendan Rodgers predicted that Assaidi would “excite the crowd” following his switch to Liverpool in the summer of 2012, but the Anfield faithful didn’t see much to get them to the edge of their seats.

Assaidi played just four times in the Premier League in 2012/13, paving the way for a loan move to Stoke at the end of the campaign. He was eventually sold to Al-Ahli Dubai, an indication of the fact his move to Liverpool didn’t work out.

24. Milan Jovanovic 

Liverpool signed Jovanovic as a free agent in 2010, but he was still not value for money. The Serbia international previously lit up the Belgian league with Standard Liege, but he made little impression at Anfield.

Signed by Rafael Benitez, the Spaniard was replaced by Roy Hodgson before Jovanovic could make an appearance. Even so, the forward fell well short of expectations at Liverpool, whom he departed after just 10 league outings.

23. Paul Stewart 

Amid links with Manchester United and Manchester City, Stewart instead put pen to paper on a deal with Liverpool in 1992. He struggled for both form and fitness at Anfield, though, scoring only one goal in 24 Premier League games in his debut campaign.

Stewart was then overtaken in the pecking order by Robbie Fowler and Nigel Clough, paving the way for loan moves to Crystal Palace, Wolves and Burnley.

22. Josemi

Rafael Benitez’s first signing as Liverpool manager turned out to be one of his worst. He began the season as first-choice right-back but was soon dislodged by Steve Finnan, who proved to be a more dependable performer.

Josemi spent 18 months at Anfield in total, but he was little more than a bit-part player for most of that. The Spaniard joined Villarreal in January 2006.

21. Joe Cole

“[Lionel] Messi can do some amazing things, but anything he can do Joe can do as well, if not better,” Steven Gerrard gushed after Cole signed for Liverpool in 2010. “I really fancy Joe for the [Player of the Year] award this season.”

But despite his obvious talent, Cole failed to make his mark at Anfield. He was sent off on his debut against Arsenal and things barely got better from there.

20. Loris Karius

Mention Karius’ name and only one match comes to mind: the 2018 Champions League final. The goalkeeper made two catastrophic errors in that game, as Real Madrid ran out 3-1 winners over Liverpool in Kyiv.

In fairness, it was later found that Karius had suffered a concussion during the match. Even so, the German wasn’t good enough to be starting in the most important match in European club football.

19. Torben Piechnik 

Liverpool snapped up Piechnik in September 1992, just a few weeks into the inaugural Premier League season. The whole team wasn’t faring well when the Danish centre-back arrived, but he was still one of their worst performers.

Piechnik played 16 times in the league under Graeme Souness in 1992/93, but Roy Evans didn’t take to him and the Dane returned home with AGF in 1994.

18. Robbie Keane

After a 23-goal season for Tottenham in 2007/08, Keane looked like a smart pick-up by a Liverpool team hoping to mount a Premier League title challenge under Rafael Benitez. 

The boyhood Liverpool fan was delighted to turn out for the club he loved, but Keane only lasted half a season on Merseyside. He was often used out wide rather than up front, a position that didn’t suit him.

17. Bernard Diomede

Gerard Houllier acquired Diomede from Auxerre in 2000, hoping he would become a regular on the wing. But the Frenchman struggled to adapt to the Premier League, in which he played just twice for Liverpool.

A part of France’s World Cup winning-squad in 1998, things could have been different for Diomede had his overhead kick against Sunderland not been incorrectly ruled out by the referee.

16. Bruno Cheyrou

“To me, Bruno has some of the attributes of Zinedine Zidane: he has his ability to pick a pass, and moves a little like him,” said Gerard Houllier of his new signing in 2002.

Uh-oh. Needless to say, Cheyrou did little at Anfield to justify that comparison. Rafael Benitez quickly decided that the midfielder wasn’t up to it, loaning him out to Marseille in 2004.

15. Lazar Markovic

After a successful season at domestic treble-winning Benfica in 2013/14, Liverpool parted with £20m to bring Markovic to the northwest of England. Hopes were high for the Serb, but he went on to flop at Anfield.

Remarkably, Markovic remained on Liverpool’s books for five years. He embarked on loan spells at Fenerbahce, Sporting CP, Anderlecht and Hull before the Reds finally bade farewell to the winger in 2019.

14. Erik Meijer 

Liverpool bought Meijer in 1999 to supplement the attacking talents of Michael Owen and Robbie Fowler. But it soon became clear that the one-cap Dutchman wasn’t in the same class as the two academy products.

Meijer didn’t score a single Premier League goal in 24 games for Liverpool and he soon found himself on loan at Preston. The 6ft 2in centre-forward left Anfield permanently in 2000.

13. Christian Poulsen

Liverpool paid £3.5m to sign Poulsen from Juventus in the summer of 2010. The defensive midfielder was brought in to stiffen up the Reds’ engine room, but he proved to be a major disappointment.

In fairness Poulsen was playing for a struggling side under Roy Hodgson, but he didn’t do enough to impress his successor Kenny Dalglish either. In the end, Jay Spearing was preferred in the holding role.

12. Christian Benteke

Benteke established himself as one of the Premier League’s most clinical marksmen at Aston Villa, prompting Liverpool to splash out £32.5m on the Belgium international.

The striker was not a total flop at Liverpool - he scored 10 goals in 2015/16, including a stunner against Manchester United - but it was clear almost immediately that Benteke was a bad stylistic fit. He was sold to Crystal Palace after just one season.

11. Iago Aspas

Liverpool snapped up Aspas in the summer of 2013 to bolster their attacking ranks, but the former Celta Vigo frontman flattered to deceive during his brief time at the club.

Aspas didn’t score a single goal in 14 Premier League appearances, even though Liverpool created chances aplenty under Brendan Rodgers. He returned to Spain with Sevilla after just one season on Merseyside.

10. Alberto Aquilani

Undoubtedly a talented footballer, Aquilani’s arrival at Anfield in 2009 generated much excitement. A replacement for the departed Xabi Alonso, the Italian had impressed for Roma over several seasons.

But injury blighted his time at Liverpool. Aquilani just couldn’t stay fit, while Roy Hodgson decided he didn’t particularly fancy him after replacing Rafa Benitez in the dugout in 2010. Aquilani went back to Italy on loan and never played for the Reds again.

9. Charlie Adam

Adam shone for Blackpool even as they were relegated in 2010/11, earning himself a move to Liverpool. The midfielder possessed an excellent left foot but he was immobile and unathletic, and the Reds naturally didn’t build a team around him as Blackpool had.

Adam played 35 times for Liverpool in 2011/12, but he didn’t do enough to convince Brendan Rodgers to keep him at the end of that campaign. The Scot went on to spend seven seasons at Stoke.

8. Naby Keita

Heralded as an all-round midfielder who had been taking the Bundesliga by storm with RB Leipzig, Keita looked like the perfect fit for Jurgen Klopp’s dynamic, front-footed team. The Guinea international arrived to considerable fanfare in 2018.

Keita had his moments during a five-year spell, but he seemed to be on the treatment table as much as he was on the pitch. This £59m investment did not pay dividends.

7. Fabio Borini

Brendan Rodgers brought his former Swansea charge to Liverpool soon after his appointment in 2012. His debut season at Anfield was marred by injuries, but the Italian only managed two goals in 20 games across multiple competitions.

He was loaned to Sunderland in 2013/14 before returning to Liverpool the following campaign, when he put the ball in the net once in 18 matches.

6. Sean Dundee

Liverpool acquired Dundee for £2m in 1998 after an injury to Robbie Fowler left them short of options up front. The South African had previously been prolific for Karlsruher in Germany, but his time at Anfield was utterly forgettable.

Dundee made just three substitute Premier League appearances in total, before being sold back to Germany with Stuttgart. “One player I do regret signing was Sean Dundee, he was terrible on and off the pitch,” Roy Evans said later.

5. Andriy Voronin

Voronin signed for Liverpool on a free transfer in 2008. It looked like an excellent signing for the Reds, who was praised by Rafael Benitez as “clever” and versatile.

Unfortunately for both player and club, Voronin only scored six goals in 40 games. “I understood almost nothing, my English wasn't good anyway. When [Jamie] Carragher and [Steven] Gerrard talked, I asked them to repeat it in English,” the striker later recalled.

4. El Hadji Diouf

Once described as “lower than a sewer rat” by Neil Warnock, it’s fair to say Diouf wasn’t exactly the model professional. A standout performer for Senegal at their successful World Cup 2002 campaign, the forward proved to be more trouble than he was worth. 

Six goals in 79 appearances tells its own story. “He was always the last one picked in training,” Jamie Carragher said later.

3. Andy Carroll

Whoever said the customer is always right clearly hadn’t countenanced Liverpool splurging £35m on Andy Carroll.

Signed in reaction to Fernando Torres’ exit in January 2011, Carroll only scored 11 goals in 58 games for the Reds. Both form and fitness were lacking, and Brendan Rodgers sanctioned the striker’s departure in the summer of 2012 after determining he was not a good stylistic fit for his possession-based approach.

2. Mario Balotelli

The warning signs were already there with Balotelli, but Brendan Rodgers decided to take a punt anyway. Signed for £16m to replace Luis Suarez in 2014, Mario’s short-lived spell with the Reds was anything but super.

It took him 13 games to score his first goal and by the end of the season he had managed only four strikes in 28 outings. Liverpool hastily shipped him back to AC Milan on loan the following summer.

1. Paul Konchesky

Roy Hodgson wasn’t a popular manager at Liverpool and Konchesky was very much seen as his man on the field. The left-back had performed well for Hodgson at Fulham, but he struggled to raise his game after making the step up.

After Konchesky was criticised by Liverpool fans, the player’s mother took to Facebook to slam the “Scouse scum”. Unsurprisingly, the defender was on the move in the very next transfer window.