It was a quiet January transfer window period for a Liverpool side that could have undoubtedly benefited from an upgrade in more than one area. However, the lack of player availability on the open market combined with some disappointing results in past years was enough to keep the team from becoming buyers.
Manager Brendan Rodgers recently admitted, “I don’t think January is a good time to spend. If you look back to last January we didn’t bring anyone in.”
Liverpool fans might not agree with Rodgers theory but there is plenty of past evidence to support the idea that the club was better off not making a move. Here is a look at the worst January signings in Liverpool’s club history.
[related_post_one]
Andy Carroll (35 Million Euro, from Newcastle United – 2011)
If ever there was a case for money poorly spent, it would have to be the ridiculous price tag of 35 million euros that Liverpool shelled out for Carroll in 2011. The team was in a position to buy after moving Fernando Torres to Chelsea for 50 million euros but they squandered most of that fortune, overpaying for a quality striker that could never live up to his price tag. Carroll performed well when he played but the ridiculous money they had paid for his services meant that he was never able to live up to his valuation.
It’ll be an interesting situation this weekend as Carroll and West Ham visit Anfield on Saturday. Ahead of the showdown versus his former team, Carroll took plenty of shots at current manager Brendan Rodgers, saying he lost respect for him. This should be entertaining matchup to watch with this sub plots as one of the lead stories.
Fernando Morientes (6.3M Euro, from Real Madrid – 2005)
Only months after moving the clinical Michael Owen to Real Madrid, it was Liverpool that acquired Morientes from Real Madrid for 6.3 million euros with the hope that he could help replace the lack of scoring they had been left with. At the time, Morientes was a world-class striker, so there was some method to this madness.
The move didn’t work out anywhere near as planned though as Morientes struggled with the physicality of English soccer and his lack of confidence eventually led to a major regression. Morientes was always a great player but he struggled to find his comfort zone with Liverpool and his 12 goals in 61 games for the club wasn’t nearly worth the price they had paid for him.
[related_post_two]
Rigobert Song (2.7M Euro, from Salertina – 1999)
At the time of this move, it seemed as though Liverpool was taking a major risk and that certainly proved to be the case when the Cameroon international struggled to live up to his billing. Song was very average when he did play in his first year and he was eventually phased out by Gerard Houllier. He was a strong defensive presence but lacked the tactical intelligence that Houllier demanded of him.
Later, he’d be sold to West Ham United toward the end of 2000 but they also found out that Song had a better reputation than track record of production on the pitch.
Phillipe Coutinho (8.5M Euro, from Inter Milan – 2013)
Another example of overpaying for potential rather than finding the perfect fit for the present was Liverpool’s acquisition of Coutinho from Inter Milan for 8.5 million euros. Coutinho played at a high level from the outset but it took some time for him to reach his potential and Liverpool might have been better off acquiring a more ready asset at the time.
The move to acquire Coutinho is paying off now as the 22-year-old has become a key player in Rodgers’ attack but it did take some time for him to get to this level and the fact that he didn’t make the major impact the club needed when he first came aboard is proof the team might have been better off buying somewhere else at the time especially considering his cost.
