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Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool have perhaps recruited better than any other Premier League team in recent years – they’ve really got it right with the likes of Virgil van Dijk, Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane and many more.

But it hasn’t always been like that at Anfield and today we’re going to be revisiting a number of occasions where they have got it woefully wrong in terms of an incoming transfer.

While in recent times Klopp has rarely got it wrong, as a result of clever, well thought out recruitment, previous managers have not been so lucky in the market and have handed some of the most obscure and sub-standard players an unwarranted opportunity to wear the famous red of Liverpool.

So here’s a look at Liverpool’s 20 worst signings of the Premier League era…

Sean Dundee

Pictured above celebrating with Michael Owen, Sean Dundee was a true waste of money for Liverpool.

£2m may not seem like a lot of dough now at all but back in 1998 it was and all joint-managers at the time Roy Evans and Gerard Houllier would get for that lofty sum would be five appearances (all of them from the bench) and no goals from the centre-forward.

Charlie Adam

Despite that one cracking season in the Premier League for Blackpool, Charlie Adam was never good enough to represent a club like the Reds and he probably knew that as well.

That’s why the creative Scotland international lasted just the one campaign on Merseyside in what was a very strange time for Liverpool Football Club.

Christian Benteke

There are similarities between Adam and the next infamous member of this list, the man known as one of the attacking flops of all time at Anfield – Christian Benteke.

Then gaffer Brendan Rodgers splashed out an eye-watering £32.5m on the striker in the summer of 2015 and like both Adam and Dundee would last just the one term – ironically, Benteke left the North West with a record of ten goals in 42 matches, not too bad at all.

Alberto Aquilani 

Mention the name Alberto Aquilani and most Kopites would offer a chuckle, this is certainly not the impression that the Italian would have wanted to leave when he arrived from Roma for £17m plus bonuses prior to the 2009/2010 season.

In truth, Xabi Alonso was always going to be a hard act to follow and that role always had the potential to be a poisoned chalice to whoever had to fulfill it, however, the woeful Aquilani made a special mess of it and it’s no small miracle that he managed to officially remain a Liverpool player for three years.

Milan Jovanovic

Famous for that hilarious video of his Reds best bits on YouTube, Milan Jovanovic turned up in the red half of Merseyside to a different manager to the one that signed him in 2010.

Roy Hodgson was hardly renowned for getting the best out of his players at Anfield and the Serbia midfielder is some example of that.

The balding winger is remembered at the Reds for the wrong reasons and 18 appearances after his signing he was shipped back to the league in which he tricked Rafa Benitez into thinking he was any good – the Belgian first division.

Christian Poulsen

Is that a picture of Dirk Kuyt?

No, if Christian Poulsen was even half as decent for Liverpool as the legendary Dutch frontman he wouldn’t be anywhere near this list.

Putting any ifs and buts aside, Roy Hodgson was probably right to identify the Dane’s quality, after all he is one of the rare few to have played in all five of Europe’s big five divisions, though by 2010 he was fast slowing down and his terrible only campaign in Anfield Road is best forgotten.

Tiago Ilori

All the big teams have done it; signing a youngster dubbed to be the next big thing in European, or even world football, only for them to flop massively.

Well, Tiago Ilori is the Reds’ anti-climactic starlet and they paid a fair amount of money for him in September 2013, a reported £7m for the then 20-year-old who would only ever represent the club three times.

Paul Konchesky

As you may have already noticed, the Reds made some stinkers of signings around the turn of the decade, but none of them quite as terrible as Paul Konchesky.

The left-back was Roy Hodgson’s main man at Fulham so he saw no reason why he couldn’t follow him to play the same role at Anfield, however, his spell was nothing short of a total disaster shrouded by his mum’s Facebook rant in which she branded Liverpool fans “scouse scum.”

Mario Balotelli

Sure Mario Balotelli’s mother never said anything bad about Kopites, but his football in Liverpool could hardly do the talking for him either.

The controversial character was alright at Manchester City and pretty impressive at the 2012 UEFA European Championships, however, Luis Suarez’s were big boots to fill at Anfield plus there was always the weight of his £15m+ price tag – he was set up to fail really and did.

Joe Cole

Liverpool’s decision to sign Joe Cole in the twilight of his career was a strange one and they got what they deserved for what was a poor bit of business.

The former England and Chelsea star may not have cost Roy Hodgson any actual money but his £130k-per-week salary was obscene for what the Reds actually got, a mere 42 matches, five goals and three assists, sub-standard for any attacking midfielder let alone Cole.

Arsenal must not be bullied into selling Alexandre Lacazette as transfer news emerged from Mundo Deportivo that Inter Milan have made him their number one target in the upcoming summer transfer window to replace Lautaro Martinez, who could be set for a move to FC Barcelona.

Indeed, Lacazette is arguably not enjoying the best of seasons at the north London club, scoring just nine goals and making three assists in 26 appearances in all competitions so far, according to Transfermarkt.

The Gunners are also sitting in ninth place in the Premier League table at the moment on 40 points, potentially sitting eight away from a UEFA Champions League place with just nine games left to play, as per the BBC.

On the other hand, Inter are currently sitting relatively comfortably in third spot in the Serie A table on 54 points with 13 matches still left to play (via the website).

With Milan looking more likely to be able to offer Lacazette Champions League football, the 29-year old may be persuaded by the move.

However, AFC must not be bullied into selling the £43.2m-valued ace, especially given that the future of fellow strike partner Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang remains unclear.

The Gabonese international has reportedly been offered a contract extension by the Emirates faithful, but has not yet signed a new one and will only have a year left on his current deal in the summer.

If Arsenal want to qualify for the Champions League in the near distant future, then they arguably must keep hold of both players if possible, meaning that they must not be bullied into selling Lacazette.

Indeed whilst he hasn’t been prolific this term, he has shown in the past that he is capable having netted 19 goals in all competitions last season, whilst also chipping in with 13 assists (Transfermarkt).

Gooners, would you sell Lacazette for the right price? Comment below!

You wouldn’t believe it if someone told you a couple of years ago, but Manchester United are apparently looking for someone to replace David De Gea.

The Spaniard has been out of form for some time now, and it seems as though the hierarchy at Old Trafford have lost faith in the former Golden Glove winner, and they already have a replacement in their sights.

What’s the story then?

Surprisingly, United aren’t going to look towards Dean Henderson to solve their goalkeeping problems after his impressive season at Sheffield United.

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Instead, the Red Devils are reportedly after Leicester City stopper Kasper Schmeichel, and it’s hard to say that this wouldn’t be a great move.

Immediate hero

Aside from the fact that Schmeichel is a Premier League-winning goalkeeper who is certainly good enough to play for a top side, this deal, in particular, makes so much sense for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side.

Nostalgia is a great factor in how fans view things, and United fans could very easily feel as though they’re back to their glory days if they have a blonde Scandinavian named Schmeichel between the sticks.

Fans should immediately have a lot of respect for their new man due to his dad’s achievements at the club, and with confidence being such a huge factor for a goalie, that support could help the Dane match or even surpass his father’s performances for the Red Devils.

Of course, there will be the worry of constant comparisons getting in his head, but that’s something he’s inevitably had to contend with during his entire career, and he’s coped very well so far.

The Old Trafford faithful would love Schmeichel before he even made his debut, and that could be a massive positive that comes alongside bringing him in.

Once upon a time every team had a cult hero, a player with inherent limitations or a character flaw that often meant he wasn’t necessarily the best around but who was still absolutely adored by his club’s fan-base. These days you’ll be lucky to identify five across the entire Premier League.

This is a great shame because the importance of having a cult hero at a club cannot be under-stated, offering as they do a deeper connection between eleven professional athletes and thousands of fans on a tiny fraction of their wages and maybe as meaningful as this is the fun element they bring. Chants are devoted to them, usually a bit off-kilter and humorous.

When they do something well it means more. When they mess up it prompts not criticism but a tut and a wry smile.

There appears to be only a handful of these dying breed left in the top flight, fighting the good fight; popular despite, not because, and undoubtedly one of them is Sheffield United’s Lys Mousset.

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Powerful, explosive, and fond of a dribble or three the 23-year-old former France under-21 striker arrived at Bramall Lane from Bournemouth this summer for £10m.

The fee – a club record for the newly promoted Blades – raised eyebrows from some quarters because Mousset was hardly prolific on the south coast, scoring just five goals in 71 appearances. Yet given these disappointing figures it says a great deal that his departure was greeted only with sadness by the Dean Court faithful.

It didn’t take long for United fans to find out why. Mousset fulfils the key aspect of any cult hero in that he is occasionally brilliant but often not.

For him it is not inconsistency that leads to such erraticism: rather he unfailingly opts against taking the safe choice, instead getting his head down and seeking to single-handedly destroy. He excites. He gets bums off seats.

This alone is enough to make any player a fan favourite but the Motivilliers-born forward’s recent habit of adding substance to the style has only seen his popularity rise further.

A winner against Arsenal last month was swiftly followed by another game-changing performance from the sub’s bench away to West Ham with a volleyed equaliser for good measure.

A week later Mousset grabbed the headlines with a hat-trick of first-half assists as Burnley became the latest big scalp of the Blades. Against Spurs he teased and tormented. Surpassing his Bournemouth scoring record before Christmas looks almost inevitable at this rate.

“He’s a popular boy with the other players and he’s a popular boy with the supporters as well. You can see why they’ve taken to him,” manager Chris Wilder said at the end of October, clearly pleased that his expensive summer gamble is paying off.

As for the player himself he is resolved to repaying the trust shown in him by the Yorkshire club: “I have been waiting for this chance since I came to England, to prove myself, and I want to show the fans what I’m about.”

He already has secured a place in their hearts for a long time to come.

Besiktas are looking to sign on-loan goalkeeper Loris Karius from Liverpool on a permanent basis, according to reports from Turkey.

Fanatik claimed [via Sport Witness] that the Istanbul-based club want to sign the 26-year-old permanently after an upturn in form over the past few weeks, with a proposal to complete an €8m (£6.84m) transfer in four equal instalments over a four-year period.

The German is into the second year of a two-year loan spell at Besiktas from Anfield, with the Turkish side hoping to formalise the deal in January if Liverpool agree to their transfer proposal, as per Fanatik [via Sport Witness].

If Fanatik’s reports are true, it would represent a remarkable volte-face from Besiktas, with Takvim claiming less than a month ago [via The Mirror] that the Turkish club were seeking to cancel Karius’ loan spell prematurely.

The goalkeeper endured a difficult start to the season, conceding nine goals in four league games during the autumn as well as being culpable for a horrendous misjudgement in Besiktas’ Europa League loss to Slovan Bratislava, when he raced from his line but failed to reach a 50-50 ball, gifting Andraz Sporar a tap-in, as per The Guardian.

However, since the start of October, Karius’ form has improved drastically, with only one goal conceded in his last five league matches as Besiktas collected 13 points from a possible 15. [via TransferMarkt]

That run included a derby victory over Galatasaray in which he kept a clean sheet and made three saves, a feat he repeated in their most recent outing against Denizlispor.

He has actually had a better record of late than Liverpool’s Alisson, who has conceded one goal in each of his six Reds appearances since returning from a calf injury a month ago. [via TransferMarkt]

However, the Brazilian still has a better return for the season overall with seven goals conceded in eight appearances (0.87 per game), compared to Karius’ 20 in 14 matches (1.43 per game).

Adrian, who deputised for Alisson during his spell out injured, let in 13 goals in his 11 games for the Reds this term (1.18 per game), also leaving him with a better concession rate than the German throughout 2019/20.

Aside from Alisson and Adrian, Liverpool can also call upon Caoimhin Kelleher in goals, with the young Irishman managing a clean sheet on his senior debut against MK Dons in September and making a decisive penalty save in the Carabao Cup shoot-out win over Arsenal last month.

Karius may be on a good run of form now, but his error against Slovan Bratislava had echoes of the fateful 2018 Champions League final, and with the Reds already well-stocked for goalkeeping options, they would be right to accept Besiktas’ reported £6.84m transfer proposal if the Turkish club follow through on it.

What is really crazy to think about is that the Reds paid just £4.75m to bring the Mainz man to Anfield, so could actually be set to make a profit on a player who has done nothing but make mistakes, both on Merseyside and while out on loan.

Fans have often praised sporting director Michael Edwards for his work in selling players like Dominic Solanke, Jordon Ibe and Christian Benteke for more than they are likely worth, and it appears another master-class from the Reds transfer guru could be on the way.

Liverpool fans, should the club accept the transfer offer that Besiktas are reportedly lining up if presented to them in January? Have your say by commenting below!

Brought in from Dutch side FC Twente for a reported £7m, Nacer Chadli showed flashes of promise in his time at Tottenham.

The Belgium international only ended up playing 119 times for the north Londoners, after signing back in the summer of 2013 when Andre Villas-Boas was in charge of the club.

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The 30-year-old scored 25 times and provided a further 16 assists during his time with the Lilywhites, and Spurs fans have taken to Twitter to share their memories of their former ace.

A few Spurs fans revealed that they felt it was a mistake letting him go, with one supporter in particular calling it one of Mauricio Pochettino’s biggest errors.

A couple of fans simply insisted that he is as good as, if not better, than the likes of Lucas Moura and Erik Lamela.

With Steven Bergwijn arriving on the books in the January transfer window, Spurs have got another winger to pin their hopes on to deliver success.

The Dutchman has similarly shown early signs of being a real coup for the Lilywhites, not least his superb volley against Manchester City in the Premier League.

He will however have to be a whole lot more consistent than Chadli was to ensure that he goes down in the history books as a real Spurs success.

Meanwhile, Spurs fans are reminiscing over this former powerhouse.

This article is part of Football FanCast’s Transfer Focus series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent transfer news…

According to The Sun, several Premier League clubs are chasing West Bromwich Albion prospect Rico Richards, which must feel like an all too similar situation for some at the Hawthorns.

What’s the word?

Reports have emerged claiming that Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspur, Manchester City, and Liverpool are all eyeing up a move for the 16-year-old forward.

The teenager has recently been training with the Baggies’ U23 squad while he has made two appearances for the U18s, including over the weekend, where he played the full 90 minutes in attacking midfield as they defeated Liverpool 6-3, per Transfermarkt.

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He is also able to play on the wing as noted by his former academy manager Mark Harrison in an article that also describes exploits at an international level for England’s U16s in the past.

Richards’ contract expires next year, so the decision-makers at the club will have to soon act on trying to keep hold of one of their most promising youngsters.

Lessons learned?

These links very much have a similar feel to that of Louie Barry and to some extent Morgan Rogers this summer.

Both players were highly-regarded within the club’s youth ranks, yet Albion were powerless to the advances of Barcelona, who Barry rejected a contract for, and Manchester City, who purchased the 17-year-old midfielder for a remarkable £4m.

Richards is the same age as Barry, and although he is yet to start featuring at U18s level fully, he could quite easily match or even better the 16-year-old’s four goals in 16 matches, especially if he’s already bypassed that to train with the next age group up.

It remains to be seen what sort of career Barry will have at the La Liga giants, but that doesn’t mean the club isn’t rueing from the absence of what was one of their brightest prospects.

This emerging saga will truly test whether or not West Brom have learned their lesson as they can’t allow Richards to run down his contract and then leave for ‘free’ like Barry did.

New ownership is often celebrated in football.

A wealthy benefactor – and they do always have to be wealthy – comes along and prepares to stick his or her hand in his or her pocket and splash the cash. Fans dream of new signings, of multi-million-pound spending sprees, of rising up the league table; everything else sort of falls by the wayside.

This has happened at Newcastle United.

Of course, they have been here before. There have been multiple false dawns under the tumultuous reign of Mike Ashley but, finally, at long last, it appears as though he will finally be out of their club.

This is not an article to rag on Ashley; plenty have done that and Newcastle fans probably don’t want to read about the catalogue of failures that have plagued his reign. As a neutral, though, one has to say that the appointment of Joe Kinnear as a Director of Football stands alone; at his first press conference, he called a journalist a rude word and, quite amazingly, it only got worse from there.

Yet questions need to be asked.

The Saudi Private Wealth Fund has an enormous amount of financial clout. They have an immense amount of money and one can perhaps understand, at face level, why fans are so excited. They want their club to spend and they want to see the club back where they are seen to belong – among the top six, challenging for the league title, returning to the Champions League for the first time since the management of the late, great Sir Bobby Robson.

There is a desire for them to splash the cash and bring in star signings – a summer spend of over £150m would go a long way to convincing the fans that a new era is dawning, that a blood-stained sun is rising.

That blood needs noting, too. The Saudi regime, to quote The Independent, executed 185 people last year. That works out as an execution almost every two days. One day saw 37 people killed. The numbers include young men who were children when they were found guilty.

Per USA Today, being gay in Saudi Arabia is a capital offence that can lead to death, while it is also punishable by prison time or by flogging.

There is, of course, likely to be false equivalency bandied around here. What about Manchester City? What about Sheffield United? Both are victims of the Saudi sportwashing regime that has also claimed WWE and multiple heavyweight boxing promoters.

Newcastle are just the latest example and climbing into bed with the Saudis is akin to seduction by siren song.

Walter Copland Perry, the scholar, once wrote that the song of a siren “though irresistibly sweet, was no less sad than sweet, and lapped both body and soul in a fatal lethargy, the forerunner of death and corruption.”

That is applicable to Newcastle, only that the death and corruption has been a predecessor, and that everyone in St James’ Park is aware of it.

Mike Ashley was and is a genuinely awful owner, perhaps the very worst in the Premier League, but sometimes, perhaps it is better the devil you know.

Ashley, after all, has treated fans like customers, built an empire on the ‘stock it high, sell it low’ mantra, and turned St James’ Park, that famous old ground, into an advertising board.

The Saudis, though, have literal blood on their hands. This is no false equivalency, purely the facts.

Newcastle fans would do well to remember that.

This article is part of Football FanCast’s The Chalkboard series, which provides a tactical insight into teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

Barcelona thumped Sevilla 4-0 on Sunday but one player was surprisingly excluded from the starting lineup, and it just might suggest his time as one of the Catalans’ key men is slowly coming to an end.

On the chalkboard

Sergio Busquets has been a key player at Barcelona ever since he was promoted to the senior team back in the summer of 2008.

A La Masia product through and through, the Octopus of Badia represented the true values of the Catalan giants and year upon year, he featured in all of their major moments.

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After all, the 31-year-old already has 544 appearances for the club, winning 31 senior trophies, and while he certainly has more fuel in the tank, there are some early signs indicating that he might not have as big of a role in the future as he used to have.

The end of an era

Saying that Busquets’ career at Barcelona is at the very end would be a bit too much but we’re certainly getting into the latter stages of it, at the very least.

And sure, saying that about a 31-year-old player is not that big of a surprise but considering we’re talking about Busquets of all people, it does sound a bit strange.

But the proof is already here for everyone to see.

Watch Lionel Messi and Gareth Bale answer the internet’s weirdest questions in the video below…

Just the other night, the Spaniard was benched once again, his third omission from the starting lineup in the eight games that Barcelona have played so far in the 2019/20 La Liga season.

Not to mention that he remained on the bench for the entirety of their curtain-raiser against Athletic Bilbao and the clash against Granada. So far, he has tallied a total of 449 minutes in the opening eight games of the campaign while he had a total of 592 this time last season.

Furthermore, he was not once left on the bench in the 35 games played last season; he’s already been named among the substitutes twice this term.

Maybe it was the arrivals of Frenkie de Jong and the emergence of Arthur Melo or maybe it’s just time catching up with the 31-year-old midfielder, but it seems that he is bound to enjoy a much smaller role in the squad this season.

It remains to be seen if that will be to Barca’s detriment or not.

This article is part of Football FanCast’s Pundit View series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent quotes from journalists, pundits, players and managers…

This might not come as a big surprise if you’ve been following Birmingham closely.

Having sold Che Adams to Southampton in the summer, that put a lot of pressure on Lukas Jutkiewicz to be the club’s main goal-scorer this season.

They have tried to make up for that shortfall by investing in some attacking midfielders and strikers to play off him like Fran Villalba and Alvaro Gimenez, and promoted through a couple of academy in the form of Jude Bellingham and Odin Bailey.

However, the Blues still find themselves struggling, having failed to score more than two goals in a game throughout the season.

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What’s been said?

Those issues have made their way to the management at the club, as Birmingham Mail reporter Brian Dick is suggesting.

He’s claimed that replacing the goals Che Adams scored last year is the club’s top priority going into January.

The journalist said on Friday:

“I know for a fact they’re working on targets, they’re having discussions already. It wouldn’t surprise me bearing in mind what they did in the summer if they went to Spain to find a replacement for Che Adams but that isn’t going to be cheap.

“The loan market is a possibility depending on where they are, if they’re just outside the top six and they need a loan to fire them into a play-off position then that is an option. If they’re struggling towards the lower end of the division then you’re shopping in an entirely different market all together.”

That makes the next few months crucial

Dick lays out the battle plans perfectly. It’s relatively straight forward when you think about it, but it just emphasises how important a good run-up to the window can be.

Birmingham cannot afford to go through the kind of slump they did before they played Middlesbrough or it is going to damage them not just for this season, but potentially for campaigns to come too.

Even if they don’t quite manage to get promoted, which given their expectations at the start of the season would be a bit of a miracle, bringing in high-quality players means they could start to put together a good core of players.

Resultantly, it might be something that can build the foundations of a squad to challenge for the next couple of seasons.

But as Dick says, it won’t come cheap, so Birmingham may have to be strategic in the way they do things. Perhaps exploiting the loan market might be a better idea than searching for a permanent acquisition in Spain.