Liverpool made ia winning return to Premier League action with a 1-0 victory over Sunderland at the Stadium of Light on Saturday.
The result meant it is now just one defeat in 13 matches for Brendan Rodgers’ side in all competitions – something that may come as a surprise to many given the way in which the Reds have notoriously struggled this season.
What perhaps was most pleasing from Sunday’s game was the way in which new signing Lazar Markovic performed.
Brendan Rodgers’ summer transfer business has come under scrutiny in recent weeks but £20 million match-winner Markovic is the latest new boy to start looking the part with Adam Lallana, Alberto Moreno and Emre Can having also impressed Kopites over the course of the season.
Rodgers still has his eyes on a fourth-placed finish but he may well need to add some reinforcements this month to help his side close the gap.
With his transfer business under scrutiny, Rodgers would do well to avoid a repeat of these five ‘transfer regrets’ from years gone by.
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Click on Brendan Rodgers to reveal Liverpool’s top 5 ‘transfer regrets’ from years gone by.
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Robbie Keane – 2008/09
Robbie Keane became the latest ‘lifelong Liverpool fan’ to sign for the club in a £20 million deal back in the summer of 2008. The Irishman was seen as the ideal partner for Fernando Torres and despite a promising start to life at Anfield, Keane was clearly not fancied by former boss Rafael Benitez.
Benitez stated ‘ the club signed him’ when questioned as to why Keane was not often a starter and with five Premier League goals to his name by the half way point of the season, it became obvious he did not have a future at Anfield.
Keane was sold just six months after arriving at the club in January 2009, for a loss of £5 million.
Alberto Aquiliani – 2009/10
Some suggest this was the signing that signalled the beginning of the end for Rafael Benitez at Liverpool.
Having just sold Xabi Alonso – the Reds’ best player the previous season – to Real Madrid for £30 million, Benitez needed a replacement.
For a reason still unknown, the Spaniard bought in Alberto Aquilani from Roma for £20 million. The right idea perhaps, except Aquilani was injured until December and never looked fully fit for the duration of his first season in England.
It proved costly as the Reds struggled and Benitez was sacked at the end of the season.
Roy Hodgson, Kenny Dalglish and finally Brendan Rodgers also decided the Italian wasn’t up to the task, by sending him on various loan spells before a final permanent return to his homeland with Fiorentina in 2012.
Paul Konchesky – 2010/11
There are a fair few candidates for a spot from Roy Hodgson’s brief spell in charge at Anfield with Christian Poulsen and Joe Cole both dreadful signings. However, Paul Konchesky took it to a new level!
The Reds were struggling for a left back with John Arne Riise sold to Roma and Fabio Aurelio injured and then released – and then signed back again strangely – not to mention young Emiliano Insua not being up to the task.
So Hodgson decided it would be wise to sign a player he knew well from his time at Fulham.
How wrong he proved to be!
The former West Ham United and Charlton Athletic man looked all over the place at Anfield and like Danish international Poulsen was promptly dropped following Hodgson’s sacking, and sold at the first possible opportunity.
Konchesky is now at Premier League strugglers Leicester City and fired the winning goal against Aston Villa on Saturday.
Andy Carroll – 201o/11
Despite Kenny Dalglish’s insistence that Andy Carroll was the ‘minus £15 million man’ when signed as a replacement for Fernando Torres, the £35 million fee looked a bad idea from the word go.
Carroll struggled for form and fitness during his time at Anfield and just as he started to look settled with an FA Cup semi-final winner against Everton and a goal in the final defeat to Chelsea, Brendan Rodgers arrived and shipped him out to West Ham United on loan.
Having now found a bit of fitness, Carroll is starting to look the part at Upton Park and scored a stunning goal in the 1-1 draw at Swansea City on Saturday.
The general feeling amongst Liverpool fans is that Carroll was unfortunate with the massive price tag placed on him and many would have liked to have seen him given more of a chance under Brendan Rodgers.
Stewart Downing – 2011/12
Signed in that fateful summer of 2011, Downing was the Reds’ biggest arrival for a fee of £20 million.
Famously, Downing failed to register a single goal or assist in his debut season despite creating more chances than anyone in the Premier League.
He was another who despite slight improvement found himself shipped off to West Ham United by Brendan Rodgers.
He will be forever remembered as an expensive mistake at Anfield, however he has gone some way to silencing his critics having thrived in a more central role under Sam Allardyce at Upton Park.
Downing also saw himself recalled to the England squad earlier in the season and played in the 3-1 win over Scotland at Celtic Park.
