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      What's our last transfer mistake?

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      PTU
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      What's our last transfer mistake?
      Apr 26, 2022 08:15:13 pm
      This morning, I made a comment praising our recruitment team in the Luis Diaz thread, and it actually made me ponder this question: what is our last mistake on the transfer market? Which incoming transfer can be considered a failure? I genuinely wasn't able to think of an answer straight away, which in itself is a very good sign.

      Then I had a deeper look into our recent transfer history, and was even more impressed. I knew we were good, but our success rate is just unreal.

      Some cynics might say 'It's because we never sign anyone', but I'll take quality over quantity every day.

      I actually had to go back to our 2015-16 season with Benteke to answer my question. 7 years ago...  :o
      He cost us a lot of money, and absolutely didn't fit our tactics. Yes, we managed to recoup some money, but there's no doubt it was a bad transfer.

      Some honourable mentions, and why I didn't go for them:
      Davis: Never really played for us, but was bought for nothing, and we will make a decent profit on him.
      Keïta: Some might argue he didn't deliver as much as we expected from him, but it's pretty clear the quality is there and it's only injuries that slowed him down.
      Solanke: We didn't pay much for him and sold him for 20m. No complaints there.
      Karius: It was a tough one. Truth is it was a toss up between him and Benteke. I didn't go for him because ultimately, he was bought for little money, and recruited as a number 2 with hopes he might grow into the nr. 1 position. His mistakes cost us a CL final but he also got us there. And he simply was thrown into a situation he probably wasn't ready for.

      Your thoughts on this?

      For reference, here are all our signings in the last 7 years.

      21-22
      Konaté
      Diaz

      20-21
      Tsimikas
      Thiago
      Jota
      Pitaluga
      Gordon
      Davies
      Kabak (loan)

      19-20
      van den Berg
      Elliott
      Adrián
      Lonergan
      Minamino

      18-19
      Alisson
      Keïta
      Fabinho
      Shaqiri

      17-18
      van Dijk
      Oxlade-Chamberlain
      Salah
      Robertson
      Solanke

      16-17
      Mané
      Wijnaldum
      Karius
      Klavan
      Matip
      Manninger

      15-16
      Benteke
      Firmino
      Clyne
      Ings
      Grujić
      Gomez
      Awoniyi
      Bogdán
      Milner

      (To the forum staff: I didn't really want to start a new topic for this, but I wasn't sure where else to post it. If needed, please feel free to move this discussion to wherever you feel it would be best.)
      HUYTON RED
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      Re: What's our last transfer mistake?
      Reply #1: Apr 26, 2022 08:20:06 pm
      Mario Balotelli and Ricky Lambert replacing Suarez.

      billythered
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      Re: What's our last transfer mistake?
      Reply #2: Apr 27, 2022 07:59:17 am
      Mario Balotelli and Ricky Lambert replacing Suarez.







      Can’t argue with that, got panic written all over it, bad business right there, them two and going back further that horrible Cnut Hadji Douff, hated that f**ker, still do !!  Kunt !
      TameImpala
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      Re: What's our last transfer mistake?
      Reply #3: Apr 27, 2022 10:13:09 am
      Mario Balotelli and Ricky Lambert replacing Suarez.

      Felt quite sorry for Lambert, if I remember rightly he was signed before the 2014 World Cup and was probably brought in to be a bit part player in the squad. Probably with a view to using him off the bench when we needed a goal.

      Don't think he was ever meant to have led the line for us in as many games he did, but due to Suarez leaving, Alexis Sanchez & Remy both falling through, Balotelli being sh*te & Sturridge being injured he had quite a bit thrown on his toes that season.

      Still can't get my head around us signing Balotelli, though. I know it was late in the window and a few other deals had fallen through at the last minute, but surely there would have been another striker somewhere who would have fitted our game and system better than Balotelli. Anybody could see from the off that he was the complete opposite of a Brendan Rodgers player
      brezipool
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      Re: What's our last transfer mistake?
      Reply #4: Apr 27, 2022 10:19:15 am
      Karius
      RC9
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      Re: What's our last transfer mistake?
      Reply #5: Apr 27, 2022 10:27:01 am
      Andy Caroll.

      For 35M there must have been better players out there.
      brezipool
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      Re: What's our last transfer mistake?
      Reply #6: Apr 27, 2022 10:29:37 am
      I think for this question we maybe should stick to the klopp era. We could go back decades and find the worst transfer, and there are plenty.

      But of the klopp era its harder to pick a bad one, thats the point I think.
      waltonl4
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      Re: What's our last transfer mistake?
      Reply #7: Apr 27, 2022 10:40:06 am
      JUlian Dicks, Paul Konchesky, Joe Cole.
      HUYTON RED
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      Re: What's our last transfer mistake?
      Reply #8: Apr 27, 2022 11:39:06 am
      Andy Caroll.

      For 35M there must have been better players out there.

      £35 million was worth it for a last minute Derby semi-final winner!!
      HUYTON RED
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      Re: What's our last transfer mistake?
      Reply #9: Apr 27, 2022 11:41:31 am
      JUlian Dicks, Paul Konchesky, Joe Cole.

      Dicks was how many years ago?

      Konchesky and Cole, two cockney gobshites who should have never made the trip north. Cole was deffo bought by Purslow to try and quieten us over Rafa's sacking.
      HUYTON RED
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      Re: What's our last transfer mistake?
      Reply #10: Apr 27, 2022 11:43:17 am
      I think for this question we maybe should stick to the klopp era. We could go back decades and find the worst transfer, and there are plenty.

      But of the klopp era its harder to pick a bad one, thats the point I think.

      Yeah but Benteke wasn't even in Klopp's era, he was bought by Brendan Bullshitter.

      If we're honestly asking which is Klopp's worst transfer here, it'd be Karius.
      brezipool
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      Re: What's our last transfer mistake?
      Reply #11: Apr 27, 2022 01:01:19 pm
      Yeah but Benteke wasn't even in Klopp's era, he was bought by Brendan Bullshitter.

      If we're honestly asking which is Klopp's worst transfer here, it'd be Karius.

      ;D

      Karius started ntb as well, but the final just killed him.
      brezipool
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      Re: What's our last transfer mistake?
      Reply #12: Apr 27, 2022 01:03:20 pm
      £35 million was worth it for a last minute Derby semi-final winner!!

      And at the time Carroll was one of the best strikers around. He could have been much better if not for injuries.
      TameImpala
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      Re: What's our last transfer mistake?
      Reply #13: Apr 27, 2022 02:09:59 pm
      Keep forgetting Karius is still on our books. Think his contract expires in the summer so it's a certainty that he'll be off. No idea where though. Wouldn't at all surprise me at all if he had to drop down a league to find a new club.
      Davbro
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      Re: What's our last transfer mistake?
      Reply #14: Apr 27, 2022 02:52:30 pm
      Not a Klopp signing, but I thought Markovic was going to be brilliant and then......... well we all know that was a big waste of money and space.
      brezipool
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      Re: What's our last transfer mistake?
      Reply #15: Apr 27, 2022 02:52:47 pm
      Keep forgetting Karius is still on our books. Think his contract expires in the summer so it's a certainty that he'll be off. No idea where though. Wouldn't at all surprise me at all if he had to drop down a league to find a new club.

      Hes never recovered, been on so many loans and nobody has wanted him FT.
      racerx34
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      Re: What's our last transfer mistake?
      Reply #16: Apr 27, 2022 03:06:07 pm
      Of the Klopp era, Karius.
      Man cost us a CL and the club still can't get anyone to sign him.

      I'm sure the CL loss hurt him and hit him particularly hard,
      but it also showed that he wasn't the signing the club needed and
      his performance and subsequent collapse is probably a major
      factor in the shift witnessed by the club thereafter in how they
      approach signings.
      billythered
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      Re: What's our last transfer mistake?
      Reply #17: Apr 27, 2022 03:20:40 pm
      Keep forgetting Karius is still on our books. Think his contract expires in the summer so it's a certainty that he'll be off. No idea where though. Wouldn't at all surprise me at all if he had to drop down a league to find a new club.



      Blueshite perfect fit !
      __Tickle__
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      Re: What's our last transfer mistake?
      Reply #18: Apr 27, 2022 03:57:37 pm
      Strategically when we sold Lovren and failed to sign a replacement last season.
      adammac
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      Re: What's our last transfer mistake?
      Reply #19: Apr 27, 2022 04:15:18 pm
      Speaks volumes to Klopp and transfer recruitment team that despite number big money moves they all pan out pretty well for us. All manager have transfer blunders, even the great but we seem to really avoid big flops.

      I think based off the list provided Karius would be the one that sticks out. Not a huge money signing but he was suppose to be the new number 1 to replace Simon but failed to displace him and the whole UCL final shitshow.

      Dishonorable mention from the list that were not horrible but based on price didn't fully delivered is Ox. He had a good early run then the injury bug bite and rarely saw that type of form from him again (he has some decent spells like out title winning season). Now he looks a frustrated figure who knows his time is coming to a end.

      Ketia was also mention in the original post and hopefully he can continue playing well or I would lump him with Ox ad players who never fully met expectation.
      Frankly, Mr Shankly
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      Re: What's our last transfer mistake?
      Reply #20: Apr 27, 2022 05:02:46 pm
      If Karius has a decent CL Final in 2018...are we not signing Alisson that summer?

      Those two massive errors by Karius in that final were horrific but the thing is, even if he didn't make them I still wouldn't have had much faith in us winning that one.
      PTU
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      Re: What's our last transfer mistake?
      Reply #21: Apr 27, 2022 05:10:51 pm
      Those two massive errors by Karius in that final were horrific but the thing is, even if he didn't make them I still wouldn't have had much faith in us winning that one.

      I think we lost it when Salah got injured. Mentally, it was a massive blow.

      And I read Adam Lallana's interview on the Echo website the other day, and he basically said he wasn't ready to play the final, he never got into the game, so we basically played with 10 men.

      On the other hand, I'd say losing that final is the main reason we are 'mentality monsters' nowadays (and also, as you said, why we signed Ali), so I wouldn't change a thing, as strange as it may sound.
      CT_LFC
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      Re: What's our last transfer mistake?
      Reply #22: Apr 27, 2022 05:20:20 pm
      Of the Klopp era it would have to be Karius because the CL final ruined his career. He had played very well the 2nd half of the season when he took over in January as the starter and had 10 clean sheets in 19 league games, but he never recovered from that game. If not for it i think he would have turned out to be a very good keeper. I believe prior to going out on loan the first time we extended his contract which i thought was strange as well since we clearly were looking to move on from him.

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