All of Brendan Rodgers' 33 signings at Liverpool rated

[davieG]

Another (pointless) time filler based on the Liverpool Echo

 

https://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/sport/football/transfer-news/liverpool-brendan-rodgers-transfer-leicester-17931157

 

A run-down of what happened to every player Brendan Rodgers signed

ByKristian WalshDan KayLive Content EditorSam Carroll
17:00, 16 MAR 2020

With the football season currently shut down to the coronavirus pandemic, we're taking a look back at all the players brought in by Liverpool managers in recent years.

Brendan Rodgers became Liverpool manager in the summer of 2012, arriving from Swansea City who he had led into the Premier League to take over from Anfield icon, Kenny Dalglish. 

The Northern Irishman came within a whisker of leading the Reds to a league title win in 2013/14 when his side just two points behind Manchester City after a remarkable campaign.

Rodgers made 33 signings during his Liverpool reign - here is what happened to each and every one of them:

 

Fabio Borini

Having become Rodgers first signing as Liverpool manager, the Italian scoring just twice in an underwhelming spell before joining Sunderland initially on loan in September 2013. His first goal for the Mackems was a spectacular late winner against rivals Newcastle and, having been named as the cub's young player of the year, a permanent £14m deal was reportedly agreed between the clubs only for Borini to decide to stay at Anfield to fight for his place.
He scored one more goal for the Reds, against Aston Villa in January 2015, before returning to the Stadium of Light for £8m in August 2015. Two summers later he joined AC Milan, again initially on loan and signed a permanent deal at the San Siro in July 2018 before joining fellow Serie A side Hellas Verona in January 2020/.

Rating: 4/10 - his unique goal celebration promised more than it delivered, his most significant Liverpool-related moment arguably being his late winning goal for Sunderland against Chelsea in the 2014 title run-in.

Joe Allen

The 'Welsh Xavi' followed Rodgers from south Wales to Anfield in the summer of 2012 for £15m and was initially seen as a key figure in helping bed in the manager's philosophy.

Allen played a part for Klopp as well in the German boss' first season at Anfield before moving to Stoke. He suffered relegation with them in 2018 and continues to ply his trade in the Championship with the Potters.

Rating: 6/10 - his metronomic tika-taka type passing served a purpose at times but the dynamism of Klopp's sides proved to be beyond him.

 

Oussama Assaidi

One of the stranger signings under Rodgers having joined from Dutch club Heerenveen for £2.4m, the Moroccan winger made only 12 appearances at Anfield - mostly from the bench - in 2012/13 before being loaned out to Stoke City where, like Borini, he managed to score a winning goal against Liverpool's title rivals Chelsea.

He spent a season and a half on loan at the Britannia before sold by Liverpool to Al-Ahli Dubai for a reported £4.7m fee and, having returned to Holland to join Twente Enschede, is currently a free agent.

Rating: 3/10 - made minimal impact and only remembered by anoraks for his stunning winner aganst Mourinho's Chelsea which helped Liverpool by proxy.

 

Nuri Sahin

Sahin became the Bundesliga's youngest ever player and goalscorer when breaking through at Borussia Dortmund at the age of 16 and, after a beneficial loan move to Feyenoord, established himself with the 'Schwarzgelben' and was voted the Bundesliga’s best player in 2010/11 when Dortmund won their first league title in nine years under Jurgen Klopp.

He signed a six year contract with Spanish giants Real Madrid that summer but suffered an injury-hit year and joined Liverpool on loan in the summer of 2012. A promising start to his career saw him score three goals in three days in away wins over West Brom and Norwich but it proved to be a false dawn and he was loaned back to Dortmund the following January having only featured in a dozen games for the Reds.

Dortmund activated a clause enabling him to return permanently in the summer of 2014 and he joined Werder Bremen on the last day of the summer 2018 transfer window.

Rating: 5/10 - his purple patch that week in September 2012 raised hopes that were never fulfilled.

Samed Yesil

The highly rated youngster, who scored 25 goals in 29 appearances for Germany at youth level, arrived at Anfield for a fee believed to be in the region but only ever made two first team starts in the League Cup in the early months of Rodgers' reign.

After suffering cruciate ligament injuries, he left Anfield to join FC Luzern of Switzerland on loan in August 2015 and was released by Liverpool at the end of his contract the following summer. After a spell with Greek side Panionios, he returned to Germany to join KFC Uerdingen 05 before signing for Turkish third division club Ankara Demirspor on a free transfer in December 2019.

Rating: 2/10 - made virtually zero impact.

 

Daniel Sturridge

The Birmingham-born forward made an immediate impact on arriving from Chelsea for £12m in January 2013, becoming the first Liverpool player to score in his first three matches since Ray Kennedy in 1974.

He struck a prolific partnership with Luis Suarez which brought Rodgers' side to the brink of the Premier League title in 2014 and, despite persistent injuries which arguably prevented him reaching his full potential in a Liverpool shirt, managed 67 goals in 160 games for the club and left for Turkish side Trabzonspor in the summer of 2019 having contributed to the Reds's sixth Champions League win that summer.

The striker scored 67 goals in 145 games for Liverpool and helped the club lift their sixth Champions League title in June. After being released, he joined Turkish Süper Lig club Trabzonspor but is yet to find the back of the net for his new employers.

Sturridge and Trabzonspor mutually ended his contract in March 2020 when Sturridge was hit with a year-long ban from football and all football-related activity after the Football Association won their appeal against sanctions placed after Sturridge was found guilty of two charges relating to inside information over his loan move from Liverpool to West Brom in January 2018.

Rating:8/10 - not just a great goalscorer but a scorer of great goals, Sturridge will always leave fans wondering what could have been achieved had he enjoyed better luck with injuries.

Philippe Coutinho

Having arrived from Inter Milan for £8m in the same January window when Sturridge arrived in 2013, Coutinho became a key part of the attacking armoury that almost the league in 2014 as well as its reconfiguration.

Just as the 'Fab Four' he became part of alongside Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino was clicking into gear, the Brazilian engineered a move to Catalan giants Barcelona and left for a fee in excess of £100m in January 2018.

After struggling to replicate his Anfield form at the Camp Nou, Coutinho joined German giants Bayern Munich on a season-long loan in August 2019.

Rating: 8/10 - provided some fantastic goals and moments but the manner of his departure left a sour taste in the mouth.

 

Luis Alberto

The Spaniard struggled to make an impact at Anfield, making only 12 appearances mostly from the bench in 2013/14, and was farmed out on loan back to his native Spain to Malaga and Deportivo La Coruna.

However he has since gone to become one of Serie A's most creative midfielders with Lazio, having signed for the Bianconeri for an initial £4.3m in the summer of 2016 with his impressive form seeing him be linked with a series of moves back to the Premier League.

Rating: 4/10 - looked smooth on the ball but, aside from one clever assist for Luis Suarez in a memorable 5-0 win at Tottenham, made very little impact.

 

Iago Aspas

Started the first three matches of his one season on Merseyside - with the Reds winning all three 1-0 - but struggled to feature much afterwards, largely being remembered for an abject corner during the harrowing defeat to Chelsea which cost Rodgers' side the league title in 2014.

A meteoric rise since departing Merseyside, culminating in a place in Spain's 2018 World Cup squad last summer. Has scored 84 goals in 154 league appearances since returning to Celta Vigo.

Rating: 5/10 - played a cameo in the flying starts to one of Liverpool's most memorable trophyless seasons

 

Simon Mignolet

Saved a penalty in the last minute of his Liverpool debut in August 2013 to secure victory and played his part in that season's title win as well as helping the Reds to two cup finals in Jurgen Klopp's first season.

Departed Liverpool last summer searching for first-team football. He joined Club Brugge in his home country of Belgium following a six-year association with the Reds.

Rating: 6/10 - had his moments but never truly convinced, particularly when viewed in the context of his ultimate successor, Alisson Becker.

 

Kolo Toure

Was brought in on a free transfer from Manchester City in the summer of 2013 to add experience to the Reds' backline and became a  cult hero with the Kop.

The Ihe Ivorian departed in 2016 to reunite with Rodgers at Celtic and is now the Northern Irishman's first-team coach at Leicester.

Rating: 6/10 - Was a hugely popular figure in the dressing room by all accounts as well as in the stands

 

Aly Cissokho

A loanee who made 16 starts during that famous 2013/14 season, he's had spells at Porto, Aston Villa and Olympiakos before moving to Turkey. Now features for top-flight side Antalyaspor.

Rating: 5/10 - Contributed four clean sheets and deflected goal at Stoke (later taken off him by the dubious goals committee) during that memorable if ill-fated title tilt.

Mamadou Sakho

Arrived with big expectations for £15m in the summer of 2013 from Paris St Germain for whom he become their youngest ever captain.

He only made 18 appearances that season and 16 in the following one but seemed to have established himself in the side as the 2015/16 season wore on, scoring memorable Kop end goals against Borussia Dortmund and Everton, before reports he had tested positive for a banned substance ended his season and hopes for representing France on home soil in the season's European Championships.

The French defender fell out with Klopp due to his unprofessional conduct during the summer tour of the United States in 2016 and eventually moved to Crystal Palace in a £27million, where he now remains.

Rating: 6/10 - Had his moments while never truly convincing with his defending or passing, gets an extra point for saying "This is for the whole Liverpool country" in the aftermath of that epic 4-3 fightback against Dortmund.

 

Tiago Ilori

The centre-back was always talked up as a real prospect after arriving in the summer of 2013 and, after being farmed out on loan to Granada, Bordeaux and Aston Villa, finally made three first team appearances in the early months of 2016 before joining Championship side Reading for £3.75m. Earned a winter move to Sporting Lisbon in January 2019.

Rating: 3/10 - the fact he had to wait three years to make a first team appearance for the Reds says a lot.

 

Victor Moses

Was highly-rated when breaking through at Crystal Palace and hopes were high when he arrived at Anfield on a season long loan.

He scored for the Reds on his debut at Swansea but it proved to be his only league goal during his time at Liverpool and he joined Stoke on loan the following season. Moses would go lift the Premier League title with Chelsea as a wing-back in 2017 and is currently on loan at Inter Milan after a temporary spell at Fenerbahce.

Rating: 3/10 - got everyone excited with debut goal in south Wales but it just never happened

 

Rickie Lambert

Liverpool's Rickie Lambert celebrates scoring his teams second goal against Aston Villa, during the Barclays Premier League match at Villa Park, Birmingham.
The boyhood Liverpool fan never managed to score in front of the Kop, regrettably, his three goals - against Crystal Palace, Ludogorets and Aston Villa - during his one season at Anfield all coming away from home. The striker had spells at West Brom and Cardiff before retiring in 2017.

Rating: 5/10 - never gave less than his best and gets an extra point for that crowd-surfing celebration at Villa.

 

Adam Lallana

Lallana struggled to establish himself in the front three under Rodgers, but became a key figure in the early months of Klopp's, sometimes being referred to as the 'leader of the press' and scoring a crucial goal in the Europa League semi-final which sent Liverpool to Basel.

He seemed to gradually drift towards the fringes of Klopp's squad but has enjoyed something of an Indian summer during 2019/20 (the final year of his Anfield contract) scoring a vital late equaliser at Old Trafford in August to preserve the Reds' unbeaten run as well as producing a mature and memorable midfield performance to help lead Liverpool's youngsters to an unforgettable victory over a full-strength Everton in the FA Cup.

Rating: 7/10 - has been written off a number of times but bounced back to prove critics wrong.

Emre Can

Received most of his playing time as a centre-back in his first season under Rodgers. Played a big part of Klopp's formative Liverpool, the German midfielder left the club on a free transfer to move to Juventus in 2018.

He struggled to establish himself in Turin however, been left out of the 'Old Lady's European squad at the start of this season and he returned to Germany in January 2020 to join Borussia Dortmund on loan.

Rating: 6/10 - scored some great goals, most notably the overhead kick at Watford, but Liverpool's progress since his departure shows he's not been overly missed.

 

Kevin Stewart

Signed from Tottenham on a free and served as back-up in Klopp's first season. Moved to Hull City in the summer of 2017, where he remains.

Rating: 4/10 - although the deals were separate, destined to be forever known as the player who went to Hull when Liverpool brought in Andy Robertson.

 

Lazar Markovic

A £20m signing from Benfica. Didn't come close to living up to his price tag. Despite several loan spells, Liverpool found it very difficult to shift the Serbian winger, but Fulham offered him a shock route out of Anfield in January 2020 before he sealed a move back to boyhood club Partizan the following transfer window.

Rating:3/10 - never looked close to delivering his undoubted potential. Was unlucky to be sent off in that crucial Champions League tie against Basel just when he looked like he might be finding some kind of form.

 

Dejan Lovren

The big Croatian arrived from Southampton for £20m as a self-proclaimed defensive leader but it took the arrival of Klopp to bring the best out of him. Secured himself a place in Anfield folklore with the late Kop winner against Dortmund and has played his part in the journey which took Liverpool to the peak of the domestic and European game, even allowing for the limitations which occasionally cause his game to unravel.

Rating: 7/10 - Hasn't always lived up to the 'one of the world's best defenders' moniker he gave himself but nowhere near as bad as some of his critics would have you believe.

 

Divock Origi

Divock Origi and Champions League trophy, a match made in heaven. (Image: Chris Brunskill/Fantasista/Getty Images)
The Belgian only made two starts under Rodgers before Klopp handed him opportunities up front in his first season. Seemed finished at Anfield when embarking on an unsuccessful loan spell with Wolfsburg in Germany but, after scoring his third (and most iconic) goal against Everton in December 2019, played a key part in helping Liverpool win the Champions League with key goals at the business end of the competition against Barcelona and Tottenham Hotspur.

Rating: 8/10 - doesn't have to kick a ball ever again to still be regarded as a Liverpool legend

 

Javier Manquillo

The Spanish full back played 19 matches for the Reds on a season-long loan in 2014/15,  and now finds himself at Newcastle, after spells with Marseille and Sunderland.

Rating: 4/10 - won the Reds a late penalty against Ludogorets in the Champions League. And that's about it.

 

Alberto Moreno

The Spanish left-back scored a great goal away to Tottenham in one of his first games to raise hopes he could be a left-flank flyer in the mould of John Arne Riise. He wasn't. Returned to Spain with Villarreal on a free in the summer of 2020 after playing 141 games for the Reds.

Rating: 4/10 - Well-liked around the squad and could impress with his pace but his lack of defensive nous caused palpitations at times.

 

Mario Balotelli

Signed for Liverpool from AC Milan in 2014 just weeks after Rodgers categorically said he wouldn't be joining, which was perhaps was indicative of much of the Reds recruitment at the time. Scored just four times in 28 matches, only once in the league, and left to return to Milan on loan.

After spells with Nice and Marseille in France, he is now with Brescia in Serie A.

Rating: 3/10 - Didn't deliver goals or even any off-the pitch amusement.

 

Joe Gomez

Initially played left back by Rodgers, before being injured during Klopp's first week at the club. Gomez has become one of the best young centre-backs in Europe - even being compared to Raphael Varane - and has struck up a formidable partnership with Virgil van Dijk.

Rating: 8/10 - A big future awaits

 

Adam Bogdan

The goalkeeper fell down the pecking order fast at Liverpool, making a costly error in the first few minutes of his only Premier League start at Watford in Decmber 2015 and departed Anfield in the summer of 2020, joining Hibernian in Scotland after an initial loan there.

Rating: 2/10 - not the man for Liverpool

Danny Ings

The striker flourished in Rodgers' final days but suffered two serious injuries under Klopp and struggled to break into his first-team plans, moving to Southampton in search of regular football when he has settled and been in fine goalscoring form.

Rating: 6/10 - always looked like he had a goal in him and so unlucky with injuries.

 
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain during the Premier League match between Liverpool FC and AFC Bournemouth at Anfield on March 7, 2020
Ox confused by Wayne Rooney advice
 

James Milner

Arrived from Manchester City on a free transfer and has gone on to become a key figure in the club's renaissance under Jurgen Klopp.

Showed his versatility and commitment to the cause by filling in and playing a full season at left back and remains one of the key figures in the Anfield dressing room, his leadership and standards having helped set the tone for the era of success developing at Anfield.

Rating: 9/10 - Liverpool's best ever free signing alongside Gary McAllister.

 

Nathaniel Clyne

The right back was a crucial part of Klopp's side for his first two seasons, but suffered injury in July 2017 and failed to regain his place with the emergence of Trent Alexander-Arnold.

Several sides were interested in buying Clyne during the summer before he suffered an unfortunate anterior cruciate ligament injury during the pre-season friendly with Borussia Dortmund.

Rating: 6/10 - safe pair of hands at right back but last few years decimated by injury

 

Roberto Firmino

A unique footballer, who it took the Anfield crowd - and much of the footballing public - some time to fully understand and appreciate.

Has evolved into one of the most respected forwards in European football, his movement and intelligence providing the perfect foil for Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane as the three of them have taken Liverpool to the summit of world football, with Firmino - never the most prolific of goalscorers - grabbing the extra-time goal against Flamengo in Qatar which sealed the World Club Cup.

Rating: 9/10 - Liverpool's cleverest footballer since Kenny Dalglish

 

Christian Benteke

Struggled to make an impact despite the £32.5million price tag and is now at Crystal Palace, where he has been struggling for form.

Rating: 5/10 - wrong man at the wrong time but still managed 10 goals in 42 games

Allan Rodrigues de Souza

Still on the payroll at Liverpool but continues to be loaned out in search of a work permit; currently at Fluminese in his native Brazil.

Rating: 0/10 - Blame the DWP.

[dobbylcfc]

Interesting post that davie  👍

[Lambert09]

I wonder what his relationship with Danny Ings was like? Would very much like him in as an eventual Vardy replacement. Imagine having them both on the field at the same time? Half chances would be buried for fun. 

[volpeazzurro]

A really interesting read. Rodgers record in the transfer market could at best be described as sketchy, but no manager ever has never made any mistakes in fairness. There is the odd absolute gem in there but amongst a majority of dross. He wasn't sacked without good reason. Some of them have also come through and possibly benefited more from having Klopp as a coach as opposed to Rodgers. His transfer record at Celtic is perhaps on the surface even more sketchy but our resident Celtic fan 'Henrik' would be a far better and knowledgeable person to comment on his record there than me.

 

Rodgers inherited a fairly decent squad at Liverpool and the pairing of Sturridge with Suarez was excellent. It would appear however that when the former left and Rodgers signings took hold, it didn't take long to go downhill.

 

Rodgers has inherited a very decent squad of players here too which would no doubt have been a big factor in his coming. Let's hope he doesn't muff it up with a number of Perez type signings reminiscent of his Liverpool forays into the transfer market. The addition of Congerton into the equation is hardly inspiring. He's had time to learn many lessons if he's not too arrogant to learn.

[Guest SO1]

Same old same old. More opinion pieces to hammer at your manager. What a sad place this has become.

[sdb]

Fair to say coaching is his strongest attribute 

[davieG]

8 minutes ago, SO1 said:

Same old same old. More opinion pieces to hammer at your manager. What a sad place this has become.

Or the opportunity to read between the lines and defend him.

 

The football world is and always has been full of opinions doesn't make them facts or to be ignored.

 

Football forums thrive on a wide variety of opinions if people kept them to themselves there'd be no point in their existence you could just look at the results and the league table.

[murphy]

16 minutes ago, SO1 said:

Same old same old. More opinion pieces to hammer at your manager. What a sad place this has become.

I very much doubt that is OP's intention.

[Finnegan]

Not gonna argue too much with that but giving Coutinho anything less than 12/10 when he cost 8m, scored a bunch of bangers, was their best player and got sold for over 100m profit just because he realised he was too big for them is juvenile as fvck. 

[Stadt]

Of those that actually played more than say, 10 games it's not a bad record. Some that didn't make it at Liverpool are still very good players in Alberto and Aspas. 

[l444ry]

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-3403586/Brendan-Rodgers-claims-didn-t-final-say-Liverpool-transfers-signing-Mario-Balotelli-club-s-owners-decision.html

 

[dmayne7]

Plenty of very good players in there. Even some of the ones that didn't work out, were probably sold too soon as they've gone on to have great careers.

[goody2028]

Completely forgot Firmino was actually a Rodgers signing. Some other decent players in there as well bar a couple of donkeys. 

[Finnegan]

What troubles me is the sheer volume of absolute complete toss that barely got a kick though. 

 

It's alright saying "of the players that played ten or more games..." but you need to be measured on the ones that don't, too. 

 

We need less Diabates, Ghezzals, Slimanis and Silvas not more of them. 

[Aus Fox]

Pretty sure they have a transfer committee of some sort at Liverpool or had one when BR was there, not sure how many were actually his signings.

As Leicester supporters, the best we can do is judge him on the signings he makes for us.

So far 

Praet - classy player looks a grea signing.

Perez - jury’s our mainly due to his price, but 7 goals and 4 assists isn’t terrible in 20 odd games.

Ryan Bennett - solid back up, won’t play unless we have injuries but a good precautionary signing.

 

Who am I missing?

[Dan]

To be honest that's actually better than I thought it was going to be. Obvious shockers are Markovic and Balotelli. The likes of Gomez and Firmino are encouraging.

[Ric Flair]

He made some very good signings for Liverpool, there's just not been a lot of half decent ones as well. They seemed to either be successful or an absolute disaster and a lot of the successful ones have gone on to do extremely well for Klopp.

 

 

[Ric Flair]

7 hours ago, Dan LCFC said:

To be honest that's actually better than I thought it was going to be. Obvious shockers are Markovic and Balotelli. The likes of Gomez and Firmino are encouraging.

Can, Gomez, Coutinho, Sturridge, Lallana, Firminho, Milner, Clyne, Ings, Lovren, Origi all had varying bits of success there.

 

Even players like Luis Alberto and Iago Aspas left Liverpool and become superb players at Lazio and Celta Vigo.

 

His transfer record isn't as bad as being made out, certainly not as bad as what can be attributed to Lee Congerton's remit over the years at various clubs.

[ealingfox]

41 minutes ago, Ric Flair said:

Can, Gomez, Coutinho, Sturridge, Lallana, Firminho, Milner, Clyne, Ings, Lovren, Origi all had varying bits of success there.

 

Even players like Luis Alberto and Iago Aspas left Liverpool and become superb players at Lazio and Celta Vigo.

 

His transfer record isn't as bad as being made out, certainly not as bad as what can be attributed to Lee Congerton's remit over the years at various clubs.

 

Congerton wasn't with him at Liverpool though was he?

[Foxxed]

There’s about 12 players on that list that are decent. 36% chance of signing someone decent! If we throw enough money at Congerton and co we’ll get a few fantastic signings and the rest can finally win us that leasing.com trophy. Sorted.

[jayfox26]

17 hours ago, Lambert09 said:

I wonder what his relationship with Danny Ings was like? Would very much like him in as an eventual Vardy replacement. Imagine having them both on the field at the same time? Half chances would be buried for fun. 

Would never ever happen but imagine Coutinho here. A midfield 3 of Wilf, Madders and Coutinho would be unreal. But he'll end up at a top club somewhere and his wages would be way above our current structure 

[Ric Flair]

1 hour ago, ealingfox said:

 

Congerton wasn't with him at Liverpool though was he?

No, exactly. Rodgers reputation as being pony in the transfer market is mainly from his time at Liverpool where actually it wasn't " that bad ". Congerton has enough plausible evidence to be shown to be a disaster at almost every club he's been in charge of recruitment at, that's the real icing on the cake.

[RumbleFox]

Seems pretty decent. I imagine most other managers/teams have a very similar record. I actually have faith in the Leicester hierarchy and overall set up. We’re a well run club with a transfer policy that stretches back further and plans farther ahead than any single manager/staff member. Fingers crossed we get it right. X 

[Lambert09]

1 hour ago, jayfox26 said:

Would never ever happen but imagine Coutinho here. A midfield 3 of Wilf, Madders and Coutinho would be unreal. But he'll end up at a top club somewhere and his wages would be way above our current structure 

Yeah he's more likely to land at a Spurs or Arsenal. Honestly though, I dont rate him anywhere near what he would cost.  As stupid as it sounds, Id rather stick with whats worked for us and take a punt on Benrahma. Im not saying he's the better player, just id rather sign someone with an upward trajectory. 

[jayfox26]

2 hours ago, Lambert09 said:

Yeah he's more likely to land at a Spurs or Arsenal. Honestly though, I dont rate him anywhere near what he would cost.  As stupid as it sounds, Id rather stick with whats worked for us and take a punt on Benrahma. Im not saying he's the better player, just id rather sign someone with an upward trajectory. 

Yeh it's a fair point. And we have a hard working group and not sure his heart would be fully in it if he did come here. Defo take Ings though but would imagine Southampton would want a lot of money for him