Top 10 Worst Liverpool Signings of All Time (Ranked)

The Merseyside giants Liverpool Football Club is arguably the most successful English side, alongside Manchester United, with 20 English top division titles, 8 FA Cups, 10 EFL Cups and 16 Community Shields in their cabinet. In Europe, the Reds have claimed 10 European silverware, including 6 Champions League & 4 UEFA Europa League. The 2024-25 Premier League winners, Liverpool were under the shadow of their formerselves struggled to keep their legacy alive.

During Jurgen Klopp's glorious era, Liverpool made remarkable additions to their squad, such as Mohamed Salah, Virgil van Dijk, Sadio Mane and Alisson Becker. These players became a part of the club's history after leading it to numerous trophies. There are forgotten transfers who have been termed as the worst Liverpool signings. The Reds have hardly gone wrong in the transfer market since Jurgen Klopp established Liverpool as one of the powerhouses in European football.

List of Liverpool Worst Signings

Check out the top 10 worst Liverpool signings in history that we have compiled based on several ranking factors to be explained below in detail:

How We Ranked the Worst Liverpool Signings in History?

In order to find who are Liverpool worst transfers, we have listed several ranking factors such as transfer fee, their performances, availabilty and how these players were perceived by the fans and media.

• Transfer Fee v/s Output: The first and foremost ranking factor is the transfer fee vs output, which implies measuring their on field performences as compared to the transfer fee the club has paid.
• Availability & Injury History: The second factor to understand Liverpool worst signings is availability, after evaluating the number of games missed due to fitness and injury, which ultimately affects their availability.

• Professionalism: Professional aptitude, discipline, and commitment-related issues have been assessed to accumulate a list of Liverpool worst transfers. Lack of professionalism subsequently affected their stint.

  Note: All the stats mentioned in the article are taken from reliable sources such as Transfermrkt and Sportsdunia.

Who are the Liverpool Worst Transfers Ever?

Liverpool have made countless transfers over the course of history to bolster their squad; however, there are numerous who failed to make an impact at the anfield. Let's understand in brief how, and why these players are included in the top 10 worst Liverpool signings.

10. Sean Dundee (South Africa)

Born in Durband South Africa, Sean Dundee garned decent reputation as a centre forward, mostly spending his club career in Germany playing in the Bundesliga. In 1988, Liverpool signed him for £2m from Karlsruher SC as a replacement for injured Robbie Fowler. However, it turned out to be one of the worst Liverpool signings.

He could not make any significant impact after limiting it to only 5 appearances for the Reds. Then Liverpool manager, Roy Evans, revealed Sean Dundee's transfer was regretful for the English gaffer, who managed 243 matches as their gaffer from 1993 to 1998. Dundee was called out for his lack of discipline as a player.

9. Iago Aspas (Spain)

The Spanish international Iago Aspas' legacy as a Celta Vigo legend is unmatchable. In 2013, Liverpool paid a sum of £9m to acquire the services of Spanish attacker Aspas from Celta Vigo. Unfortunately, for a player with this much talent, it proved to be a horrible move. He failed to adapt to the Premier League and is remembered for his mistake that cost Liverpool the EPL title.

Brendan Rodgers's Liverpool was creating numerous chances, but Aspas was unable to seal those chances as a centre forward. In total, the Spaniard made 14 Premier League outings without finding the back of the net in the 14. Also, Uruguayan icon Luis Suarez and Daniel Sturridge were firing on all cylinders, leaving little room for the Spaniard to succeed. The language barrier was believed to be an issue as well.

8. Paul Konchesky (England)

Moving forward on the list of worst Liverpool signings, we have English defender Paul Konchesky at 8th place. Fair to say, he was a class apart for Fulham and Leicester City, playing an essential role in bringing in experience and solidity with his presence. Having played for West Ham United, Tottenham Hotspur and Charlton Athletic and amassed 346 Premier League appearances.

Sadly, the defender's time in Merseyside was a forgettable experience. Paul Konchesky moved to Anfield from London club Fulham in 2010. He was at the end of substantial criticism from fans and was not able to adapt, and subsequently secured a move away to Nottingham Forest, in Janaury transfer window in 2011. The left back played 18 times for the Reds during his short spell.

7. El Hadji Diouf (Senegal)

A standout performer for the Senegal national football team in the iconic 2002 FIFA World Cup, El Hadji Diouf was signed by Liverpool in the same year on a £10 million deal from Ligue 1 side RC Lens. It was a promising move for the Senegalese striker, but he ended up becoming a controversial figure at Liverpool for his on-pitch and off-the-field conduct.

Hadji Diouf is infamous for a spitting incident in a UEFA Cup match against Celtic, and several other incidents marred his spell in England with criticism. The ex-Senegal international became the first Liverpool No.9 to fail to score in one entire season.“He was always the last one to get picked in training”, Jamie Carragher's statement portrays the whole El Hadji Diouf story as Liverpool worst signings.

6. Christian Benteke (Belgian)

Still active as a player, Belgian international Christian Benteke arrived at Anfield on signicant £32.5m deal from fellow English rivals Aston Villa in 2015. During that time, Benteke was counted amongst the clinical strikers in the Premier League, prompting Liverpool to splash out £32.5m under the management of Brendon Rodgers. At Villa, he scored 49 goals and made 12 assists in over 100 outings.

However, Benteke never seemed suited to Liverpool’s style of play, and appeared a total misfit despite netting 10 goals and providing 6 assists in a total of 46 appearances for the Reds. The Belgian striker moved to Crystal Palace next year, following the arrival of Jurgen Klopp. As Benteke was never part of Klopp's plans.

5. Lazar Marković (Serbia)

The Serbian attacker Lazar Marković is our next pick as one of the top 10 worst Liverpool signings. He arrived on the back of a domestic treble-winning 2013-14 campaign with Portuguese giants SL Benfica. The English giants paid £20m to secure his signature as Markovic was a highly rated winger, but never managed to settle in the Premier League.

Lazar spent a total of five years at Liverpool, and left the club on numerous loan spells to Fenerbahce, Sporting CP, Hull and Anderlecht. In 2019, Markovic joined Fulham as a free agent after making 34 appearances for Merseyside. His signing was one of the disappointing decisions made by the Reds and was widely regarded as one of the Liverpool worst transfers.

4. Mario Balotelli (Italy)

There have had been some of the finest players from Italy to grace the Premier League, and Mario Balotelli surely is not one of them. A highly rated centre forward known for his immaculate talent and explosiveness. Balotelli had previously played for Manchester City and was a part of the club's history 2011-12 Premier League triumph. He returned to England, joining Liverpool from AC Milan on a £16m move.

Arrived as the potential replacement of Luis Suarez, who joined Barcelona. Then Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers was ridiculed by the media for making a move for the Italian hothead, who was renowned for his controversial acts. The move, as expected, turned out pretty bad and stands high as one of the worst Liverpool signings ever, with just four goals. His contract was mutually terminated afterwards.

3. Naby Keita (Guinea)

One of the worst Liverpool signings ever, Naby Keita failed to perform as per the sky-high expectations following a breakout campaign at RB Leipzig. The Guinan international was an ideal candidate for Klopp’s dynamic first team, the club spent a substantial £50m on him acquistion. He went on play a staggering 129 times for the Reds throughout his stay at Anfield.

Unfortunately, Kieta's Liverpool career never picked up any momentum, as he struggled with injuries and missed far too many games. The former Leipzig midfielder was also on the list of Liverpool’s worst signings. After leaving Liverpool, the midfielder was suspended by his current employers, Bundesliga outfit Werder Bremen, for the remainder of the season. He recently joined Ferencvárosi TC in the January 2026 winter transfer.

2. Alberto Aquilani (Italy)

Alberto Aquilani was a highly rated midfielder who arrived at Liverpool on the same day Xabi Alonso was allowed to join Real Madrid in 2009. The Italian had big shoes to fill when he arrived at Anfield, but injuries derailed his position at the club. After two disappointing loan spells at Serie A clubs Juventus and Milan in his homeland.

Aquilani's time in Merseyside came to an end when he joined Fiorentina on a permanent deal. He was bought for £17m from AS Roma. He only made 28 appearances for the Reds during his spell in England. It seemed like the Italian midfielder lacked the pace and energy to run the midfield channels in the middle of the park.

1. Andy Carroll (England)

The English centre forward Andy Carroll joined Liverpool after the club splurged a record-breaking £35m for the Newcastle United striker on the deadline day. However, it ended up as one of the biggest blunders in the Premier League’s history. He received immense criticism for his unconventional style of play, and serious injuries held him back from making his mark at Anfield.

Carroll was ultimately shipped off to West Ham, after only bagging six Premier League goals in three years for Liverpool. The English international has amassed 248 English Premier League appearances and netted 54 goals. He represented Newcastle United, West Ham United and Liverpool. Andy even had a notable spell in Borduex streching his legacy to French football.