Liverpool: Transfer Window Verdict (Players Out)

Liverpool FC were hugely active in the recent transfer window with numerous comings and goings. Here we look at the main departures one by one

Liverpool FC were hugely active in the recent transfer window with numerous comings and goings. Although new players seemed to arrive at regular intervals, it wasn`t until the final days and hours of the transfer window that the expected mass exodus of fringe players took place. The one big surprise departure was Portuguese midfielder Raul Meireles who actually waited until the final few minutes before completing his move to Chelsea. With the naming of the 25 man Premier League squad imminent we take a look at the main personnel who will no longer be featuring for the club.

Paul Konchesky
Age: 30 | To: Leicester City | Fee: £1.5m
Former England international Konchesky quickly became the first of Roy Hodgson`s ill-fated signings to depart for pastures new once the transfer window had opened. After suffering a torrid start to his Liverpool career the Londoner was sent out on loan to Nottingham Forest once Kenny Dalglish took control. Although he had been a solid top-flight performer for previous clubs such as Fulham and Charlton Athletic the signing was never one that filled fans with much optimism and it soon became clear he would join the long list of left-backs who had failed to establish the troublesome position as their own. Happily we did manage to bring in some money for him even though it was only around half what had been paid a mere 12 months earlier.

Disappointment level (out of 5): 3

Milan Jovanović
Age: 30 | To: Anderlecht | Fee: Free
Serbian international Jovanović was one of the stars of last summer`s world cup in South Africa and at the time his purchase was met with a large degree of excitement. The then Standard Liège player had effectively been Rafa Benitez`s final signing for Liverpool when he agreed a pre-contract with the club whilst the Spaniard was still in charge. With Hodgson`s arrival there was initially some talk that Jovanović would renegade on the deal but he eventually arrived and despite some initially positive signs he quickly became a forgotten man and hardly even made the bench once Dalglish had subsequently become manager. As the impact made by Stewart Downing testifies, the club really needed an attacking left-sided player but ultimately the Serb would not prove to be that man and although bought on a free transfer the wages he collected were incredibly high. Some reports even suggested over £70,000 a week so it has been a good move to get him off the books.

Disappointment level (out of 5): 3

Nabil El Zhar
Age: 25 | To: Levante | Fee: Free
The first, and to this point only, Moroccan to ever play for the Reds managed over 30 appearances for the first team during his injury troubled 5 years on Merseyside. A diminutive and pacy winger El Zhar showed much promise during the 2008-09 season becoming a regular part of the first team squad. Ultimately though he failed to make the grade and now in his mid twenties the time was certainly right for the player to attempt to forage out a career elsewhere. Another player who hardly featured last season once the managerial changes happened but overall not a player who had cost the club much financially during his stint at Anfield.

Disappointment level (out of 5): 2

Alberto Aquilani
Age: 27 | To: AC Milan | Fee: Loan
Regardless of his fantastic talent the signing of Aquilani in 2009 will always be regarded by the majority of people as a resounding flop. Costing a cool £17m the player was supposed to soften the blow of the departing Xabi Alonso to Real Madrid. The main problem however was that the Italian was signed despite a long-standing injury which would keep him out for several months. With so much expected Aquilani found it hard to regain fitness and adapt to the rigors of the Premier League quickly enough. Eventually and despite some decent showings towards the end of the Benitez era he was discarded by Hodgson and sent to Juventus on loan for the whole of last season with a view to a permanent deal. In spite of an impressive stint with the Turin giants a deal never materialised and the former Roma star returned to Liverpool where he was arguably our best player during pre-season. Ultimately however and with many new midfield reinforcements subsequently purchased it was decided Aquilani was not required again. This time he has been loaned out to AC Milan and increasingly we can only hope that a line is drawn under his Liverpool career and we attempt to minimise our loses on a player which will no doubt be considerable.

Disappointment level (out of 5): 4

Daniel Ayala
Age: 20 | To: Norwich City | Fee: £850,000
Promising young Spaniard Ayala joined the club in 2009 after rejecting a professional contract at then club Sevilla. Despite a compensation fee being paid it was felt Liverpool had secured a good talent for the future. In addition to featuring 5 times for the first team the U21 international had impressive loan stints at Hull City and Derby County. However, with the signing of fellow young centre-back Sebastian Coates imminent, Ayala was about to slip further down the pecking order and a deal for the player to remain in the Premiership is seemingly a good one all round. With Jamie Carragher, Daniel Agger, Martin Skrtel, Coates and also Martin Kelly at the club his chances would have been limited had he remained.

Disappointment level (out of 5): 2

Emiliano Insua
Age: 22 | To: Sporting Lisbon | Fee: Undisclosed
There was a time during 2009 when the former Boca Juniors youngster seemed to have the left-back spot nailed down and some impressive displays even earned him a maiden call up to the Argentinean national team then under the leadership of legendary figure Diego Maradona. However the promise that Benitez had seen in the player was evidently not shared by Hodgson who shortly after arriving firstly accepted an offer from Fiorentina and then after a contract could not be agreed by the two parties, sent the player out on a season long loan to Galatasaray. This was despite there being no other recognised left-backs at the club following the release of Fabio Aurelio and the selling of Andrea Dossena to Napoli (Aurelio would later return and Konchesky purchased). The player returned to the club during this summer but the writing was already on the wall for his Liverpool career as the Reds pursued several other left-back targets. Insua is still young enough to bounce back and lead a successful career and it would be interesting to find out how much money was received for him (if any).

Disappointment level (out of 5): 2

Sotirios Kyrgiakos
Age: 32 | To: Wolfsburg | Fee: Free
The big Greek centre-back was a solid contingency signing by Rafa Benitez in the wake of Sami Hyppia`s departure in 2009. Always reliable when called upon the former Rangers man offered experienced back-up to the first choice options and his size and strength in the air was a valuable option against more physical and direct opposition. The player also used this to his advantage in the opposite penalty box coming up with a handful of goals and assists during his limited playing time. At this stage of his career however the European Championship winner needed more regular activity and a move to Germany suited all parties as Dalglish looked to reshape his squad.

Disappointment level (out of 5): 2

Phillip Deggen
Age: 28 | To: Unattached | Fee: Released
Many fans didn`t even realise the enthusiastic Swish right-back was still at the club when it was announced recently that he had been released. To say the impact he made during 3 years with Liverpool was minimal would be an understatement. On paper his Bosman free signing looked a decent one at the time as the regular international and Borussia Dortmund player was highly regarded. It quickly become apparent however that he was not up to the grade required and Deggen could only muster 7 appearances for the first team, whilst he even failed to play regularly during a subsequent loan spell at VfB Stuttgart. In truth injuries played there part including braking two ribs and puncturing his lung on debut. The former FC Basel man is now looking for a new club and could be looking for some time.

Disappointment level (out of 5): 3

Christian Poulsen
Age: 31 | To: Evian | Fee: Undisclosed
With Javier Mascherano leaving Liverpool in the lurch at the end of last summers transfer window, Hodgson turned to experienced Denmark captain Poulsen to fill the large defensive midfield hole he left behind. On paper the signing seemed a good one with the pair having already worked together previously and the player being well versed in top level football having played for Juventus, Sevilla and Schalke 04. Unfortunately as with the likes of Konchesky his Anfield career was effectively over before it had really begun once Dalglish replaced Hodgson earlier this year. Ultimately his lackadaisical and conservative style of play never endeared him to Reds fans. Fortunately with the raft of new midfielders at the club, the turn around in fortunes for Lucas Leiva and the rise of the likes of Jay Spearing, Poulsen will not be missed. Any fee received would have been minimal but as with Jovanović getting his wages permanently of the books will be a relief.

Disappointment level (out of 5): 3

David N`Gog
Age: 22 | To: Bolton Wanderers | Fee: £4m-£5m
The Frenchman was an unknown when snapped up in 2008 for around £1m following only a handful of appearances for Paris Saint-Germain. His final statistics for the club totalled 19 goals in 94 appearances. Not too shabby when considering he was never a permanent fixture and often had to make do with brief cameos as a substitute. N`Gog is a talented player who only really lacks a little bit of composure and awareness to his game. The move to Bolton should prove a success as he will no doubt benefit from the increased game time that Bolton can afford him following their loss of strikers Johan Elmander (Galatasaray) and Daniel Sturridge (Chelsea – end of loan spell). With Liverpool bringing in Craig Bellamy to supplement Luis Suarez, Andy Carroll and Dirk Kuyt the time was probably right for N`Gog to move away. A very good investment for the club financially speaking.

Disappointment level (out of 5): 2

Joe Cole
Age: 29 | To: Lille | Fee: Loan
Probably up there with Fernando Morientes and Robbie Keane for big name Liverpool disappointments of recent times. Cole`s signing last summer was met with much fanfare and excitement but following a red card on his league debut against Arsenal it never really worked out for the Londoner on Merseyside. Niggling injuries and poor form played their part but in truth Cole has never looked the same player since he suffered cruciate ligament damage to his knee a couple of seasons ago whilst at Chelsea. The player was Hodgson`s first signing but like the manager`s time at the club, things just didn`t work out despite an impressive CV. With Liverpool often playing one striker and Steven Gerrard in behind it was also difficult for the 56 cap England international to fit into the team in his favoured position. Seemingly not in Dalglish`s first team thoughts for the season ahead and no doubt earning a very high wage it was probably a good move to let Cole leave the club on loan. For the player the chance to re-launch his career away from the spotlight of the British media and at a team in the Champions League is a good opportunity. There`s always a chance that the increased game time could see the mercurial talent rediscover himself and return to play for the Reds in the future. He certainly won`t want to leave the club permanently without a chance to prove his undoubted talent.

Disappointment level (out of 5): 5

Raul Meireles
Age: 28 | To: Chelsea | Fee: £12m
The biggest surprise departure of the transfer window was also the last to go through with only moments left before the window closed. Amongst rumours of a contractual dispute the Portuguese international had been linked with Chelsea earlier in the summer before the Blues seemingly turned their attention to Spurs`s Luka Modrić. Once that move failed to materialise, new manager André Villas-Boas returned for a player he knew from a brief period together at Porto. The fact that Liverpool let him leave was a surprise as the PFA Fans’ Player of the Year had enjoyed an impressive first season on Merseyside – although the club`s hand was clearly forced by the player submitting a late transfer request. Injuries had limited Meireles` action in pre-season which accounted to a large degree for him starting the season on the bench but his experience and class will still be missed by the club. Financially speaking Liverpool made a small profit on the player but with the likes of Cole, Aquilani and Poulsen also leaving we no longer have the midfield strength in depth of before. There should still be enough bodies and quality to cope however and ultimately if a player wants to leave it is normally best to let them. Nobody is bigger or more important than the club.

Disappointment level (out of 5): 3

Other players to depart either permanently or on loan were Thomas Ince, Gerardo Bruna, Daniel Pacheco, Chris Mavinga and Stephen Derby.

Overall
There is no doubt that Liverpool`s squad was bloated and carrying some overpaid and under performing talent. Thanks to the numerous outgoings this has now categorically been redressed. There were many players such as Poulsen and Jovanović who simply hadn`t delivered and were picking up large sums of money for not even warming the bench a lot of the time. Other players such as N`Gog and Kyrgiakos had served a purpose and the time was right to move them on especially as other players had been bought in to replace them. The one surprise move was perhaps Meireles but with the signings of Adam and Henderson allied to Lucas and Gerrard, he was unlikely to feature as much as last season anyway. In the short term, whilst Gerrard recovers from injury and the new lads bed in, Spearing and Shelvey can also do a decent job if required. Therefore it`s perhaps not as big a loss as it seemed initially and I think maybe the timing of the deal and the way events unfolded added extra significance and exposure to a pretty sound deal. With long-term injury concerns to Michael Essien and missing out on their preferred target of Modrić, Chelsea certainly required another central midfielder whereas we had them in abundance. Personally I might have been tempted to retain one of Cole or Aquilani just because they offer something a little different: that element of individual flair and creativity. Fundamentally though, as with the players bought in, I`m extremely happy with the business the club has conducted. A huge congratulations to Dalglish, Comolli, all the staff and especially the owners. In the dark days of Gillette and Hicks we could never have dreamed of the transformation that has taken place at our beloved Liverpool Football Club.

To see my views on the players who have come into the club click here