10 Players Who Probably Regret Joining Liverpool
8. Alberto Aquilani
With Gareth Barry having put pen to paper on a lucrative deal at moneybags Manchester City, Liverpool were really left in the lurch when looking for Xabi Alonsos replacement in the summer of 2009. With the club having relentlessly pursued the Villa skipper to no avail the previous summer, Benitez would dearly loved to have snapped him up for a cut-price fee following Alonsos £30 million move to Real Madrid. Alas, it wasnt to be, and the Liverpudlian giants instead turned their head to Romas Alberto Aquilani, who to this day, must be so bemused by his stay on Merseyside.
Having signed for a hefty £17 million, Aquilanis injury sustained at Roma meant that he didnt make his Premier League bow until November, and his first start didnt arrive until St. Stephens Day. Eventually making 26 appearances in all competitions, it wasnt enough to escape the cull, as the incoming manager Roy Hodgson shipped him off to Juventus on loan in August 2010.
Following a successful spell with the Bianconeri, Liverpool had a new manager in Kenny Dalglish who once more couldnt find a way to fit the Italian playmaker into his side, and the former Roma stalwart was granted a loan move to AC Milan. In a three year spell on the books of Liverpool, he played 56 of his 74 league games in Serie A. It was truly a bizarre transfer, and it had a predictable conclusion, as Aquilani signed for Fiorentina in the summer of 2012.
It almost would have been less hassle to just skip the middle man, and sign for various other Italian teams during the summer of 2009. With half the league having snapped him up during his Anfield reign, there was obviously no shortage of suitors.