10 Biggest Dodged Bullets In Liverpool Transfer History

5. David Wheater

If Dann was the flavour of the month back in 2011, two years prior to that it was all about David Wheater. He had impressed greatly at Middlesbrough, rising up through their impressive youth system alongside Adam Johnson, becoming one of the best defenders at the club. He excelled in the 2007/08 campaign, earning a call-up to the England Under-21 side in the process. Although The Boro were relegated from the Premier League in 2008/09, Wheater's commanding performances still caught the eye of many managers, not least Liverpool boss Rafa Benitez. The Reds had just finished second in the league, and Benitez was looking to bolster his squad in anticipation for a title charge the following year. The move didn't materialise, however, but interest from the club returned during Hodgson's disastrous reign. Instead he joined Bolton Wanderers in January 2011, but his career has stagnated ever since. He was sent-off twice in his first full season at the then Reebok Stadium, before suffering a serious cruciate ligament injury in May 2012. Now 27, and still plying his trade at Bolton, Wheater would simply never have been good enough for Liverpool.