10 Players Who Didn't Fulfil Their Potential At Liverpool

6. Ryan Babel

Babel arrived at Liverpool from Ajax in 2007 at the age of 19, with some comparing him to Arsenal legend Thierry Henry in terms of style. Fast, skilful and with an eye for the spectacular, he was seen as the man to finally bring some flair in wide areas to the Reds' side under Benitez. Instead, despite occasional flashes of brilliance, Babel proved to be a hugely frustrating player with an inconsistent final ball and a poor work ethic, and simply never justified his £11.5m price tag. The Dutchman's unpredictable performances saw him consistently fail to land a regular starting berth, with less talented wide players like Dirk Kuyt and Yossi Benayoun often preferred. His winning of a crucial penalty against Arsenal in the 2008 Champions League quarter-finals, and goal a few minutes later, were the high point in a disappointing first season at the club. He continued to flatter to deceive over the next few years, thumping home the odd screamer but hitting 10 times more into the Kop End at the same time, and he started to become more and more of a squad player as time progressed, making just nine Premier League appearances in 2010/11. He left for Hoffenheim in 2011, having never got close to reaching his potential at Liverpool, and though by lesser players' standards his Reds career was far from a disaster, the amount of natural talent at his disposal made his time on Merseyside incredibly disappointing.