Liverpool: 10 Highly-Rated Talents Who Threw It All Away

9. Bruno Cheyrou

In 2002, Liverpool boss Gerard Houllier signed Bruno Cheyrou from Lille for a fee of £4.5M. The Frenchman had been successful for his former club, netting 31 goals from 111 appearances and was a highly touted youngster over a decade ago. He was, in fact, dubbed the 'new Zidane' by the then Liverpool manager, but how wrong he turned out to be. Whether it was the hype that put too much pressure on him or just not being good enough, Cheyrou failed to adapt to English football. He did not accept the physical demands of the game and often shied out of tackles and aerial balls. But then, out of the blue in the Christmas period of the 2003-04 season, Cheyrou finally lived up to his reputation, netting four goals in five games and provided a few assists. Many fans thought that something had finally clicked and that the winger was going to be great at the club. Unfortunately, the three time France capped midfielder failed to build on his excellent progress and was loaned out the season after, eventually leading to a move away from Merseyside. That Cheyrou had talent is indisputable, but unfortunately he failed to put it all together on the pitch. Since the Frenchman has represented clubs such as Rennes and Nantes in his home country, however has been without a club since 2012.