2. Alberto Aquilani
The Italian midfielder was bought as Xabi Alonso's replacement after the Spanish passing wizard departed for Real Madrid. The fee was in
excess of £20 million and he arrived with a significant injury so the pressure was already on. He took an incredibly long time to get match-fit and his impact in his rookie season was minimal at best. Anybody that had watched Aquilani play in Serie A for Roma knew Liverpool were getting a high quality player but he only showed flashes of his quality in games against Portsmouth and Athletico Madrid. Then Rafa Benitez was sacked and new manager, Roy Hodgson thought it would be best for everybody that the Italian be loaned to Juventus for a season. He never played a competitive match for Liverpool again. There were many problems with Aquilani at Anfield - an often overlooked problem was that Aquilani was bought to be a player he wasn't. Alonso was a defensive midfielder and playmaker, Aquilani liked to get forward and play behind the striker - like a continental Steven Gerrard. The injuries and minimal game time also hindered Aquilani as he got in no real rhythm and was always in and out of the teams in his brief stay. Certainly the most talented player on this list, he's now getting back to his best at Fiorentina in his native land.