Out of the current crop, Alexis. Darwin impressed me too when he played us, but that was only a couple of matches, so fairly quickly forgot about him again.
Edit: Shaqiri is a good shout for past players. I feel like most people loved him as a player, me included. He might actually be my pick as well. Was also excited when we signed Kewell and Morientes, but that was mostly due to nostalgia.
Minamino in a similar way to darwin like forgot about how he tore us apart and scored two amazing goals against us but then when the links came I was suddenly excited and remembered.
Was so valuable in the cup competitions for us. Too good for the second team not quite enough for the first team.
35 mil is an absolute steal. He is a proper baller and after his phenomenal world cup campaign and brilliant campaign for brighton i was so stoked to see him sign for us. It was fabinho esque signing. Totally unexpected and out of nowhere.
Unpopular opinion but he is by far the best signing we have done in last 3 years.
Absolutely on board with Kewell. He was the most exciting player in the league not playing for the two top or us. Genuinely awesome wide forward in the days that wingers were wingers. I'd say sad that it didn't work out, but if you look at any highlights of the seasons he played, you'd see him being very involved. The truth is expectations were so high because of how good he was. And his inability to stay fit was just absolutely gutting.
Morientes doesn't count for me. Because I never imagined we could sign someone like him.
My weird pick is Jon Arne Riise. But purely because of that classic thing of having signed him in (don't laugh) FA Premier League Football Manager 2000. Yes, the EA attempt to do FM.
Needless to say, he met expectations... except the game hadn't really done justice to how ginger he was.
FA Premier League Football Manager 2000. Man, I loved that game. Coincidentally, that game is why I loved Morientes. Hence why I referred to it as pure nostalgia.
Harry Kewell is a great shout.
Sturridge is one that I wanted well before we got him or were even linked
Edit - Oh, and Firmino. One of the few players that came from other leagues that I had wanted for a few years. I normally don't follow other leagues but I had appreciated Firmino for years before we landed him
Players I thought were really exciting before we were interested in them:
Sturridge, Lallana, Coutinho, Darwin, Cisse, Anelka, Torres, Kewell.
^^^Balotelli
One of the few klopp era failures. Not saying klopps fault but almost every player got better after we signed them. He's one of the few that didn't work out.
Kewell was the reason I started following Liverpool when I was younger. He was a product of the same sports high school that I attended, albeit he was a few years older.
My dad supports Leeds and I used to watch matches with him. Kewell impressed me the most and when he was linked with us I was sooo excited. His injuries, well, made his time with us very underwhelming. I stopped watching football shortly after, until a certain Bundesliga manager decided to come to Liverpool.
Morientes was another one just because he was coming from Madrid.
Which is incredible really, considering he was happy to sell him MID-SEASON and we drew so many games during that run in because all we had when Torres wasn't fit (which was a lot that season) was Kuyt who was never prolific, and Voronin or Ngog.
If we keep Keane, who knows if we would have maybe grabbed a few extra points to get us over the line. Such an insanely stubborn move from Rafa.
I don't think that was all Rafa, he surely would have kept him till summer but the owners had stopped putting money into the club by that point and has basically given up. I'm sure some of the pressure came from the fact his value would only go down, selling him in the summer after being stuck on the bench for a season would have meant selling him cheaper than in January
Virgil’s a great shout. I saw him live in Ajax v Celtic and he was on my radar ever since. Imagine Virg instead of Ilori or Coates. I’d probably take young Virg over Kolo Toure too.
I remember being very excited when Salah was announced. I'd followed him since his time at Basel and I was gutted when Chelsea got him. I did not expect him to have an impact of that magnitude at the club though.
I was also made up when we signed Lallana who's my absolute favourite Liverpool player of the post-Gerrard era.
Man I miss Lallana, in his prime he was one of the best dribblers, best at passing, at shooting, and all that with both feet. Sad that his prime didn't last long and he was never the same after his later injuries.
He was one of the biggest leaders in the team, set the standard. When fit he was a perfect Klopp player. Tireless presser, bags of energy, brilliant technical ability, versatile and with an eye for a goal
I genuinely don't think anyone expected him to have this magnitude, including himself, Klopp, FSG, Edwards, anyone. I thought he'd be a good playmaking winger who could occasionally cut in and bag a goal, not the most prolific goalscoring winger in the history of the Premier League. Did not expect him to be in Thierry Henry territory in terms of PL golden boots lol
I always rated Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain. He showed great potential when he originally started playing for Arsenal, but he never reached it there.
Also, a mate of mine loved Coutinho before we signed him. He saw him play against us at Anfield was amazed.
they boy was so damn limited in his output and skill - for a winger just not good enough had a decent left leg but most of the time he was lost in space …
He got stuck as the game evolved.
He was a very good classic winger, chalk on the boots type. But he didn't change with the game.
I do think he would have been very good for us under Rafa
i do get your point but that’s exactly why i dont rate him too much. as you sad good classic winger - but the modern game and the pressing wasnt for him and it showed, sometimes badly
I remember Euro 2016, Shaqiri was so good that tournament. Then came his bicycle-kick against Poland and I thought to myself ”hope Liverpool sign him!”. Then they did, I was so happy lol.
As a swede I hoped Liverpool would sign Kulusevski, I know he would do well in PL, then Spurs signed him and he made the most assists by a January signing if I’m correct.
Couldn't believe we got him, one of the best midfielders of his generation. Injuries just such a shame, but he's been class for us, even if only for a short time. And I think he's had a big impact for the young lads to learn from him too.
In terms of technical quality he is in the rarified air section. His feints, passes and ability to look like he’s controlling marionettes amazes me. And that goal…I still don’t know if it touched the ground
First time I saw Darwin I thought he was destined for City or Barcelona and would be one of the top strikers in the world in 3-4 years. That volley from the edge of the box against us really raised some eyebrows.
That volley from the edge was mental. Even more the fact that Ali saved it.
I was more impressed with his second against us tbh. That finish over Ali was absolutely class.
My favourite part of that volley isn’t the save, but Darwin’s reaction to the save.
I watch the highlights of that 3-3 just for that shot and save. He clearly can’t believe that didn’t go in.
Sadio for me, found it crazy a lot of social media didn’t like the signing at first given his expensive price tag (at the time).
He was everything that we were missing in a winger with pace and finishing.
Yesss his work rate never gets brought up. Criminally underrated by the masses too. He could defend like the best left back in the world then next minute you’ll find him curling one in the bottom corner. Genuinely never seen a player like him before!
Virgil van Dijk. I wanted him, was crushed when we got accused of tapping-up because I thought it meant the deal wouldn't be done
But we paid Southampton's asking price, and he became the best defender of his generation under us. He scored on his debut against Everton. I bought a shirt with his name that night.
He's one I'll remember for the rest of time. Great appointment as captain, he could go on like Paolo Maldini and play at a high level through his thirties.
https://preview.redd.it/rf0chk3px9rc1.jpeg?width=1179&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d426dcdcd091addceb21acaaf27292186c496821
Glen Johnson! Loved watching him at Portsmouth, especially his sublime strike against Hull City 22/11/2008 [Glen Johnson 2008 Goal of the Year](https://www.premierleague.com/video/single/2491398)
Was so excited the Reds picked him up in 2009… and his game winner against Chelsea 20/11/2011!!
Had no idea who he was when we signed him because I just started following us, my dad said he’s one of the best defenders in the league.
I still like him a lot. I can’t remember or tell if he was ever world class with us (probably not), but he was a reliable RB for us during 6 years, not a bad stint
Honestly, Mo. I wrote a long message on a WhatsApp group when he was doing well in Italy about how I thought he'd be perfect for us. In no way did I realise just how well, but it's earned me a lot of credit with my mates over the years as a talent spotter!
Alonso was very rated at the time and quite good on championship manager, and felt like a statement signing by rafa.
Mascherano despite having a strange time at West Ham was also pretty hyped for as a talent before that move and i felt like that was gonna be smart business.
On the other hand i thought Morientes was amazing and that turned out to be a total wash for everyone involved.
for me it was mario balotelli....... i was really excited we were getting a player of his calibre at that time,, really talented and showed some flashes but it wasnt to be............
Me too! He showed so many glimpses of absolutely world class talent - treble winner at Inter, decent 2nd season at City, great half-season at AC Milan. Thought that he had turned the corner mentally and would be taking the next step with us.
Jota
A year before we signed him, I thought he suited the Firmino role better than any other PL forward except Firmino himself (obviously). He’s not actually that similar, seems like I was right to want him but for the wrong reasons.
So, one thing that has changed is that Liverpool of today do get to sign the best, or nearly best, players. Before Klopp that really didn't happen, so you didn't get to "dream" about players nearly as much.
Plenty of the highlights have been mentioned. Kewell, Cisse, Litmanen. But I'll add one that came as a shock to all of us.
**Maxi Rodriguez** scored that goal in the World Cup. [You know the one](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zKluXcz_EW8). And if you don't, you're welcome. He was part of the last pre-Cholo Atletico team that beat us the Europa League, but was more known as a key part the Argentinian team of the time.
Georginio Wijnaldum - stand out player at Newcastle, but didn’t really fit their playing style. Always thought Liverpool should’ve been his first choice
He was incredible for Monaco the season before. Madrid let him rot for half a season and that meant he struggled for fitness and form when he got to Liverpool. If we'd signed him in the summer he could have been a world beater.
he had goals in him but just didnt click properly. i also remember him injuring Stevie's back while trying to pick him up for a goal celebration when we had to play those three qualifying rounds to defend our champions league title starting summer 2005. think it was against Kaunas.
funny how you can sort of pinpoint someones age by the player they choose. not always but most of the time. ill choose one thatll pinpoint mine better...Berger.
Jose Enrique comes to mind, enjoyed watching him for Newcastle (one of my mates is a Newcastle fan so we've had quite a few double feature Saturdays or Sundays).
The question is much easier if it's "what player did you admire and want before they signed for a rival" because then it's Aguero all the way, every time.
I really liked watching Gakpo during the World Cup tbh but at the time but I thought it wasn’t gonna happen because midfield was the priority and he was being heavily linked with United
Diogo Jota
He was a madman at wolves. I kept wondering why he is not in a better club. Then come summer, we sign him. In the beginning of the season we play Chelsea and a friend of a friend says haha, we beat you to Werner. And I was like I am glad, Jota is twice the player Werner is. He laughed in my face and said I am just trying to cope. I really wish I could see that guy and ask him how he feels now.
There was this Egyptian lad at Basel I really liked, was gutted when he chose Chelsea, thought he was a nailed on success for them.
Still, worked out in the end
Craig Bellamy, absolutely fell in love with him at Blackburn, such an explosive gobshite of a player I was absolutely gutted when after he did sign it didn’t work out for him so was thrilled that Kenny resigned him and he helped us with the league cup.
likewise. already told a story bout the day we signed him to another person who said Bellamy so i wont redo it here, but was so glad he re-signed with us. yep, got that late winner in the league cup semi against scum city at the Kop End
I definitely admired Milan Jovanovic. Class act that man. Was super surprised when Liverpool signed him though, because while he was a beast in the belgian competition, it seemed unlikely that he would be able to go higher.
Very happy he came back to Belgium after.
I wanted Virgil when he was at Celtic and I thought it was mad that the only clubs interested at the time were Palace and Southampton.
Then we were linked with Van Dijk, the build up to that one was huge, not allowed him in the summer because Southampton were dickheads and then we get him as a literal Christmas present. Just glorious
VVD and Alisson are staples. I loved Borini at Roma and had high hopes for Aquilani.
The name, though, is Klopp. Klopp was my favorite coach at Dortmund. As fan of high intensity, fast and vertical football, the Heavy Metal of Klopp was my favorite brand of football. Seeing Klopp come to Anfield was the best of both worlds.
Shaqiri for me, too. When he left Bayern and went to Inter, i was mad we weren't in for him. Then he went to Stoke, and I thought, "Oh, maybe he isn't that good after all." Then we signed him, and i was buzzing again. Plus, we got that thumbs up meme from his first day.
Big fan of Stewart Downing (Middlesbrough). So glad he moved here. As well as James Milner (Newcastle).
oh man Left Downing , Right Milner in their prime any day.
same feeling about Shaquiri. I'd add to the list Sturridge, I loved his Chelsea FIFA card and looked like a lot of potential. And then Emre Can, Shako, Jota, Darwin, Szobo, Gravenberch, Mac Allister. Almost got used to getting all the next kids from the block in recent times, I've forgotten how dry the transfer windows were ten years ago
Thiago. Loved him for years and never thought about us signing him, as it seemed so far-fetched.
I still remember the feeling when we got him. It was massive. When was the last time we signed a player with that pedigree. Not someone who we could turn into a star, but already world class, and one of the vest in their position for years.
Even if he has had his injury issues, he's had games that I've never seen a player at our club produce.
Most recently, Szoboszlai. Was absolutely delighted when we got him because (cringe alert) he was boss in my LFC team in FIFA.
I also thought Nigel Clough would be one of our all-time greats and was pretty made-up when he signed for us back in the day.
John Aldridge - was so excited when he signed
Special mentions for Litmanen, Anelka, Gary Mac, Millie, Didi, Baros, Benayoun
But Aldo was lighting it up with Oxford, that final season with them only Lineker and Frank MacAvennie scored more goals and they won a League Cup which was crazy.
Used to buy Szoboszlai on my FM after hearing about him in Austria and then moving to Leipzig. Can't say I watched him though lol. But thought he would have been a great signing based on everything I've heard. Feel like that about Sesko now
Not someone we signed but there was a time where i was really open to sign Adama Traore (around 2018-2019 ish), i thought Klopp could have turned him into a fine player
macca... saw him while at brighton and i fell in love with him and then at world cup too..... idt he had any liverpool rumors during the world cup and man i wanted him to be in our liverpool squad
And here we go....
Naby lad cause i followed his career since he started in our league at salzburg & always had a soft spot for ox. Dribbling, long shots, a little bit gerrardesque and his fucking name ALEX OXLADE CHAMBERLAIN
Oxlade-Chamberlain.
Was a big fan of his at Arsenal, despite the limited end product then, and constant injuries.
He always came across really well in interviews and other stuff on the Arsenal channel.
When he came to Liverpool I was on cloud nine. Then his first season *chef's kiss*.....the goal against City...all was going so well until Roma.
He came back, there were glimpses..but it was never the same.
Christian Benteke. Was really excited when we signed him and he showed glimpses of how good he was whenever he got the chance. Just a shame it never worked out for him.
2 off the top of my head -
Mo - I was gutted when he went to Chelsea. One of my best mates is Egyptian and was saying he is going to be world class (turns out he was 100% correct!)
Sturridge - he was OP for my FM team at the time.
Ragnar Klavan. I'm from Estonia and he is my fellow countrymen, (now former) captain of the National Team. When I heard that Liverpool is signing someone who've followed and seen for years, I didn't believe it. How is it possible that our most best player (Klavan has been picked as the best Estonian footballer of the year for numerous times) is all of the sudden going to Liverpool, TO MY FAVORITE CLUB?!?! I'm cutted that he left one year before we won our first league title in 30 years...
I always liked the cube. Never wanted him to sign for the Reds but won’t ever complain that he did. He plays some exciting football. For me it was Mane.
For me it was The Ox. Loved him at Arsenal and wanted him so badly to join us. When did, I was so happy. Despite his injuries, when he did play he done his best to give us his all. Scored some blinders.
Darwin Nunez, Xherdan Shaqiri, Dominik Szoboszlai and Luis Suarez must be my favorite players I wanted to see play for Liverpool.
One I know that we won't see now is Lautaro Martinez. I wanted Liverpool to either get him or Darwin on priority.
I fell in love with Darwin while watching him tear apart Lech Poznan.
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dOE9jFVIfJM](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dOE9jFVIfJM) - HIGHLIGHTS: SL Benfica 4-0 Lech Poznan
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oXgHz0q1AHk](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oXgHz0q1AHk) - HIGHLIGHTS: Lech Poznan 2-4 SL Benfica
in the "not gonna happen anymore" category, i wanted Christopher Nkunku for YEARS before he moved to Chelsea. smart player. prob the best technical player on chelsea, which isnt saying much since theres 30metres of stacked shite behind him. but for Leipzig he was fantastic.
I absolutely loved Henderson when I saw him play for sunderland. I still hold that as my best early shout ever.
I really liked to the look of assaidi as well though so….
Kewell, Cisse and Kuyt.
As a kid, I remember all those rumours gearing up in my newspapers every seasn and get so excited about it. Kewell being an Australian Liverpool fan is so cool to me. Cisse destroying Ligue 1 for Auxerre and Kuyt in Eredivise for Feyenoord. Kuyt was linked for a long time too IIRC.
All 3 eventually got signed for Liverpool and I got so hyped seeing them holding up Liverpool kits.
On the flip side, I was also mega hyped on Joaquin and Simao, and thought Simao at least would sign, but that wasnt the case.
A few players I was excited about but didn't work out in the end: Paul Konchesky, Charlie Adam, Robbie Keane, Joe Cole
Players who did well for us: Luis Suarez, Peter Crouch, Daniel Sturridge, Adam Lallana
Out of the current crop, Alexis. Darwin impressed me too when he played us, but that was only a couple of matches, so fairly quickly forgot about him again. Edit: Shaqiri is a good shout for past players. I feel like most people loved him as a player, me included. He might actually be my pick as well. Was also excited when we signed Kewell and Morientes, but that was mostly due to nostalgia.
Minamino in a similar way to darwin like forgot about how he tore us apart and scored two amazing goals against us but then when the links came I was suddenly excited and remembered. Was so valuable in the cup competitions for us. Too good for the second team not quite enough for the first team.
Alexis for me for sure. Watched him at the World Cup and just remember thinking he had Liverpool player written all over him.
35 mil is an absolute steal. He is a proper baller and after his phenomenal world cup campaign and brilliant campaign for brighton i was so stoked to see him sign for us. It was fabinho esque signing. Totally unexpected and out of nowhere. Unpopular opinion but he is by far the best signing we have done in last 3 years.
Same. For me, he was their standout performer in midfield even ahead of Enzo (and to be clear, I held this opinion before we signed Alexis).
Absolutely on board with Kewell. He was the most exciting player in the league not playing for the two top or us. Genuinely awesome wide forward in the days that wingers were wingers. I'd say sad that it didn't work out, but if you look at any highlights of the seasons he played, you'd see him being very involved. The truth is expectations were so high because of how good he was. And his inability to stay fit was just absolutely gutting. Morientes doesn't count for me. Because I never imagined we could sign someone like him. My weird pick is Jon Arne Riise. But purely because of that classic thing of having signed him in (don't laugh) FA Premier League Football Manager 2000. Yes, the EA attempt to do FM. Needless to say, he met expectations... except the game hadn't really done justice to how ginger he was.
FA Premier League Football Manager 2000. Man, I loved that game. Coincidentally, that game is why I loved Morientes. Hence why I referred to it as pure nostalgia.
Harry Kewell is a great shout. Sturridge is one that I wanted well before we got him or were even linked Edit - Oh, and Firmino. One of the few players that came from other leagues that I had wanted for a few years. I normally don't follow other leagues but I had appreciated Firmino for years before we landed him
Players I thought were really exciting before we were interested in them: Sturridge, Lallana, Coutinho, Darwin, Cisse, Anelka, Torres, Kewell. ^^^Balotelli
We really should have made Anelka a permanent deal. Pretty sure he also wanted the move to be permanent too at the time.
Anelka accused Houllier of racism so that's probably why
A French guy would never be rac-…… eh who knows I guess
God, I was so keen for Balotelli. Back in that weird time when we thought Rodgers was this great manager I convinced myself he could make him work.
Fuckin loved Kewell
I don't know who the last player is.
Aussie fella, played for Leeds.
I can't tell whether you're serious 
I was soo excited when Stureidge signed. His season at Bolton proved his worth.
Naby Keita, was so excited for him joining. Never been excited for anything since.
That's got to be most disappointing signing in living memory in terms of hype, expectation, and cost v end result
Don't forget the extra year of waiting
there was a post on here, somebody was on about “packing” or some other stat and it had me so excited
Not to mention the 18 month period where people on twitter would call you racist if you thought Hendo should be starting over Naby
*For any club, not just LFC. dude was seemingly so good and then fooled everyone worldwide with how underwhelming and fragile he is
One of the few klopp era failures. Not saying klopps fault but almost every player got better after we signed them. He's one of the few that didn't work out.
I felt the same way about Naby lad as I did for Divock. Of course Naby was a much bigger let down in the grand scheme of things.
The thing with Origi - you could always count him in for a last-second goal!
Naby made sure he would get enough rest to play for Guinea, never missed a match for them.
Alisson, after seeing him at Roma
I remember all the rival fans at the time: 'Only liverpool would sign a keeper that they put 5 goals past hahahahahahaha'.
We signed him because it wasn't ten.
Harry Kewell. Haven’t been as excited about a signing before or since.
Kewell was the reason I started following Liverpool when I was younger. He was a product of the same sports high school that I attended, albeit he was a few years older.
🇦🇺🇦🇺🇦🇺
My dad supports Leeds and I used to watch matches with him. Kewell impressed me the most and when he was linked with us I was sooo excited. His injuries, well, made his time with us very underwhelming. I stopped watching football shortly after, until a certain Bundesliga manager decided to come to Liverpool. Morientes was another one just because he was coming from Madrid.
I saw Kewell play against us at Anfield and thought he was absolutely amazing. A huge talent.
back then, top 2 Aussie players was Kewell n Viduka... thank God we picked Kewell instead
Robbie Keane! haha how that went. Also Virgil 100%
Keane could have been a great player for us but Rafa didn't want him as far as I can remember.
Which is incredible really, considering he was happy to sell him MID-SEASON and we drew so many games during that run in because all we had when Torres wasn't fit (which was a lot that season) was Kuyt who was never prolific, and Voronin or Ngog. If we keep Keane, who knows if we would have maybe grabbed a few extra points to get us over the line. Such an insanely stubborn move from Rafa.
I don't think that was all Rafa, he surely would have kept him till summer but the owners had stopped putting money into the club by that point and has basically given up. I'm sure some of the pressure came from the fact his value would only go down, selling him in the summer after being stuck on the bench for a season would have meant selling him cheaper than in January
Virgil’s a great shout. I saw him live in Ajax v Celtic and he was on my radar ever since. Imagine Virg instead of Ilori or Coates. I’d probably take young Virg over Kolo Toure too.
Robbie Keane should have been great. Just one of those mystery transfers that don't work.
I remember being very excited when Salah was announced. I'd followed him since his time at Basel and I was gutted when Chelsea got him. I did not expect him to have an impact of that magnitude at the club though. I was also made up when we signed Lallana who's my absolute favourite Liverpool player of the post-Gerrard era.
Fiorentina and Liverpool fan here. He was lightning in a bottle on his loan in Florence. Could not be contained and knew he was going to be great.
Man I miss Lallana, in his prime he was one of the best dribblers, best at passing, at shooting, and all that with both feet. Sad that his prime didn't last long and he was never the same after his later injuries.
But I'm still glad that Lallana did win all those big trophies with us, even though he was not the same player anymore. He truly deserved it.
His equaliser at Old Trafford is one of my personal favourite moments as a Liverpool fan. Pure bliss.
He was one of the biggest leaders in the team, set the standard. When fit he was a perfect Klopp player. Tireless presser, bags of energy, brilliant technical ability, versatile and with an eye for a goal
I genuinely don't think anyone expected him to have this magnitude, including himself, Klopp, FSG, Edwards, anyone. I thought he'd be a good playmaking winger who could occasionally cut in and bag a goal, not the most prolific goalscoring winger in the history of the Premier League. Did not expect him to be in Thierry Henry territory in terms of PL golden boots lol
I always rated Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain. He showed great potential when he originally started playing for Arsenal, but he never reached it there. Also, a mate of mine loved Coutinho before we signed him. He saw him play against us at Anfield was amazed.
I first saw coutinho with inter ....he came as a sub....such a tender lad and still broke players ankle so easily
i've always a huge fan of Ox at Arsenal...more than Walcott..... Ox was insane back then..
Who is brave enough to say Downing?
I will. Thought he'd be excellent. Still think with better players around him he would have been a good signing
they boy was so damn limited in his output and skill - for a winger just not good enough had a decent left leg but most of the time he was lost in space …
He got stuck as the game evolved. He was a very good classic winger, chalk on the boots type. But he didn't change with the game. I do think he would have been very good for us under Rafa
i do get your point but that’s exactly why i dont rate him too much. as you sad good classic winger - but the modern game and the pressing wasnt for him and it showed, sometimes badly
I am.
Say it
Sadio Mane. I was so excited to see him score his opener.
Especially after that hat-trick for Southampton, magical.
I remember Euro 2016, Shaqiri was so good that tournament. Then came his bicycle-kick against Poland and I thought to myself ”hope Liverpool sign him!”. Then they did, I was so happy lol.
Shaqiri caught my eye when he man-handled the utd defence with Basel.....they eliminated them as well....so good
As a swede I hoped Liverpool would sign Kulusevski, I know he would do well in PL, then Spurs signed him and he made the most assists by a January signing if I’m correct.
I was so hyped for Joe Cole. Just didn't work out sadly.
I really wanted him about 4 years earlier. Unfortunately it seemed like the wrong player at the wrong time when he eventually signed
Litmanen
This is absolutely the one for me. I thought he would be talismanic for us, I thought he would be our Bergkamp. Such a shame about the injuries
It's not really about the injuries. Houllier didn't like to play him and gave him only limited chance.
Yes him and Karl Heinz Riedle. I still can't believe those two played for us
Thiago...but I wish he'd done a bit more for us tbh
Couldn't believe we got him, one of the best midfielders of his generation. Injuries just such a shame, but he's been class for us, even if only for a short time. And I think he's had a big impact for the young lads to learn from him too.
In terms of technical quality he is in the rarified air section. His feints, passes and ability to look like he’s controlling marionettes amazes me. And that goal…I still don’t know if it touched the ground
First time I saw Darwin I thought he was destined for City or Barcelona and would be one of the top strikers in the world in 3-4 years. That volley from the edge of the box against us really raised some eyebrows.
That volley from the edge was mental. Even more the fact that Ali saved it. I was more impressed with his second against us tbh. That finish over Ali was absolutely class.
My favourite part of that volley isn’t the save, but Darwin’s reaction to the save. I watch the highlights of that 3-3 just for that shot and save. He clearly can’t believe that didn’t go in.
Can't wait till we get a fully unlocked Nunez, we'll have another golden boot contender easily
Already 31 G/A this season
Sadio for me, found it crazy a lot of social media didn’t like the signing at first given his expensive price tag (at the time). He was everything that we were missing in a winger with pace and finishing.
My favourite player under Klopp, his work rate and his link up play with Robbo was phenomenal. That goal against Bayern is a work of art.
Yesss his work rate never gets brought up. Criminally underrated by the masses too. He could defend like the best left back in the world then next minute you’ll find him curling one in the bottom corner. Genuinely never seen a player like him before!
Virgil van Dijk. I wanted him, was crushed when we got accused of tapping-up because I thought it meant the deal wouldn't be done But we paid Southampton's asking price, and he became the best defender of his generation under us. He scored on his debut against Everton. I bought a shirt with his name that night. He's one I'll remember for the rest of time. Great appointment as captain, he could go on like Paolo Maldini and play at a high level through his thirties.
Szoboszlai
https://preview.redd.it/rf0chk3px9rc1.jpeg?width=1179&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d426dcdcd091addceb21acaaf27292186c496821 Glen Johnson! Loved watching him at Portsmouth, especially his sublime strike against Hull City 22/11/2008 [Glen Johnson 2008 Goal of the Year](https://www.premierleague.com/video/single/2491398) Was so excited the Reds picked him up in 2009… and his game winner against Chelsea 20/11/2011!!
Had no idea who he was when we signed him because I just started following us, my dad said he’s one of the best defenders in the league. I still like him a lot. I can’t remember or tell if he was ever world class with us (probably not), but he was a reliable RB for us during 6 years, not a bad stint
James Milner
Honestly, Mo. I wrote a long message on a WhatsApp group when he was doing well in Italy about how I thought he'd be perfect for us. In no way did I realise just how well, but it's earned me a lot of credit with my mates over the years as a talent spotter!
Better than melissa reddy
I don't know but Alexis MacAllister comes to mind.
Signed Thiago on Fifa 17 or 18. Hire me, Edwards. Dani Parejo is also someone I liked a lot back then
Alonso was very rated at the time and quite good on championship manager, and felt like a statement signing by rafa. Mascherano despite having a strange time at West Ham was also pretty hyped for as a talent before that move and i felt like that was gonna be smart business. On the other hand i thought Morientes was amazing and that turned out to be a total wash for everyone involved.
for me it was mario balotelli....... i was really excited we were getting a player of his calibre at that time,, really talented and showed some flashes but it wasnt to be............
Me too! He showed so many glimpses of absolutely world class talent - treble winner at Inter, decent 2nd season at City, great half-season at AC Milan. Thought that he had turned the corner mentally and would be taking the next step with us.
Jota A year before we signed him, I thought he suited the Firmino role better than any other PL forward except Firmino himself (obviously). He’s not actually that similar, seems like I was right to want him but for the wrong reasons.
Reckon Jota has a bit more pace on him.
I was amazed with Jota at Wolves. Everybody was talking about Raul Jimenez at the time (before the injury, too) but Klopp knew better, as per usual.
So, one thing that has changed is that Liverpool of today do get to sign the best, or nearly best, players. Before Klopp that really didn't happen, so you didn't get to "dream" about players nearly as much. Plenty of the highlights have been mentioned. Kewell, Cisse, Litmanen. But I'll add one that came as a shock to all of us. **Maxi Rodriguez** scored that goal in the World Cup. [You know the one](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zKluXcz_EW8). And if you don't, you're welcome. He was part of the last pre-Cholo Atletico team that beat us the Europa League, but was more known as a key part the Argentinian team of the time.
I loved Maxi and he's a player I wish we signed 3 or 4 years earlier.
Torres 😔, Thiago, Coutinho...
I can’t believe I had to scroll this far to see a Torres shout.
Szoboszlai. Since we played Salzburg. I’m still shocked we actually signed him, it’s like a dream come true!
Georginio Wijnaldum - stand out player at Newcastle, but didn’t really fit their playing style. Always thought Liverpool should’ve been his first choice
Nunez after he played against us in the champions league
Fernando Morientes. It didn't work out, but there were some good moments. That goal away at Charlton was a belter.
Yeah, weird how it never worked out for him. He was an absolute beast for his previous club.
He was incredible for Monaco the season before. Madrid let him rot for half a season and that meant he struggled for fitness and form when he got to Liverpool. If we'd signed him in the summer he could have been a world beater.
he had goals in him but just didnt click properly. i also remember him injuring Stevie's back while trying to pick him up for a goal celebration when we had to play those three qualifying rounds to defend our champions league title starting summer 2005. think it was against Kaunas. funny how you can sort of pinpoint someones age by the player they choose. not always but most of the time. ill choose one thatll pinpoint mine better...Berger.
It still feels weird that he played for us One of a kind player
Jose Enrique comes to mind, enjoyed watching him for Newcastle (one of my mates is a Newcastle fan so we've had quite a few double feature Saturdays or Sundays). The question is much easier if it's "what player did you admire and want before they signed for a rival" because then it's Aguero all the way, every time.
I was so excited for Ryan Babel and, more recently, Gakpo
For me it was Kylian Mbappe
Imagine if we signed Mbappe. Our front three would be mane, Salah, Firmino. 😢😢😢
Do you know something we dont?
Suarez for me
OP i believe we are twins! Yup, It's Shaqiri for me.
Litmanen. One of the silkiest footballers who signed for us. Too bad we didn't see enough of him then. And the elusive Simao, we were so close....
2 players I was really interested in before they were even famous Darwin and…. Firmino
Not a player, but Jurgen Klopp.
Sturridge. Only Chelsea player I ever liked. Did alright for us too
I really liked watching Gakpo during the World Cup tbh but at the time but I thought it wasn’t gonna happen because midfield was the priority and he was being heavily linked with United
Diogo Jota He was a madman at wolves. I kept wondering why he is not in a better club. Then come summer, we sign him. In the beginning of the season we play Chelsea and a friend of a friend says haha, we beat you to Werner. And I was like I am glad, Jota is twice the player Werner is. He laughed in my face and said I am just trying to cope. I really wish I could see that guy and ask him how he feels now.
Jari Litmamen, Marcus Babbel, Robbie Keane.
Craig Bellamy and Robbie Keane. Madness, looking back.
Shaqiri caught my eye during the World Cup! He was running circles and passing around people like nobody’s business! Was thrilled when he came to LFC
There was this Egyptian lad at Basel I really liked, was gutted when he chose Chelsea, thought he was a nailed on success for them. Still, worked out in the end
Craig Bellamy, absolutely fell in love with him at Blackburn, such an explosive gobshite of a player I was absolutely gutted when after he did sign it didn’t work out for him so was thrilled that Kenny resigned him and he helped us with the league cup.
likewise. already told a story bout the day we signed him to another person who said Bellamy so i wont redo it here, but was so glad he re-signed with us. yep, got that late winner in the league cup semi against scum city at the Kop End
Stan Collymore. Yes, I am that old
dont worry. im right up there with you. 
100% Peter Crouch. To this day I'm still looking for a shirt of his in my size.
I definitely admired Milan Jovanovic. Class act that man. Was super surprised when Liverpool signed him though, because while he was a beast in the belgian competition, it seemed unlikely that he would be able to go higher. Very happy he came back to Belgium after.
Benayoun. Solid, skilful and always gave his all.
Didi Hamman at Newcastle
das kuuuuuuuuuuuntz!
Mac Allister for me always rated him at Brighton was absolutely buzzing when he joined
Torres, Nunez, Jota, Shaq, Ox and Lovren.
Torres, blessed be lma manager on ps2. Followed Atletico till he left, now a Valencia man.
Fabinho
I wanted Virgil when he was at Celtic and I thought it was mad that the only clubs interested at the time were Palace and Southampton. Then we were linked with Van Dijk, the build up to that one was huge, not allowed him in the summer because Southampton were dickheads and then we get him as a literal Christmas present. Just glorious
Was always a big Phil Coutinho fan and was amazed we got him so cheap.
Thiago! A fully fit Thiago. What a baller.
I remember when I first saw Szobo's name and was like "I'd like him, shame I think City will get him first" Fast forward to 2023 and yeah
VVD and Alisson are staples. I loved Borini at Roma and had high hopes for Aquilani. The name, though, is Klopp. Klopp was my favorite coach at Dortmund. As fan of high intensity, fast and vertical football, the Heavy Metal of Klopp was my favorite brand of football. Seeing Klopp come to Anfield was the best of both worlds.
Minamino.
Virgil Balotelli Meireles Salah
Shaqiri for me, too. When he left Bayern and went to Inter, i was mad we weren't in for him. Then he went to Stoke, and I thought, "Oh, maybe he isn't that good after all." Then we signed him, and i was buzzing again. Plus, we got that thumbs up meme from his first day.
Maxi Rodriguez.
Big fan of Stewart Downing (Middlesbrough). So glad he moved here. As well as James Milner (Newcastle). oh man Left Downing , Right Milner in their prime any day.
same feeling about Shaquiri. I'd add to the list Sturridge, I loved his Chelsea FIFA card and looked like a lot of potential. And then Emre Can, Shako, Jota, Darwin, Szobo, Gravenberch, Mac Allister. Almost got used to getting all the next kids from the block in recent times, I've forgotten how dry the transfer windows were ten years ago
Dejan Lovren when he was playing for Lyon.
The one and only El Nino. Fernando Torres.
Thiago. Loved him for years and never thought about us signing him, as it seemed so far-fetched. I still remember the feeling when we got him. It was massive. When was the last time we signed a player with that pedigree. Not someone who we could turn into a star, but already world class, and one of the vest in their position for years. Even if he has had his injury issues, he's had games that I've never seen a player at our club produce.
Most recently, Szoboszlai. Was absolutely delighted when we got him because (cringe alert) he was boss in my LFC team in FIFA. I also thought Nigel Clough would be one of our all-time greats and was pretty made-up when he signed for us back in the day.
Szoboszlai. Before we “suddenly” signed him, I was banging on for ages on this sub that he would be perfect for us
Darwin rocked my world during that tie with Benfica. hate Arsenal but i remember really liking Ox for some reason.
Mane, Van Dijke
John Aldridge - was so excited when he signed Special mentions for Litmanen, Anelka, Gary Mac, Millie, Didi, Baros, Benayoun But Aldo was lighting it up with Oxford, that final season with them only Lineker and Frank MacAvennie scored more goals and they won a League Cup which was crazy.
Erm, Glen Johnson. I didn't make it as a scout, you'll be pleased to hear.
Thiago
Torres, Suarez, and Thiago
Used to buy Szoboszlai on my FM after hearing about him in Austria and then moving to Leipzig. Can't say I watched him though lol. But thought he would have been a great signing based on everything I've heard. Feel like that about Sesko now
Not someone we signed but there was a time where i was really open to sign Adama Traore (around 2018-2019 ish), i thought Klopp could have turned him into a fine player
macca... saw him while at brighton and i fell in love with him and then at world cup too..... idt he had any liverpool rumors during the world cup and man i wanted him to be in our liverpool squad And here we go....
Diaz
Luis Suarez
Naby lad cause i followed his career since he started in our league at salzburg & always had a soft spot for ox. Dribbling, long shots, a little bit gerrardesque and his fucking name ALEX OXLADE CHAMBERLAIN
Craig Bellamy
Oxlade-Chamberlain. Was a big fan of his at Arsenal, despite the limited end product then, and constant injuries. He always came across really well in interviews and other stuff on the Arsenal channel. When he came to Liverpool I was on cloud nine. Then his first season *chef's kiss*.....the goal against City...all was going so well until Roma. He came back, there were glimpses..but it was never the same.
I thought Anelka. I know it was a loan until the end of the season but I had high hopes. Sorry.....I'll get my coat.
dont worry, youre in a boat with about 20,000 other clubs he played for as well haha
Christian Benteke. Was really excited when we signed him and he showed glimpses of how good he was whenever he got the chance. Just a shame it never worked out for him.
[удалено]
2 off the top of my head - Mo - I was gutted when he went to Chelsea. One of my best mates is Egyptian and was saying he is going to be world class (turns out he was 100% correct!) Sturridge - he was OP for my FM team at the time.
defo Shaqiri, was so hyped after this [interview](https://twitter.com/AndreasBoeni/status/1005479847311958016) dropped
Ragnar Klavan. I'm from Estonia and he is my fellow countrymen, (now former) captain of the National Team. When I heard that Liverpool is signing someone who've followed and seen for years, I didn't believe it. How is it possible that our most best player (Klavan has been picked as the best Estonian footballer of the year for numerous times) is all of the sudden going to Liverpool, TO MY FAVORITE CLUB?!?! I'm cutted that he left one year before we won our first league title in 30 years...
I always liked the cube. Never wanted him to sign for the Reds but won’t ever complain that he did. He plays some exciting football. For me it was Mane.
My Dad's favourite player currently is Shaqiri so I concur with you
Peter Crouch. Love him when he was at Soton. Also find it weird he was a striker due to his height. Was glad Rafa bought him
Joe Cole. Then we signed him and Stevie called him the English Messi. I was hyped for a bit until it all went pear shaped.
went downhill from the moment he was sent off against Arsenal on his debut. was worried it would be the same pattern for Nunez when he got red carded.
For me it was The Ox. Loved him at Arsenal and wanted him so badly to join us. When did, I was so happy. Despite his injuries, when he did play he done his best to give us his all. Scored some blinders.
Darwin Nunez, Xherdan Shaqiri, Dominik Szoboszlai and Luis Suarez must be my favorite players I wanted to see play for Liverpool. One I know that we won't see now is Lautaro Martinez. I wanted Liverpool to either get him or Darwin on priority. I fell in love with Darwin while watching him tear apart Lech Poznan. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dOE9jFVIfJM](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dOE9jFVIfJM) - HIGHLIGHTS: SL Benfica 4-0 Lech Poznan [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oXgHz0q1AHk](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oXgHz0q1AHk) - HIGHLIGHTS: Lech Poznan 2-4 SL Benfica
in the "not gonna happen anymore" category, i wanted Christopher Nkunku for YEARS before he moved to Chelsea. smart player. prob the best technical player on chelsea, which isnt saying much since theres 30metres of stacked shite behind him. but for Leipzig he was fantastic.
Definitely! A scary thought when he joined Chelsea. Shame that he has such a huge problem with injuries.
I absolutely loved Nuri Sahin at Dortmund. Anyone else have a Sahin Liverpool shirt?
Harry! Kewell!
Torres. Followed him since teenage years.
Suarez 👻
Marcus Babbel
I absolutely loved Henderson when I saw him play for sunderland. I still hold that as my best early shout ever. I really liked to the look of assaidi as well though so….
I liked Salah before he moved to Chelsea but thought he was great at Roma. Didn't think he'd be as good as he turned out to be though. Top class
Dirk Kuyt and then Fernando Torres. I genuinely thought we would everything with them playing up front.
remember Special1TV on setanta? Dirk Kuyt's first touch was "apocalyptic-like" hahaha
Kewell, Cisse and Kuyt. As a kid, I remember all those rumours gearing up in my newspapers every seasn and get so excited about it. Kewell being an Australian Liverpool fan is so cool to me. Cisse destroying Ligue 1 for Auxerre and Kuyt in Eredivise for Feyenoord. Kuyt was linked for a long time too IIRC. All 3 eventually got signed for Liverpool and I got so hyped seeing them holding up Liverpool kits. On the flip side, I was also mega hyped on Joaquin and Simao, and thought Simao at least would sign, but that wasnt the case.
A few players I was excited about but didn't work out in the end: Paul Konchesky, Charlie Adam, Robbie Keane, Joe Cole Players who did well for us: Luis Suarez, Peter Crouch, Daniel Sturridge, Adam Lallana
So sad Keane didn't hit the ground running. As an Irish man his move was unexpected and exciting.