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One of the key reasons why Liverpool took so long to win their first Premier League title is because they have committed several costly mistakes in the transfer market.
They have had a number of big-money flops or plain, disappointing signings in the pre-Jurgen Klopp era.
Liverpool's five biggest transfer mistakes
Even though Jurgen Klopp has since steered the side back to both domestic and European glory, Liverpool's indecisiveness in buying and selling players before his arrival has robbed the club of silverware.
On that note, let's take a look at Liverpool's five biggest transfer mistakes over the years.
#5 Mario Balotelli
Replacing the peerless Luis Suarez was never going to be an easy task for any player. But Mario Balotelli proved to be the complete antithesis of the Uruguayan ace.
While the Barcelona-bound striker was strong, menacing and prolific, his Italian counterpart huffed and puffed his way through the season, scoring just four times in 28 games in all competitions.
Balotelli never looked suited to Brendan Rodgers' style of play, with the Italian's enduring image from his ill-fated Liverpool stint being an argument he had with captain Steven Gerrard over a penalty in the Champions League.
Mario Balotelli returned to AC Milan on loan in 2015 before joining Nice on a permanent transfer the next year.
#4 Alberto Aquilani
One of Liverpool's biggest mistakes was trying to replace their best midfielder in Xabi Alonso with someone mediocre and highly injury-prone like Alberto Aquilani.
Aquilani didn't come cheap either, as the former AS Roma man cost Liverpool £17 million.
The Italian struggled to come to terms with life in the Premier League and made just 19 league appearances.
After Brendon Rodgers took charge in 2012, Aquilani was deemed surplus to requirements at Liverpool. The Italian joined Fiorentina on a permanent transfer following two similarly underwhelming loan spells with Juventus and AC Milan in the Serie A.
#3 Iago Aspas
Iago Aspas failed to break into the Liverpool lineup in 2013-14, as Luis Suarez and Daniel Sturridge had forged a deadly partnership up front.
Bought from Celta Vigo in the summer for £8 million, Liverpool's precocious 'SAS' attacking partnership left Aspas on the bench for most of the campaign.
However, even in the limited game-time he received, Aspas offered too little, struggling to adapt to the Premier League's physical style of play.
After just 14 league games to his name and a grand total of zero goals, Aspas returned to the La Liga in 2014.
#2 Rickie Lambert
Another striker Liverpool bought from Luis Suarez's transfer money was Rickie Lambert.
The Southampton legend, with his scoring prowess, helped his old club climb up from League One to Premier League, performances that earned him England call-ups.
But Lambert failed to replicate that form at Liverpool and was mostly consigned to a bit-part role under Brendon Rodgers.
Lambert eventually left his boyhood club after just one season. But that ill-fated move permanently derailed his career, as the striker could never recapture his old form again.
#1 Andy Carroll
Liverpool's biggest transfer mistake has to be the big-money signing of Andy Carroll.
After an impressive run in the first half of the 2010-11 season with Newcastle United. Liverpool decided to bring the tall striker to Anfield.
Carroll was supposed to bolster Liverpool's attack, but instead, he struggled to fit in Brendon Rodgers' system. The former manager later admitted that for Carroll to shine, everything had to be set up around him.
His Liverpool stint lasted just two years, with the player scoring six league goals from 44 games, before moving on to West Ham United in 2013.
