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#3 Fabio Borini | AS Roma | £11.5 million
Former Premier League and FA Cup winner Fabio Borini was another surprise Liverpool signing. While the first two names on our list mainly operated as midfielders, Borini had a miserly return of three goals in 38 appearances as a striker.
The Italian won a Premier League medal with Chelsea in 2009-10, after barely meeting the minimum requirement to be considered part of the squad.
Borini was one of the lowest goal-scoring strikers in the Premier League, especially for someone playing for top clubs like Chelsea and Liverpool. He scored only 16 times in 111 Premier League appearances. With no disrespect to Borini, he always functioned as a bit-part player, known more for his hold-up play than goal-scoring abilities.
The Italian, one of several disappointing signings at Liverpool, departed the club after three seasons, one of which was spent on loan at Sunderland. Borini looked more at home at Sunderland, scoring 17 goals for the Black Cats, which helped him earn a loan move to AC Milan before a permanent transfer in 2018.
#2 Alberto Aquilani | AS Roma | €20 million
Alberto Aquilani was the man brought in by Liverpool to replace Xabi Alonso after the Spaniard made a move to Real Madrid. However, Aquilani was more of a desperate splurge from Liverpool, as they failed to land their first target, Gareth Barry.
In retrospect, Liverpool would have preferred to save on the €20 million on Aquilani and spent it in the upcoming transfer windows, as the Italian notched up only 18 Premier League appearances.
Across all competitions, Aquilani managed a meagre return of two goals and six assists. Injuries did not help the now-retired player, as he never managed to get a prolonged run in the Liverpool XI and was eventually relegated to appearances in the 'lesser' matches.
The two-time Serie A winner barely lasted a season at Anfield before departing for Juventus the next season. He was then passed on to AC Milan in the next season.
#1 Mario Balotelli | AC Milan | £18 million
Mario Balotelli was regarded as one of the most talented forwards in the game. But the Italian had fallen way off his perch by the time he arrived at Liverpool. While his attitude and temperament have always been a bone of contention, Balotelli's goals had dried up as well.
Moreover, the Italian was brought in to replace the hugely successful Luis Suarez, who almost led Liverpool to a Premier League title in the 2013-14 season.
Currently plying his trade at Serie B outfit, AC Monza, Balotelli lasted only two seasons at Liverpool before he was released for free to Nice. Balotelli could not recreate his glory days at Manchester City, as he managed only four goals and no assists in 28 appearances, including a solitary Premier League goal during his ill-fated stint at Liverpool.
Much like Alberto Aquilani, the former Premier League winner was a last-ditch signing after Liverpool's failure to acquire their top targets in the position.
This 2015 transfer deal was yet another result of Liverpool's poor scouting prior to the glorious Michael Edwards era.
