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Over the years, Liverpool have had some fine footballers at their disposal. Banking on their immeasurable talent, the Reds have won 19 English top-flight league titles and six European Cups, amongst other honors.
Unfortunately, acquiring top talents is only a part of the story. Retaining the superstars and giving them the respect they deserve are two equally important tasks; Liverpool have had a hard time with both. Today we will be taking a look at the five Liverpool players who departed the club prematurely, players who should have extended their stay.
These five players delivered plenty following their Liverpool exit, making the club rue their transfers. Now, without further ado, let us get to it.
Special mention: Javier Mascherano, Raheem Sterling, John Arne Riise
#5 Fernando Torres (Sold to Chelsea)
Signed from Atletico Madrid for €38million in the summer of 2007, then-club-record signing Fernando Torres was meant to put Liverpool’s striker worries to bed. By scoring on his Anfield debut, Torres turned himself into a club sweetheart. The story continued right up until his transfer in January 2011.
Despite seeing Liverpool finish seventh in the 2009-10 campaign, Torres pledged to stay at Anfield. The club appreciated his commitment and branded him as untouchable property. Unfortunately, in the winter transfer window of 2011, Torres put down his transfer request. Chelsea signed the player for €58.5million, leaving the Kop in disbelief.
Liverpool replaced Torres with Andy Carroll and Luis Suarez. Carroll never came close to replicating his predecessor’s brilliance and Suarez took little time to start firing on all cylinders. Considering the contrasting style of play, it would have been exciting to see Suarez and Torres feeding off one another at Liverpool.
Torres spent four seasons at Liverpool, scoring 81 goals and providing 20 assists in 142 appearances.
#4 Sami Hyypia (Moved to Bayer Leverkusen)
When Liverpool signed Sami Hyypia for a meager £2.6 million fee from Dutch outfit Willem II in the summer of 1999, not many expected the Finnish footballer to do anything worth noting. The defender was a success at Willem II, of course, but Premier League football was a completely different ball game. Thankfully, Hyypia never let the odds intimidate him.
Over the next 10 seasons, Hyypia proved himself to be an invaluable member of the Liverpool team. He was a fearless leader, an excellent reader of the ball, and had a knack for timing his tackles to perfection. After winning 10 trophies with the club in as many years, including the 2004-05 Champions League, he joined Bundesliga side Bayer Leverkusen in 2009.
Liverpool defenders Daniel Agger and Jamie Carragher did manage without the great Hyypia, but they could not bring the attacking flair the veteran possessed. Hyppia, who made 464 appearances for Liverpool, was chosen as Bundesliga’s defender of the year for 2009.
#3 Michael Owen (Sold to Real Madrid)
Liverpool have had some fine forwards in their line-up over the years, but very few have been as charismatic as Michael Owen.
Rising through the Liverpool youth system, Owen made his senior team debut in 1997. In his first full season in 1997-98, he netted 18 goals in the English top-flight and deservedly won the PFA Young Player of the Year award.
He had quick feet, explosive pace, and an ability to score outrageous goals, which made him one of the most fearsome forwards in the world. After spending six seasons and becoming the only Englishman to win the European Footballer of the Year award, Owen signed for Real Madrid in 2004.
Selling their star man for only €12million was a blunder on Liverpool’s part, and they paid the price in the 2004-05 campaign of the Premier League. Milan Baros and Djibril Cisse helped out, of course, but could not ensure a top-four finish in the Premier League.
Fortunately, Liverpool spectacularly won the Champions League in 2004-05 against AC Milan to ensure Champions League participation.
#2 Xabi Alonso (Sold to Real Madrid)
Xabi Alonso is one of the best midfielders of this generation, and Liverpool never went on to fully replace the maestro. Alonso was signed from La Liga club Real Sociedad in the summer of 2004 by newly-appointed manager Rafa Benitez. The Reds only paid €16million for the defensive midfielder’s services, which turned out to be one of the best bargains in the Premier League.
Alonso quickly formed a formidable partnership with captain Steven Gerrard and started to boss the midfield. He created a similarly effective bond with Javier Mascherano when Gerrard took a more offensive role to support Fernando Torres.
After five seasons and over 200 appearances with the Reds, the 2004-05 Champions League winner signed for Real Madrid for €34.5million. Liverpool infamously finished seventh in the 2009-10 season and Gerrard went on record to attribute their misfortunes to Alonso’s untimely departure.
#1 Luis Suarez (Sold to Barcelona)
Michael Owen and Fernando Torres were sensations in their prime, but it was Luis Suarez who came closest to ending Liverpool’s league drought.
The Uruguay international, who was signed from Ajax for €26.5million in January 2011, settled in nicely at the club, scoring on his debut. He scored four goals in 13 Premier League appearances for the remainder of the 2010-11 season.
Following a disappointing campaign in 2011-12, Suarez rolled up his sleeves and vouched to lead Liverpool by example. He produced his best in the 2013-14 campaign, scoring 31 goals and providing 17 assists in the Premier League alone. His Golden Boot-winning effort brought Liverpool agonizingly close to the league title. But the Reds imploded towards the end, with Manchester City piping them to the title.
Heartbroken, Suarez moved to Barcelona in the summer of 2014, completing a €81.72million transfer. Liverpool signed Mario Balotelli in the same summer but the Italian never lived up to the hype at Anfield. Suarez’s departure is still a sore spot for fans, as he could have potentially been the league’s most lethal forward under Jurgen Klopp.
