Every transfer begins with optimism. A player holds up the shirt and supporters start imagining how they will fit into the team. There is always that feeling that the club might have found the missing piece of the puzzle.   Sometimes those signings go on to become legends. Other times, for one reason or another, things just never seem to click. Modern football supporters also spend more time than ever consuming content around the game, from transfer speculation and tactical analysis to guides on topics such as matched betting, making every new signing subject to constant discussion and scrutiny.   liverpool/" title="Liverpool" data-wpil-keyword-link="linked">Liverpool has enjoyed some outstanding recruitment during the Premier League era. Mohamed Salah, Virgil van Dijk, Andy Robertson and Alisson Becker have all helped write some of the club’s greatest modern chapters. Even so, Liverpool has also made a few signings that failed to live up to the excitement that followed their arrival, so here are five transfers that didn’t work out at Anfield.

5. Paul Konchesky

When Roy Hodgson signed Paul Konchesky from Fulham in 2010, there was a feeling that Liverpool needed experience during a difficult period.   Konchesky had been a dependable Premier League full-back and knew exactly what Hodgson expected from him. Unfortunately, Liverpool supporters expected much more from a player wearing the famous red shirt.   Unfortunately, he never looked entirely comfortable, and quickly became one of the players most associated with a disappointing spell in the club’s history. The pressure only intensified after his mother’s social media comments defending her son attracted widespread attention and backlash.   His Liverpool career lasted little more than a season before both player and club decided it was time to move on.

4. Iago Aspas

Few Liverpool signings have left supporters scratching their heads quite like Iago Aspas who arrived from Celta Vigo in 2013 after establishing himself as one of La Liga’s most consistent forwards.    On paper, it looked like another clever bit of business; however, the Premier League turned out to be a completely different challenge to that of La Liga. Aspas struggled to adapt to the speed and physicality of English football, while opportunities became increasingly limited thanks to the outstanding form of Luis Suárez and Daniel Sturridge. His spell at Liverpool is often remembered for an unfortunate corner against Chelsea during the dramatic 2013/14 title race, but that moment should not define his time at Anfield.   After returning to Spain, Aspas rediscovered the form that had made Liverpool sign him in the first place, proving he was far from a bad player. Sometimes a move arrives at the wrong time.

3. Mario Balotelli

Let’s face it, replacing Luis Suárez was always going to be one of the toughest jobs in football. When Liverpool turned to Mario Balotelli in the summer of 2014, supporters hoped the talented Italian could fill at least some of the enormous gap left by the Uruguayan’s departure, but it never really looked likely.   Balotelli had moments of quality, as he had throughout his career, but his style never seemed to fit Brendan Rodgers’ system. Goals were hard to come by, and confidence quickly disappeared as Liverpool struggled to replicate the attacking football they had produced the previous season. His time at Anfield lasted just one year, making it one of the shortest and most disappointing spells of his career.

2. Naby Keïta

This is probably the most frustrating signing on the list. Liverpool worked incredibly hard to bring Naby Keïta to Anfield, even agreeing the deal a year before he eventually arrived from RB Leipzig. By the time he finally pulled on the red shirt, supporters believed they were about to watch one of Europe’s finest midfielders.   There were glimpses of exactly that because when fit, Keïta showed the intelligence and technical ability that convinced Liverpool to spend so heavily on him in the first place. The problem was that those moments were few and far between.   Injuries repeatedly interrupted his progress, preventing him from building any real consistency. Rather than being remembered for his performances, Keïta’s Liverpool career became defined by long spells on the treatment table.   Keita was one of those players that few supporters would question his talent. The frustration came from rarely being able to see it.

1. Andy Carroll

There could only really be one player at the top of this list. Andy Carroll arrived from Newcastle United in January 2011 for £35 million, making him Liverpool’s then record signing. The transfer came just hours after Fernando Torres had left for Chelsea, meaning the pressure was enormous before Carroll had even kicked a ball.   Unfortunately, injuries disrupted almost every opportunity he had to build momentum. There were a few memorable moments, including important goals against Everton and Manchester City, but they were too few and too far between to justify such a huge investment.   Perhaps the biggest problem was never Andy Carroll himself but rather the transfer fee. Had Liverpool paid significantly less, supporters might remember his spell at Anfield very differently.   Instead, the price tag followed him throughout his time on Merseyside and became impossible to ignore whenever performances dipped.   And more than a decade later, Carroll remains the signing that many Liverpool supporters immediately think of when discussing transfers that failed to meet expectations.

Even The Best Clubs Get It Wrong

Recruitment has become one of Liverpool’s greatest strengths in recent years, which perhaps makes these signings stand out even more. Every player on this list arrived at Anfield with genuine ability and the belief they could help move the club forward.   Football rarely works out exactly as planned, though, and for a mixture of injuries, tactics or expectations, none of these transfers produced the success supporters had hoped for. That is the unpredictable nature of football; even the smartest clubs occasionally make mistakes.