A classic example of this can be found in Senagalese winger/forward El Hadji Diouf. The then 21 year old striker was flying on the back of a spectacular World Cup 2002 campaign with Senegal, with him helping the African nation to the quarter finals, and eventually went on to become part of that edition’s World Cup all-star team.

What happened next was a result of much interest in the then young Diouf. Liverpool actually had the choice to sign either Nicolas Anelka (who showed splendid form in the red shirt of Liverpool during a half season loan spell with the Merseyside outfit) or Diouf on a permanent deal. And here we are today, mulling about what could have been should Liverpool have opted to sign Anelka in that fateful transfer window.

Salif Diao was another who flopped after shining with Diouf at the 2002 World Cup. He was bought for 5 million pounds, and although he initially had the games to prove himself, he saw himself displaced in the Liverpool midfield by a certain Xabi Alonso following poor displays in the center of the park. Diao would eventually find himself completely out of place in Merseyside, and at one point without a squad number. He left Liverpool after his contract ran out.

Personally, I identified Alan Dzagoev as one of two players to watch in this article here that applied before the tournament. He is a really talented teenager, and was always going to be a threat. I was personally hoping that Liverpool made a move for him a year or two ago, when he had initially made his breakthrough in the Russian league.

Now, his value will undoubtedly soar with the 3 goals that he has scored in the group games. All 3 have seen him take up good positions and finish calmly. Arsenal are among the teams interested, and I would personally prefer that Liverpool not become embroiled in a transfer saga involving Dzagoev given his sudden emergence onto the European scene. It is quite simply not the money that CSKA are going to talk about once the Euros are done and dusted.

Damien Comolli and Kenny Dalglish both departed as a result of firstly, persistence in trying to buy purely British players (which simply inflated those values massively) and because of Kenny Dalglish’s lack of knowledge in the transfer market. The Andy Carroll signing for 35 million pounds, looked a decent buy at that point in time. You can see the reasoning. A young striker who had shown his Premier League pedigree with an impressive first half of the season filled with tons of goals. I still view him as someone who will go on to match that 35 million pound price tag.

However, some buys were quite simply criminal – in terms of the sums of money being thrown around. Stewart Downing is, in terms of value, one that really cost Kenny Dalglish his place in the Liverpool dugout. Following an arrival after a transfer worth approximately 20 million pounds, the winger was expected to deliver but instead fired blanks, and has even failed to provide a single assist in the Premier League all season. A really disappointing statistic. To make matters worse, his resell value is likely to cost Liverpool, quite a lot.

Liverpool have invested an awful lot of time and effort trying to groom the left-footer, however, much has gone to waste, and at 28 years old, one would doubt Liverpool’s ability to sell him for even 12 million pounds anytime soon. As with every player, he does have the potential to go on and live up to that price tag, but the logic behind a 20 million pound move for him is beyond me.

All I hope is that Brendan Rodgers makes the right moves for the Reds, and that we can triumph in the league once more. You’ll never walk alone!

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