There’s always going to be some footballers who are never to live up to expectation after their big move to England. The Premier League is one of the most demanding football leagues in the world which as we all know, one of the league where some of the most talented footballers have failed to make a name for themselves.
We have seen some players drops in form after moving from another league, while others make their dream move to one of the bigger English clubs and fail woefully. Surviving with the high and intense demands of the Premier League is down to a player’s talent, will and determination.
Here, Football Weeks take a look at five Liverpool players who failed to live up to expectations after making move from their respective clubs.
Alberto Moreno
Moreno joined Liverpool from Sevilla after a successful season in which he won the Europa League with the La Liga club. His move to the Merseyside was on a reported £12million deal which looked like a good bargain at the time. He was very much impressive in his first matches for Liverpool which saw him netted a superb goal against Tottenham Hotspur.
His form spiralled downwards from then on and was often beat up in defence by attacking oppositions while Liverpool’s left flank was left exposed. Moreno was also a nervous defender and he often mistimed his tackles.
However, Moreno’s did pick up brilliant form at the start of last season but the rise of Andrew Robertson has ensured he has lose his starting role to the Scotland international.
Christian Benteke
Christian Benteke was one of the signing Liverpool had to break the bank for. Benteke joined Liverpool on the back of his brilliant performance from Aston Villa where he terrorized the defenders in the Premier League. The Reds had to spent £32.5million for his services and even though he netted nine goals in 29 appearances for Liverpool, the Belgium international still failed to live up to expectations at Anfield.
Given the signing of Benteke was under Brendan Rodgers’ tenure, not being preferred by Liverpool current boss Jurgen Klopp cannot be considered the German’s fault. The striker didn’t seem to go with Klopp’s plans for Liverpool and with Roberto Firmino proving to be a more complete striker, he was down the pecking order until his move to Crystal Palace in 2016 on a four-year deal.
Loris Karius
Despite showing strong performance all the way to the Champions League final last season and keeping the most clean sheets since he earn his first-team role, Loris Karius’ performance in the UCL final against Real Madrid left many left totally flabbergasted.
His two blunders that cost Liverpool the title saw him get shipped out to Besiktas. Liverpool have had a strong time with their goalkeepers over the last decade and that was an area Klopp had to address immediately, for which he bought Alisson Becker.
Mario Balotelli
Despite not being on the first list, Mario Balotelli stands as Liverpool worst signing in the last decade. The Italian was signed as an immediate replacement for Luis Suarez. This was more of a panic buy from Brendan Rodgers and Balotelli was utterly poor and disoriented during his time with the Reds.
He joined the Reds on a £16million deal from AC Milan in 2014, and he spent 2 seasons at Anfield before being shipped out to Ligue 1 outfit OGC Nice on a free transfer. Balotelli was only able to net one goal in the Premier League and he registered just 16 appearances in total.
Although, Mario Balotelli was once one of the most sought-after strikers in the world but due to his poor concentration and a lack of proper attitude saw his down in a surprising manner.
Danny Ings
While still with Burnley, he looked like a great proposition and the kind of striker that would take the Liverpool back to the top. But after his reported £8million move from Burnley, the English striker was often left on the sidelines due to his persistent injury problems.
It was a dream start for Ings who scored his first goal against Everton in the Merseyside derby but despite his potential and talent, he was unable to maintain this fitness on the sidelines due to his persistent injury problems.