17 Aug 2022 09:33:01
I love the click bait articles saying we have "missed out" on player x, y or z - Nunes being the latest one - when there was never any solid interest beyond tabloid speculation.

Do any of you (including the Eds) know of the last players whom we actively wanted and tried to sign but who actually chose another team?

I thought of Haaland, but it seems more likely that we didn't even bother going beyond initial enquiries knowing that the finances wouldn't work for us (in terms of his pay, agents fees etc) .

Maybe Salah when he joined Chelsea or Mkhitaryan when he joined.

{Ed002's Note - Liverpool had no interest in Haaland, nor Salah when he joined Chelsea. There are plenty of players Liverpool have been interested in but have moved elsewhere - Dybala and Bissouma this year - it would be a huge list.}

1.) 17 Aug 2022
17 Aug 2022 10:53:46
Dele Alli was a big one at the time I think. His level has fallen off a cliff but his first few years at spurs i thought we really missed out. Diego Costa too i think would have done really well. Dempsey and Sigurdsson in Rodgers first season if i remember correctly. Konoplyanka definitely. Willian i think maybe too? Alderweireld and Eriksen when they were at Ajax we were linked with lots. Texeira and Gotze early under Klopp? Loic Remy and Fekir went as far as medicals. Alexis Sanchez when Suarez left Rodgers confirmed once. I think we met with Depay then opted for Firmino when Sturridge got injured or something like that. Doubt we were interested in all of them but from memory they feel like a few you could maybe include.

Im glad we didn’t go after Bissouma because of his behaviour off the pitch but i think Dybala would have done very well for us.

2.) 17 Aug 2022
17 Aug 2022 13:18:16
I vaguely recall a Teletext headline with "Del Piero to join Liverpool". That was fun.

Players that we wanted but failed to bring in that would have been game changers were Marcel Desailly and Denis Bergkamp under Evans, Cristiano Ronaldo, Rio Ferdinand and Nicolas Anelka under Houllier and Alexis Sanchez and/ or Diego Costa under Rodgers.

3.) 17 Aug 2022
17 Aug 2022 14:48:37
Didn’t Benitez nearly get David Silva?
Sure there was another one too he nearly got.

4.) 17 Aug 2022
17 Aug 2022 15:29:10
Choosing Jermaine Pennant over Dani Alves is one that always sticks with me.

5.) 17 Aug 2022
17 Aug 2022 15:34:15
Thanks Ed002 and others! What I was actually after was players who turned us down.

Looking at some of the names listed above, we turned the majority of them down - like Anelka (Houllier didn't want to put up with his agents/ brothers), Ronaldo, Moore's wasn't keen on paying so much for a teenager etc.

When was the last time we had a deal with a players club but they turned us down? I can't think of many - Fekir doesn't count as we decided to pull out of the deal, not him.

I can't imagine there's been many if any in Klopp's era. maybe a handful under Rodgers, but probably not that many under Benitez - Silva (for example) and Villa beforehand were players where the then owners wouldn't pay the money (IIRC) .

6.) 17 Aug 2022
17 Aug 2022 15:38:24
David Villa, I think.

7.) 17 Aug 2022
17 Aug 2022 16:08:58
Batista
Taribo West
Vidic.

8.) 17 Aug 2022
17 Aug 2022 16:35:19
From what I remember reading, Villa and Silva were about to put pen to paper when it was pulled. No idea if it was THAT close, but it's what I read.

9.) 17 Aug 2022
17 Aug 2022 16:53:09
Klopp and FSG have certainly turned us into a destination club now.

10.) 17 Aug 2022
17 Aug 2022 18:08:28
Ones that jump out to me historically:
Ronaldo but we were reluctant to pay Sporting £6m
Desailly
Simao
Dani Alves
Konoplyanka
Ageuro
Barry
Lucas Neill (why? )
Marveaux

Werner was also supposedly heavily linked.

11.) 17 Aug 2022
17 Aug 2022 18:42:26
Lee bowyer had a medical too but never signed. Teddy Sheringham verbally agreed to join, but opted for utd. I think shearer was close too.
Also, Joe Cole and Harry kewell both signed but neither ever showed up in a game!

12.) 17 Aug 2022
17 Aug 2022 18:54:19
Sky are still saying the konoplyanka deal could happen any moment. Weren’t we close to signing heinze from Man Utd on a free but furguson put a stop to it. I could be wrong.

13.) 17 Aug 2022
17 Aug 2022 19:16:14
Was Pablo Aimar constantly linked during Benitez reign? Also remember getting excited when we were linked with Quaresma ?.

14.) 17 Aug 2022
17 Aug 2022 21:04:06
Aguero could have been here too under Benitez, but the board wouldn't pay the fee. It wasn't exactly excessive either from what I remember.

15.) 18 Aug 2022
18 Aug 2022 02:55:25
No one recalls the ageing Roberto Baggio deal? Was on holiday convinced he was to sign. still waiting!