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Liverpool have arguably been the best team in the country when it comes to recruitment over the last few years, as well as their success on the pitch domestically and on the continent.

Jurgen Klopp has been key to that, with almost all of his signings proving to be the result of long, detailed and well thought out scouting. From Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain to Virgil Van Dijk, with the likes of Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah in between, so many of his signings have been so impressive and made a huge impact on the Reds’ growth into Premier League powerhouses.

But it hasn’t always been like this, with previous managers not enjoying the same kind of success on the pitch and in the transfer market. The Reds’ transfer record pre-Klopp was not as consistent, and it’s fair to say Klopp will have been mortified if he’d have suffered the same recruitment woes.

Luckily he hasn’t, but others haven’t been so fortunate. So, here’s a look at Liverpool’s 20 worst signings of the Premier League era…

Sean Dundee

Pictured above celebrating with Michael Owen, Sean Dundee was a true waste of money for Liverpool.

£2m may not seem like a lot of dough now at all but back in 1998 it was and all joint-managers at the time Roy Evans and Gerard Houllier would get for that lofty sum would be five appearances (all of them from the bench) and no goals from the centre-forward.

Charlie Adam

Despite that one cracking season in the Premier League for Blackpool, Charlie Adam was never good enough to represent a club like the Reds and he probably knew that as well.

That’s why the creative Scotland international lasted just the one campaign on Merseyside in what was a very strange time for Liverpool Football Club.

Christian Benteke

There are similarities between Adam and the next infamous member of this list, the man known as one of the attacking flops of all time at Anfield – Christian Benteke.

Then gaffer Brendan Rodgers splashed out an eye-watering £32.5m on the striker in the summer of 2015 and like both Adam and Dundee would last just the one term – ironically, Benteke left the North West with a record of ten goals in 42 matches, not too bad at all.

Alberto Aquilani 

Mention the name Alberto Aquilani and most Kopites would offer a chuckle, this is certainly not the impression that the Italian would have wanted to leave when he arrived from Roma for £17m plus bonuses prior to the 2009/2010 season.

In truth, Xabi Alonso was always going to be a hard act to follow and that role always had the potential to be a poisoned chalice to whoever had to fulfill it, however, the woeful Aquilani made a special mess of it and it’s no small miracle that he managed to officially remain a Liverpool player for three years.

Milan Jovanovic

Famous for that hilarious video of his Reds best bits on YouTube, Milan Jovanovic turned up in the red half of Merseyside to a different manager to the one that signed him in 2010.

Roy Hodgson was hardly renowned for getting the best out of his players at Anfield and the Serbia midfielder is some example of that.

The balding winger is remembered at the Reds for the wrong reasons and 18 appearances after his signing he was shipped back to the league in which he tricked Rafa Benitez into thinking he was any good – the Belgian first division.

Christian Poulsen

Is that a picture of Dirk Kuyt?

No, if Christian Poulsen was even half as decent for Liverpool as the legendary Dutch frontman he wouldn’t be anywhere near this list.

Putting any ifs and buts aside, Roy Hodgson was probably right to identify the Dane’s quality, after all he is one of the rare few to have played in all five of Europe’s big five divisions, though by 2010 he was fast slowing down and his terrible only campaign in Anfield Road is best forgotten.

Tiago Ilori

All the big teams have done it; signing a youngster dubbed to be the next big thing in European, or even world football, only for them to flop massively.

Well, Tiago Ilori is the Reds’ anti-climactic starlet and they paid a fair amount of money for him in September 2013, a reported £7m for the then 20-year-old who would only ever represent the club three times.

Paul Konchesky

As you may have already noticed, the Reds made some stinkers of signings around the turn of the decade, but none of them quite as terrible as Paul Konchesky.

The left-back was Roy Hodgson’s main man at Fulham so he saw no reason why he couldn’t follow him to play the same role at Anfield, however, his spell was nothing short of a total disaster shrouded by his mum’s Facebook rant in which she branded Liverpool fans “scouse scum.”

Mario Balotelli

Sure Mario Balotelli’s mother never said anything bad about Kopites, but his football in Liverpool could hardly do the talking for him either.

The controversial character was alright at Manchester City and pretty impressive at the 2012 UEFA European Championships, however, Luis Suarez’s were big boots to fill at Anfield plus there was always the weight of his £15m+ price tag – he was set up to fail really and did.

Joe Cole

Liverpool’s decision to sign Joe Cole in the twilight of his career was a strange one and they got what they deserved for what was a poor bit of business.

The former England and Chelsea star may not have cost Roy Hodgson any actual money but his £130k-per-week salary was obscene for what the Reds actually got, a mere 42 matches, five goals and three assists, sub-standard for any attacking midfielder let alone Cole.

This article is part of Football FanCast’s Pundit View series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent quotes from journalists, pundits, players and managers…

Mark Noble has sternly spoken about the mistakes West Ham United have been making in recent weeks, as reported by the club’s official channels.

What did he say?

West Ham are on a shocking run at the moment, having failed to win a single one of their last eight games in all competitions.

Mistakes have played a large part in this debacle, with Roberto being the main culprit, while Issa Diop and Fabian Balbuena have also made telling errors in the last couple of weeks.

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Speaking to the club’s official channels, Noble has condemned the mistakes his teammates have been making: “I can give the same old clichéd, ‘Come on lads, we’ve got to do this’, rallying speech but the bottom line is that it is individual mistakes that are seriously hurting us.

“There was nothing in the game for more than half an hour last weekend until Spurs scored their first goal. Another followed quickly and it was an uphill battle from then on.

“Yes, we scored a couple of late goals to make the final scoreline 3-2 but the game was effectively ‘done’ by then and they had taken their foot off the gas.

“At the moment mistakes – individual errors – are ‘killing’ us. It’s hard enough winning points in the Premier League when everyone is playing at the top of their game, let alone a team which is lacking in confidence and making too many mistakes.”

Refreshing honesty

The bottom line is that the performances from West Ham have not been good enough during this run, so it is refreshing to see that Noble is calling his colleagues out.

Diop won’t be playing against Chelsea due to his suspension, but it will be interesting to see whether Roberto and Balbuena will be able to keep hold of their places considering how costly their errors have been.

Regardless of the current managerial situation, it is important that the team have leaders who are able to constructively call out their teammates in a way that should spur everyone on to produce better in a situation like this.

That is exactly what Noble has done, so the hope now will be that the players put in an improved performance against Chelsea.

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It seems that Jadon Sancho, one of Manchester United’s big transfer targets, is anticipating a departure from Borussia Dortmund next summer after being humiliated and mistreated by Lucien Favre, per The Athletic.

The possibility of him leaving Signal Iduna Park has seemingly increased in light of recent events, but Real Madrid, Barcelona and Liverpool are also in the hunt for his signature.

In the event that the Red Devils miss out on a dream target to one of the aforementioned rivals, the club may have to think about alternative options of a similar profile: young, brimming with potential and capable of getting supporters off their feet.

So without further ado, here are three wonderkids Manchester United should target if they miss out on Sancho:

Vinicius Junior – Real Madrid

Vinicius was very much a big thing back when he first arrived at Real Madrid.

After all, we’re talking here about a player who managed to bag ten goals and four assists in a total of 49 games for Flamengo and don’t forget he was still only a kid at that time.

His first season in Europe, playing for one of the biggest clubs in the world, was also quite successful as he tallied seven goals and 13 assists under his belt and his rapid emergence was only sidetracked by an unlucky injury.

Seeing how he’s not being utilised as much by Zinedine Zidane in 2019/20 – with Rodrygo pretty much taking the spotlight away from him – Ole Gunnar Solskjaer could potentially lure him to Old Trafford with a cheeky bid.

He would be an expensive purchase but, with Sancho rated at £120m, the Brazilian could even represent the less pricey option between the two.

Alphonso Davies – Bayern Munich

If Manchester United are really looking for a high-potential wide player, Davies is definitely their man.

The 19-year-old left-winger is currently plying his trade over in the Bundesliga and representing the ultimate behemoth of the division, Bayern Munich.

But even though he is very much a forward by trade, the Bavarians have been utilising him as a left-back in nine of the 14 games he’s played in 2019/20 so far, according to the matches Transfermarkt have in their database.

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And that’s the thing – even though he is being played in a more defensive role and despite being just 19, Davies is very much already making a stamp on the German top-flight with one goal and one assist under his belt.

Transfermarkt value this versatile youngster at only £13.5m and even if Bayern were to ask for more, it would most likely be worth it.

Ferran Torres – Valencia

The final name on this three-man shortlist will be none other than Torres of Valencia.

By this point, many already know who this 19-year-old winger is and what he could become in the not so distant future. Just recently, he was the only Spaniard to be named on the 20-player shortlist for the Golden Boy award – a prize given to the best young talent playing in Europe under the age of 21.

Torres has already scored and assisted once for Los Che in the 2019/20 La Liga season and has even managed to bag one goal in two Champions League outings in the current campaign.

Not to mention that he also has some national team pedigree with six caps already earned for their U21 squad.

His release clause is reportedly set at €100m (£85.5m) which, granted, sounds like a lot of money but is still cheaper than the fee Sancho is likely to command.

This article is part of Football FanCast’s In Numbers series, which takes a statistical look at performances, season-long form and reported transfer targets…

Having seen Luke Shaw be a part of the side that trounced Chelsea 4-0 in Manchester United’s opening Premier League game of the season, Brandon Williams may have been forgiven for feeling his time in the first-team squad would have been limited.

But Shaw’s injury – surprise, surprise – has given the Red Devils academy prospect the chance to shine in recent weeks, and boy has he taken it. The 19-year-old played the full 90 minutes against both AZ Alkmaar and Partizan Belgrade in the Europa League, picking up an assist, and completed the full game in the Carabao Cup victory over Chelsea.

And on Sunday afternoon, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer gave Williams his first start in the Premier League, and in a commanding team performance, the teenager did not disappoint at all.

Lining up at left-back instead of the suspended Ashley Young, the starlet showed United exactly what they stand to benefit from over the coming years. The 19-year-old blended his attacking and defensive duties superbly, and his extra pace and quality on the ball compared to some of the Red Devils’ other options really marks him out.

Coming up against Brighton winger Steven Alzate, Williams didn’t give his opponent anything over the course of the match. He won five duels and made four tackles – with the latter stat putting him only behind Aaron Wan-Bissaka who had six from the opposite flank. But quite crucially for the Red Devils, the youngster showed he can contribute significantly going forward.

His 55 touches of the ball was two more than Marcus Rashford, and seven more than Daniel James, and showed just how confident the side were in getting him involved in the game. Williams provided one key pass and completed one dribble too as he sought to take the game to the Seagulls, and was denied opening his goal-scoring account for the senior side by a stop from Mathew Ryan in the Brighton goal.

It was therefore unsurprising to hear Solskjaer insist the “excellent” teenager is “making it hard to leave him out”. At such a young age, Williams has the chance to become a true Old Trafford stalwart.

The Sky Bet Championship is back at the end of the week and the bonus is that there are no more international breaks for a few months now.

The second tier is looking as tight as ever right now, as well, but it does seem as though a couple of sides down near the bottom need to improve their form and fast before they get cut adrift.

Barnsley, promoted from League One last year, are one of those sides and the Tykes will be hoping their new manager can help steer them to safety.

Indeed, it’s been a while since Daniel Stendel left the club but it seems as though the men from Oakwell are edging towards a new appointment now.

This comes from Ronan Murphy:

It’s caused a fair bit of reaction on Twitter, too – and not just from Barnsley fans – so let’s take a look at what has been said on the social media site:

This article is part of Football FanCast’s Transfer Focus series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent transfer news…

Leeds United have been touted to have a quiet January transfer window by Victor Orta in recent weeks, but Noel Whelan’s latest transfer hint reveals just how quiet the window might be.

What’s the story?

Speaking to Football Insider, Whelan stated that his sources from inside Elland Road have told him that the club aren’t looking to sign anyone in the January transfer window.

We were never expecting a flurry of activity from the Yorkshire club once the window opens, but hearing that no incomings are expected is still rather disheartening.

Not only does it make for a boring transfer window, but the Whites’ lack of activity may negatively affect their promotion chances.

Same story

It’s the same story as last season, the Whites didn’t strengthen enough in January and in the end, it cost them their shot at promotion.

Based on that, supporters would have every right to moan at Andrea Radrizzani if it happens again.

Marcelo Bielsa’s teams are renowned for losing steam towards the back end of a season, so having strength in depth will undoubtedly be key if Leeds want to continue challenging at the top end of the table. Last campaign, the Whites failed to win any of their final four league games and then lost in the playoffs against Derby too.

United currently don’t have the depth, and with their injury problems continuing to mount the Whites may be in trouble once fatigue sets in further towards the back end of the season. After all, Bielsa has used the fewest number of players of any team in the Championship – 19.

The last thing any Leeds fan wants is a repeat performance of what happened last term, but it seems as if the club aren’t taking the right precautionary measures to ensure that doesn’t happen.

It could just cost them their chance of making a reappearance in the promised land of the Premier League.

Sheffield Wednesday will be looking to continue their rich vein of form under Garry Monk this weekend as they face a trip across the Lancashire border to face Blackburn Rovers.

The Owls have only lost the one match under the 40-year-old since he was appointed at the start of September.

This year’s Championship remains super competitive as just four points separate second-placed Preston North End with Brentford in 12th.

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Rovers are still some nine points off Wednesday in 17th, so they’ll be looking for a change in fortunes sometime soon.

Monk was without Julian Borner for their 0-0 stalemate with Leeds United, so will he be forced into any changes this time around?

It remains to be seen whether the impressive German centre-back will be fit enough to play, but given the management staff have taken their time over players with injuries, it would seem plausible that he will have to sit this one out.

Sam Hutchinson deputised so brilliantly last time out so expect him to keep his place alongside Dominic Iorfa as the entire back four plus the goalkeeper should remain exactly the same.

Defensive midfielder Joey Pelupessy was drafted in late for the Leeds draw, but his performance left plenty to be desired. Therefore, the 40-year-old may opt for the experience of Kieran Lee instead as he partners Barry Bannan in the Owls’ engine room.

Massimo Luongo should return from injury which will be a huge boost as he’s bagged two winning goals in their last four matches, he may take up a position as the team’s number ten.

Monk’s usual choices out wide, Adam Reach and Kadeem Harris are likely to continue their run of starts with top goalscorer Steven Fletcher also in attack as a sole striker.

This article is part of Football FanCast’s Off the Bench series, which places in-game managerial decisions and squad selections under FFC’s microscope.

Tottenham suffered a 2-1 defeat to Liverpool at Anfield on Sunday, despite taking an early lead through Harry Kane’s header.

The result leaves Mauricio Pochettino’s men languishing in 11th place in the Premier League, after what has been an extremely disappointing start to the campaign – the north Londoners have won just three of the opening 10 games.

Against the European champions, the former Southampton boss could only watch on as Jordan Henderson and Mohamed Salah took the points away, although his use of the bench in the dying stages left a lot to be desired.

Snapshot

As aforesaid, Henderson and Salah scored second-half goals to win the game for the Reds.

The latter’s firm penalty after Serge Aurier had fouled Sadio Mane found the back of the net in the 75th minute, leaving Pochettino with 15 minutes to react.

A whole nine minutes went by before the Argentine decided to throw Lucas Moura into the fold in the 84th minute, before Pochettino also decided to introduce Giovani Lo Celso in the 88th minute.

Pointless use of his bench

What on earth was Pochettino expecting his two subs to do with such little time to make an impact?

Surely as soon as the Spurs boss saw Liverpool take the lead – a side who have now gone 45 games unbeaten at Anfield – he should immediately have thought that the Reds would manage the game accordingly and grind the win out.

As a result, instant action should have been taken after Salah’s goal – Lo Celso and Lucas should’ve already been ready to enter proceedings before the Egyptian had even finished celebrating.

It’s not like it would’ve been tough to chose a player to depart the pitch – Dele Alli failed to record a single shot, key pass or dribble, while Christian Eriksen had just one shot and that was all.

Pochettino delivered a moment of madness by giving his substitutes such little time to trouble a solid backline.

Saturday’s victory against Aston Villa could be called a performance of champions by Liverpool.

With just three minutes left on the clock, the Reds were 1-0 down to the Villans away from home, who had taken the lead through Mohamed Trezeguet. However, Jurgen Klopp’s side didn’t give up and ended up prevailing 2-1 thanks to goals from Andrew Robertson and Sadio Mane, who bagged the winner in the fourth minute of injury time.

“The worst we’ve played all season” but “our most straightforward final since 2003” – a Liverpool fan reflects on the UCL final in the video below…

It now means that, after the first 11 games, the Anfield outfit have won 10 and drawn one, and lead the current champions Manchester City by six points. After such a heroic turnaround, you would have thought that the club’s supporters would have spared their players from any criticism, but that was not the case in regards to 34-time England international Adam Lallana.

The 31-year-old was slammed by the Merseyside faithful, who took to Twitter to do so. You can see some of the best comments from the social media platform below.

He uploaded an image of him with the match ball while holding three fingers up, and he captioned the post ‘First ever hat-trick’.

The 24-year-old didn’t state that he was buzzing or that he was over the moon, his post was straight to the point and didn’t have much emotion attached to it – maybe he’s just becoming such a goalscoring machine he’s just used to it now?

With all due respect, San Marino aren’t the best of opposition, so perhaps that’s why McGinn’s post after netting three times was so subdued.