Andy Carroll and £7m waste of money – Liverpool’s biggest deadline day shockers
Liverpool have had their fair share of shocker signings on deadline day.
The Anfield outfit have occasionally dipped into the transfer market on the last day, but they try to avoid it, although it may happen this summer.
Fenway Sports Group are usually measured in their approach, but they sometimes make exceptions and take a plunge into the murky world of the last day of business.
Liverpool News looks at the worst deals that the Reds have completed on deadline day.
Andy Carroll
Andy Carroll joined Liverpool for £35million just hours after Luis Suarez arrived on Merseyside.
However, Liverpool were far from the title-winning side they have under Arne Slot, and the duo would have contrasting fortunes at Anfield, with the ex-Newcastle man flopping while the Uruguay ace starred.
- Made his debut from the bench in a 3-1 win over Manchester United on 6 March 2011
- Scored 11 goals and notched six assists in 58 matches in all competitions
Carroll never lived up to the record fee that the Reds signed him for at the time, he never endeared himself to supporters on or off the pitch.
He ultimately departed in 2012, joining West Ham on an initial loan deal that was made permanent at the start of the 2013/14 season for £15million.
Paul Konchesky
Paul Konchesky was signed in a £3m deal from Fulham by Roy Hodgson on deadline day in 2010.
He had worked with Hodgson before with the Cottagers, but both their stints on Merseyside were ones that supporters would love to forget.
- Made his league debut on 12 September 2010 in a 0-0 draw against Birmingham City
- Totalled 18 appearances for the Reds
His mother launched a Facebook tirade about Reds supporters, labelling them as “Scouse scum”, after Konchesky was jeered by his own fans in a loss to Stoke City.
His time was up when Kenny Dalglish replaced Hodgson in the dugout, and he left for Nottingham Forest on loan in the second half of the 2010/11 campaign before joining Leicester permanently.
Vitor Flora
Many Liverpool supporters will not even know who Vitor Flora is, never mind that he was signed by their club on deadline day in 2008.
He was signed from minnows Botafogo-SP, not to be confused with the Brazilian giants who recently won the league title.
Flora made no appearances for the senior team and was released after scoring two goals in 10 appearances in the Reds’ reserves.
He moved back to Brazil in 2010 with Goias.
Arthur Melo
Arthur Melo is the definition of a deadline day panic signing.
The former Brazil international joined Liverpool on 1 September 2022 in a season-long loan deal from Juventus.
- Arthur made one appearance for Liverpool
- He played a total of 13 minutes for the club
However, he barely featured for the Anfield outfit, and they did not pick up the £32.4m option to purchase the midfielder.
He returned to Juventus and has since been loaned to Gremio, Girona and Fiorentina.
Tiago Ilori
Ilori was a promising Portuguese centre-back who joined Liverpool in a £7m deadline day switch from Sporting.
However, he never fulfilled that potential on Merseyside, despite the Anfield outfit beating the likes of Tottenham and Napoli to his signature.
- Ilori made just three senior appearances for the Reds
- He Played 20 times for the Under-21s
He would spend time with Granada, Bordeaux and Aston Villa before leaving for the Championship with Reading in a £3.75m deal.
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