Throughout the years, Liverpool has been home to countless stars. While some have made their mark at Anfield, others have only found success elsewhere. Many players have left the club in their prime, including Xabi Alonso, Luis Suarez, Steve McManaman, and Michael Owen. However, there are also players who were allowed to leave before they became household names. Here are seven of the biggest frustrations for Liverpool fans in Premier League history.
Conor Coady
Coady joined Liverpool at the age of 12 and worked his way through the youth ranks. Despite his potential, he only made two appearances for the Reds, one of which was in the Premier League. After a successful loan spell at Sheffield United, Coady was sold to Huddersfield in 2014. He then joined Wolves after a single season and helped them gain promotion to the Premier League. Coady even returned to Merseyside on loan at Everton before making his England debut in 2020.
Peter Gulacsi
Gulacsi spent six years at Liverpool but never played a competitive game for the club. He was often their second or third-choice keeper behind Pepe Reina and Brad Jones. Gulacsi was loaned to Hereford, Tranmere, and Hull before being sold to RB Salzburg in 2013. He then moved to RB Leipzig in the German Bundesliga, where he has spent eight years as their No. 1 keeper.
Raheem Sterling
Sterling signed for Liverpool in 2010 at the age of 15 and broke into the first team in 2012. He spent just over three seasons with the Reds before joining Manchester City. While he was already a star during his final season at Liverpool, he was still very raw. Since leaving Liverpool without a trophy, Sterling has helped Manchester City win three Premier League titles, an FA Cup, and four League Cups. He also played a starring role for England in the last three major tournaments.
Alvaro Arbeloa
Arbeloa only spent two seasons at Liverpool and shared minutes with Steven Finnan in his first season. In 2008-09, he was Liverpool’s undisputed first-choice right-back but was quickly signed by Real Madrid. Arbeloa spent seven years at the Bernabeu and became a regular for Spain’s national team. He played 233 times for Real, winning the LaLiga title and two Champions League crowns. Arbeloa earned 56 international caps, helping his team win three straight tournaments.
Iago Aspas
Aspas is arguably one of Liverpool’s all-time biggest flop signings. He played just 14 times in the Premier League and failed to score a single goal. Aspas left the club after just one season and moved to Sevilla before rejoining boyhood club Celta Vigo. He has since scored 143 times in just 290 games and earned his first 18 Spain caps.
Suso
Suso joined Liverpool’s youth ranks in 2010 and stepped up to the first team within two years. After 14 Premier League appearances in his first season, he was loaned out to Almeria the following season. Suso was then sold to AC Milan and loaned off to Genoa in his second season after playing just five times in his debut year. However, since 2016, Suso has become a star, turning himself into a regular at the San Siro for three-and-a-half seasons before joining Sevilla. He helped them win the Europa League in 2020.
Danny Ings
Ings joined Liverpool in 2015 as one of England’s top young talents but played just 14 times in the Premier League due to injuries. Jurgen Klopp always insisted he was a huge fan of Ings but ultimately decided it was best for the player to sell him to Southampton in 2019 following a year-long loan on the south coast. Ings netted 46 goals in 100 games during his three years with the Saints before joining Aston Villa for £25million and scoring 14 goals. He then made a £15m switch to West Ham in the January transfer window.
In conclusion, Liverpool has had its fair share of frustrations when it comes to players leaving too soon or not fulfilling their potential while at Anfield. However, some of these players have gone on to become stars elsewhere and even represent their countries on the international stage.
