2010 Liverpool Transfer Window Ratings: the Mediocre era walkthrough.
We’ve just recently won our second Premier League title and our 20th domestic league title overall. It’s a moment of pride for all Liverpool fans. Some of the younger supporters might now assume that Liverpool have always been an elite European force and consistent title contenders. Many have even started mocking or laughing at historic English rivals like ManU, Chelsea, and Arsenal.
However, as someone who has supported Liverpool since 2009, I can say that the club used to be more of a “strong average team” or a second-tier European elite. From the birth of the Premier League in 1992 until 2017 (the start of Jürgen Klopp’s reign)—over 25 years—we were not consistent title challengers for most of that period.
In this article, I’ll briefly walk you through that era to remind newer Liverpool fans that today’s success didn’t come easily. It’s been a long journey, full of ups and downs.
Before we dive into the transfer review, let’s take a closer look at Liverpool’s league performance between our last domestic league title in the 1989–90 season (then known as the First Division) and our first Premier League title in 2020, which finally ended a 30-year wait for the league crown.
From 1990 to 2020: Three decades of waiting
1990: First Division Champions – Kenny Dalglish
1991: First Division Runner Up – Kenny Dalglish, Ronnie Moran (Caretaker), Graeme Souness
1992: First Division – 6th – Graeme Souness
1993: *First Premier League Season – 6th – Graeme Souness
1994: 8th – Graeme Souness, Roy Evans
1995: 4th – Roy Evans
1996: 3rd – Roy Evans
1997: 4th – Roy Evans
1998: 3rd – Roy Evans
1999: Roy Evans, Gérard Houllier – 7th
1990s’ Average position: 4.4
2000: 4th – Gérard Houllier
2001: 3rd – Gérard Houllier
2002: Runner Up – Gérard Houllier, Phil Thompson (Caretaker)
2003: 5th – Gérard Houllier
2004: 4th – Gérard Houllier
2005: 5th – Rafael Benitez
2006: 3rd – Rafael Benitez
2007: 3rd – Rafael Benitez
2008: 4th – Rafael Benitez
2009: Runner Up – Rafael Benitez
2000s’ Average position: 3.5
2010: 7th – Rafael Benítez
2011: 6th – Roy Hodgson, Kenny Dalglish
2012: 8th – Kenny Dalglish
2013: 7th – Brendan Rodgers
2014: Runner Up – Brendan Rodgers
2015: 6th – Brendan Rodgers
2016: 8th – Brendan Rodgers, Jürgen Klopp
2017: 4th – Jürgen Klopp
2018: 4th – Jürgen Klopp
2019: Runner Up – Jürgen Klopp
2010s’ Average position: 5.4
2020: First Domestic League Title after 1990 (thirty years await)
The Inconsistency and Ups and Downs
I felt Liverpool could only truly be considered an elite European side after the 2017–18 season, when we reached the Champions League final in Jürgen Klopp’s third year in charge. From that point on, we became strong Premier League contenders for several consecutive seasons.
That said, if we look back at the 25-year period from 1992 to 2017, Liverpool were serious Premier League title contenders on only three occasions—2001, 2008, and 2013—all of which ended in runner-up finishes.
Amidst this era of inconsistency and ups and downs, the year 2010 stands out as particularly awful, and to me, it remains Liverpool’s worst transfer window, managed under Roy Hodgson.
Liverpool 2010 Summer Transfer Window Ratings:
Liverpool signed a total of 8 players in the 2010 summer transfer window:
Raúl Meireles
- Rating: 5/10
- Appearances: 44
- Goals & Assists: 5; 6
- Fee: €13m
Meireles made an impact during his short stay, winning fan-voted awards (PFA Fans’ Player of the Year: 2011) and scoring some memorable goals. However, he was sold after just one season, having requested to be transfer-listed.
Jonjo Shelvey
- Rating: 5/10
- Appearances: 69
- Goals & Assists: 7; 4
- Fee: €2m
Signed as a young prospect, Shelvey stayed at Liverpool for three seasons and made a decent 69 appearances in all competitions. While he never truly became a key player, he contributed when called upon.
Brad Jones
- Rating: 4.5/10
- Appearances: 27
- Clean sheet: 8
- Goals conceded: (35)
- Fee: €2.8m
Signed as a backup goalkeeper, Jones spent five seasons at Liverpool, serving mainly behind Pepe Reina and later Simon Mignolet. He was a reliable squad member but never expected to be a regular starter. Overall, an average performer, fitting the role he was brought in for—nothing more, nothing less.
Joe Cole
- Rating: 4.5/10
- Appearances: 42
- Goals & Assists: 5; 3
- Fee: Free
Signed on a free transfer with massive expectations, Joe Cole arrived at Anfield after a successful spell with Chelsea—but unfortunately, he never came close to hitting those same heights. Even Steven Gerrard once claimed Cole was as technically good as Lionel Messi (seriously??), which only raised the bar even higher.
Despite the hype, Cole’s performances were largely mediocre, and he struggled to make a lasting impact during his time at the club.
Danny Wilson
- Rating: 4/10
- Appearances: 9
- Goals & Assists: Nil
- Fee: €2.75m
Wilson made just 9 appearances over 3 years at the club and never really broke into the first team. With limited game time and performances that didn’t quite meet Premier League standards, he remains one of those players many fans might forget ever wore the Liverpool shirt.
Not much more to say—he wasn’t getting many games.
Paul Konchesky, Christian Poulsen, Milan Jovanović
Rating: 3.5/10
You may be wondering why these players were signed in the first place. But the question is, who were the scouts recommending these signings, and what were they thinking?
Liverpool’s worst signing??
If you ask me who Liverpool’s worst transfer of the 21st century is, none of the above names quite fit the bill. (still far)
I may know what you’ve thought, but it’s not Andy Carroll, not Balotelli, not Rickie Lambert, and not Naby Keïta. It’s not David Ngog, Salif Diao, or Djimi Traoré. They’re still not bad when compared to…👇👇
It’s El Hadji Diouf. And IYKYK.
Even Jamie Carragher didn’t hold back in his assessment of Diouf:
“He has one of the worst strike rates of any forward in Liverpool history. He’s the only No.9 ever to go through an entire season without scoring; in fact, he’s probably the only No.9 at any club to do that. He was always the last one to get picked in training.“
Beyond the poor performances, Diouf’s attitude and off-field behavior made things worse. He was accused of spitting at fans and opposition players, and his time at Liverpool was marred by disciplinary issues and controversy. Among fans and former players alike, Diouf is often remembered not just as a flop but as one of the most divisive and disliked figures to wear the Liverpool shirt.