All Rafa Benitez 45 signings for Liverpool ranked!
By David Gate
Number 27: Fernando Morientes
With Michael Owen going to Real Madrid in the summer of 2004, Fernando Morientes found himself down the pecking order at the Santiago Bernabeu and joined Liverpool in January 2005. The Spanish striker came in with lofty expectations on his shoulders, but he failed to live up to them.
As a result of being cup-tied, Morientes was unable to feature in Liverpool’s historic Champions League campaign in 2005. Morientes was able to string a sequence of games together in his second season, but he only managed to score five league goals, an incredibly disappointing return for a striker who had excelled in Spain.
After a season and a half at Anfield, Morientes departed for Valencia, where he topped his total goalscoring record in his first season at the Spanish club. Ultimately, Morientes will be regarded as one of the disappointments in the Benitez era at Anfield. @wilko_mart_cach
Number 26: Andrea Dossena
When signed to replace the departing John Arne Riise, Andrea Dossena was advertised to Liverpool fans as a dynamic fullback who could both attack and defend. Unlike other Benitez signings which were seen as long-term projects, the 26-year old Dossena was perceived as being able to contribute right off the bat.
In his first season at Liverpool, Dossena was often rotated with Fabio Aurelio as the starting left back.However, a series of unimpressive showings quickly saw Aurelio and youngster Emiliano Insua usurp him in the pecking order.
Dossena is best remembered at Liverpool for scoring twice in four days against Real Madrid and Manchester United, respectively. Had those moments of magic been consistent, the Italian international could have lasted longer at Anfield, but he was shipped off to Napoli in the January transfer window after only a year and a half in Merseyside. @wilko_mart_cach