Rodgers wanted Remy and Eto’o but got disaster Balotelli

Former Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers was looking at transfer targets Loic Remy and Samuel Eto’o but ended up with disaster Mario Balotelli.

Remy and Eto’o were top of the shortlist to replace Barcelona bound Luis Suarez, while Balotelli was never considered an option until it was too late – wrote Kristian Walsh for Liverpool.com.

The Italian was a massive flop at Anfield, never settled in, only scored four times for the Reds and was shipped out as soon as it was possible.

Remy was supposed to be the man who could help Liverpool get over their Alexis Sanchez nightmare, when the Chilean decided to move to Arsenal (aha) over picking Rodgers’ Reds.

His career has since gone downhill with Manchester United, and the forward seems like the expensive mistake that Old Trafford chiefs can’t get rid of.

After Remy failed his Anfield medical, despite playing a crucial role for Newcastle United in the Premier League the previous season, the club decided they wanted to get Eto’o from Anzhi Makhachkala.

That deal never materialised, although perhaps it’s a good thing.

Balotelli never really had the career that many predicted for him while Manchester City were trying to turn him into the top class forward that his potential indicated he could be.

There were a few wonder strikes back in the day, but his temperament never matched that talent. The Italian has had a nomadic career since leaving Liverpool, and experienced his best spell with Nice – where he scored 43 goals in 76 appearances.

This is another story that highlights the transfer chaos that sometimes surrounded Rodgers’ time at Liverpool. He famously only signed Roberto Firmino so those above him would sanction the Christian Benteke deal, while Alberto Moreno was also a third choice left-back.

Luckily those days are well behind us as Jurgen Klopp thinks, waits and get his man. The deals for Alisson Becker and Virgil van Dijk are testament to that.