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Gérard Houllier’s 40 Liverpool signings ranked and rated – who’s the worst?

By Russell Hughes

Liverpool, Gerard Houllier, Florent Sinama Pongolle, Harry Kewell. (Photo by Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images)
Liverpool, Gerard Houllier, Florent Sinama Pongolle, Harry Kewell. (Photo by Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images) /
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Liverpool, Steve Finnan.
Liverpool, Steve Finnan. (ANDREW YATES/AFP via Getty Images) /

Steve Finnan// Fulham// £3,500,000

Steve Finnan was brought in from Fulham in 2003 for £3.5 million by Houllier in his last season. His Liverpool transfer capped off the ultimate rags to riches success story seeing Finnan rise from non-league all the way to the pinnacle of English football.

The Irishman’s disappointed in his first season due to struggles and various injuries. But after the arrival of Benitez, the fullback started to take off. The Spanish manager even described Finnan as a “seven, eight, nine or even ten out of ten every week.”

His relentless work ethic and consistent play made him a fan favorite with the Anfield faithful.

But of course, Finnan’s lasting memory with the club is his appearance in Istanbul. Finnan jokingly described himself as the ‘real hero’ of the cup triumph as the Reds came back from the 3-0 deficit after the fullback came off due to injury.

Eventually, Alvaro Arbeloa’s arrival drove the Irishman out of the starting position and ultimately out of the club as he departed for Espanyol in 2008. Still, Finnan’s time at Liverpool was easily worth the £3.5 million as he ended up with 217 appearances and a Champions League winner’s medal.

Rating: 7/10. Words by Minh Nguyen.

Liverpool, Jerzy Dudek.
Liverpool, Jerzy Dudek.(Photo by ODD ANDERSEN/AFP via Getty Images) /

Jerzy Dudek //Feyenoord // £4,850,000

Goalkeeper Jerzy Dudek gained legendary status for his performance in the 2005 Champions League final, and he certainly had some spells of world-class form, but his overall performance level for the Reds was incredibly up-and-down.

That amazing double save during regular time against Andriy Shevchenko was a thing of pure mystic, and Dudek followed it up by saving the forward’s penalty to give Liverpool the crown.

But the Pole also made mistakes and lost his place to Chris Kirkland, only regaining it because Kirkland suffered from so many injuries. Houllier host trust in the stopper for a while, as did Benitez – who signed Pepe Reina.

That deal effectively ended Dudek’s career with Liverpool, but we still have the memories of his outstanding first season with the club and that game in Istanbul.

All in all, a pretty good deal.

Rating: 7/10

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