In: Italian international Fabio Borini became Brendan Rodgers' first signing for Liverpool today, after arriving from AS Roma for a fee reported to be in the region of £8 million. This will be the third time the exciting 21-year old has played under the Northern Irish manager.
The pair first worked together in the Chelsea youth set-up, where Borini's talent drew the attention of first team manager Carlo Ancelotti, before he netted an impressive six goals in 12 appearances on loan at Swansea. Last season he found the net ten times for Roma and also managed to secure a place in Italy's squad for Euro 2012, although he failed to achieve any game time as the Azzuri beat England on their way to a 4-0 final defeat to the imperious Spain.
Successful Italian imports are notoriously rare, however the fact that Borini received his footballing education in England should hasten the adaptation process. The young striker seems a decent prospect in both the short and long term and, should he forge a prolific partnership with Luis Suarez, could become a fans' favourite. A few more similar signings would provide a welcome statement of intent heading into the new season. (13th July)
Former Swansea player Joe Allen is reunited with boss Brendan Rodgers after completing a £15 million move to Anfield. The transfer took place despite a gentleman's agreement between the two clubs that Liverpool wouldn't sign any Swansea stars for 12 months after Rodgers' arrival on Merseyside.
The 22-year old has been at the Liberty Stadium since the tender age of nine when Swansea's scouts spotted his burgeoning talent. After progressing impressively through the Welsh side's youth system, Allen made his debut in a remarkable 6-3 defeat to Blackpool. His influence last season was crucial to Swansea's notable success, as he marshalled their midfield valiantly, netting four times in 39 appearances for the Swans, who finished comfortably in eleventh position.
Eight Wales caps were complemented by five appearances for Team GB at the Olympic football tournament this summer. In GB's quarter-final defeat to South Korea at the Millennium Stadium, which I witnessed, Allen was one of few British players to impress, as he sat in midfield quickly and tidily moving the ball around in a manner resembling Tottenham Hotspur and England midfielder Scott Parker.
Although the £15 million transfer fee seems inflated, Allen appears to be an exciting young player who will fit perfectly into Brendan Rodgers' pass and move style of play. He will hopefully complement Lucas, Gerrard, Adam, Spearing and Shelvey in the centre of midfield while also adding an extra dimension to our attack and versatility to our midfield. (10th August)
Little known Moroccan international winger Oussama Assaidi has become Brendan Rodgers' third summer signing after arriving from Dutch club Heerenveen for approximately £3 million. The 24-year old has put pen to paper on a long-term contract after successfully completing a medical at Liverpool's training ground Melwood.
Nuri Sahin became Liverpool's fourth signing of the summer, as he arrived on a season-long loan from Spanish giants Real Madrid. The 23-year old, who will don the number four shirt vacated by Raul Meireles, is an exciting addition to an already strong central midfield, which includes the likes of Steven Gerrard, Lucas Leiva and Joe Allen, as well as upcoming youngsters such as Spearing and Shelvey. His impressive passing range will also undoubtedly suit the style of play Brendan Rodgers is hoping to revive at Anfield and add an extra string to the Reds' proverbial bow.
Now, he has the considerable honour of becoming the first Turk to sign for Liverpool. Although his six-year contract at the Bernabeau means that Sahin's stay at Anfield is unlikely to extend beyond the end of this season, if he can make an impact on Merseyside during the current campaign then the loan will be worthwhile for the Reds, Sahin and Real. (25th August)
Liverpool have bolstered their youth ranks with the signing of promising 18-year old German striker Samed Yesil from Sami Hyypia's Bayer Leverkusen. He has scored an impressive 22 goals in 26 appearances for Germany at U16, U17 and U18 level. Although Yesil may be useful in the long term, he will remain in the youth system in the short term and manager Brendan Rodgers still certainly needs to sign at least one senior striker before the deadline, with rumours strongly linking Clint Dempsey with a move from Fulham to Merseyside. (30th August)
Out: Injury-plagued left back Fabio Aurelio has joined Brazilian club Gremio, who previously employed Lucas Leiva, after being released from his Liverpool contract. The 32-year old made 134 appearances for the Reds and, when not on the treatment table, was considered first choice left back under former boss Rafael Benitez. He was initially released by Benitez after rejecting a pay-as-you-play contract offer, but current England manager Roy Hodgson welcomed him back and gave him a ludicrously long two-year contract. During his final year at the club, he rarely featured in Kenny Dalglish's plans and has now departed to return to his homeland.
I will always remember Aurelio for the fantastic free kick he scored in the 2008/2009 Champions League quarterfinal against Stamford Bridge, which ultimately ended in disappointment after a 7-5 aggregate defeat. This is because I was watching the match for the first time with my brother-in-law who, despite not being a football fan, remarkably predicted Aurelio would find the back of the net with the free kick and was proven right despite my dismissiveness.
We thank him for his commitment to the club and wish him all the best for his future footballing career. (25th May)
Dirk Kuyt has agreed to join Turkish side Fenerbahce. The 31-year old, who will represent Holland at Euro 2012 this summer, fell out of favour with Kenny Dalglish and was frustrated as he remained on the bench for large spells of last season.
After originally struggling to win over some supporters following his arrival at Anfield from Feyenoord in 2006, Kuyt won over the Kop with his hard work and dedication to the Liverpool cause. In 285 appearances, he bagged a credible 71 goals, many of which came in big games at key moments.
His penultimate goal for the Merseysiders came in the 2011/2012 Carling Cup final, when his extra time strike appeared to have given the Reds victory.
Kuyt was much loved by Kopites and will be sadly missed. (3rd June)
Strangely enough, after Brendan Rodgers had professed his desire to keep Maxi Rodriguez at Anfield in the morning, it was announced in the evening that the Argentine winger is leaving Liverpool to return to former employers Newell's Old Boys in his homeland. In truth, though, the news was relatively unsurprising as, after falling out of favour with Kenny Dalglish and making only 21 appearances last season, the much-loved midfielder clearly sought a change.
Although underused, Maxi was a talented player who could be relied on to find the net. Amongst his 17 strikes for the Reds, hat-tricks against Birmingham and Fulham in the space of a couple of weeks towards the conclusion of the 2010/2011 season will be remembered fondly, as will goals in the League and Carling Cup at Chelsea's Stamford Bridge last season.
At 31, Maxi was unlikely to play a major part in the future of the new Liverpool squad that Brendan Rodgers is in the process of building and, as a result, it is probably the right time for him to move on. We wish him all the best for the future. (13th July)
Alberto Aquilani has completed a move back to Italy after three troubled seasons with Liverpool. The 28-year old, who made only 28 first team appearances for the Reds, has joined Fiorentina for a fee rumoured to be around £3.1 million, which would represent a significant loss on a player that Rafael Benitez expected to replace Xabi Alonso when he spent £17 million to secure his signature in 2009.
Unfortunately, injuries stifled Aquilani on his arrival at Anfield and he failed to fill the Spaniard's considerable boots. As a result, he spent the last two seasons on loan at Italian clubs Juventus and AC Milan, revelling in a familiar setting.
Although Aquilani is undoubtedly a talented player, his potential has only been seen sporadically on Merseyside and therefore his departure is welcome news, as it finally resolves a long running issue, reduces the club's wage bill and possibly opens up space for new signings, such as Swansea's Joe Allen, to complete moves to Liverpool. (3rd August)
Craig Bellamy's anticipated return to boyhood club Cardiff City was completed today. The Welsh striker cited family reasons for moving to the Championship outfit and was reportedly willing to accept a significant pay cut to make the transfer happen.
After returning to Anfield at the end of August last summer, Bellamy went on to perform a useful function as an impact substitute in Kenny Dalglish's side during the 2011/2012 season, chipping in with nine goals from 37 appearances. Perhaps most importantly, he kept out of trouble off the pitch and let his football do the talking.
Although it would have been beneficial to have the Olympic footballer as an additional attacking option next season, the 33-year old's career is winding down and hence the Reds should be able to cope with his loss fairly easily. We wish him all the best at Cardiff, both on and off the pitch. (10th August)
Midway through the Reds' Europa League play-off second leg versus Hearts at Anfield, it was announced that Andy Carroll had joined West Ham United on a season-long loan. The tall Geordie striker had been linked with a loan move back to former club Newcastle United, but Hammers' boss 'Big Sam' Allardyce ended up securing the signing of a player he had previously pursued on a permanent basis earlier on in the summer.
Carroll is likely to be remembered as a very expensive flop. £35 million was squandered in January 2011 to bring him to Anfield. After an injury-plagued start Carroll, unlike fellow new signing Luis Suarez, failed to make a significant impact in the Reds' first team, managing to net only 11 goals in 58 appearances.
His best moment came in last season's FA Cup final against Chelsea, when the substitute quickly halved the Reds' two-goal deficit and then saw Cech make a spectacular save to prevent his header from crossing the line and levelling the scoreline. However, doubts persisted as to whether he could fit into the passing style adopted by both Kenny Dalglish and Brendan Rodgers. Although his height was undoubtedly an asset, it also represented a huge temptation to abandon the 'Liverpool Way' of playing passing football.
It is therefore unsurprising that he has left after a summer of speculation. A permanent transfer that would have raised around £15-20 million would have been preferable, but Carroll appears unlikely to ever return to Liverpool, particularly not if Rodgers remains in the Anfield dugout. We can only wish him all the best at West Ham and hope he performs well enough to raise his value when we eventually sell him. (30th August)
Jay Spearing has also left the club on loan, joining Owen Coyle's Bolton Wanderers for the duration of the 2012/2013 season. Last season, in the absence of the injured Lucas Leiva, Spearing achieved his highest total of appearances in a Red shirt, as he played 25 times under the guidance of Kenny Dalglish.
Although widely regarded as a promising youngster, this move probably signals the end of Spearing's time at Anfield. With increased competition for a place in the centre of midfield due to the signings of Joe Allen and Nuri Sahin, as well as the emergence of the exciting Jonjo Shelvey, Spearing was unlikely to force his way into Rodgers' plans and hence a loan move may be beneficial for both Spearing and the club.
We wish him all the best at Bolton. (31st August)
Stoke City have signed Scottish central midfielder Charlie Adam from Liverpool for a fee reported to be approximately £4 million. The much-vaunted Adam arrived at Anfield amid fanfare, as former manager Kenny Dalglish emerged victorious from a battle with Tottenham Hotspur for his signature.
However, unfortunately Adam failed to impress despite appearing 35 times under King Kenny's reign last season. The spectacular passing range that he displayed at Blackpool and which attracted many big teams to him was rarely seen when the 26-year old was wearing the red of Liverpool.
Ultimately, Adam doesn't seem suited to playing for big clubs and appears to prefer being a big fish in a small pond. Just as he failed at Rangers, he failed at Liverpool. The Britannia Stadium should be a happy hunting ground for him, though. (31st August)
Nathan Eccleston has leaved Liverpool to join Blackpool. The 21-year old came through the club's Academy and made nine first team appearances, many of which came in the Carling Cup and the Europa League. He was never likely to make it at Anfield, unfortunately though.
We wish him all the best at Blackpool. (31st August)
