Remembering Liverpool’s lousy record with Italian players

Liverpool are closing in on the signing of Federico Chiesa from Juventus after agreeing to sign the Italy international for an initial fee of around £10m.

Chiesa’s imminent arrival has been greeted with excitement due to his reputation and the modest fee involved, with the winger having starred during Italy’s success at Euro 2020.

However, Liverpool’s record with Italian footballers does not make for good reading and Chiesa will need to buck the trend at Anfield. There have been some terrific Italians throughout the Premier League’s long history but few have performed well when wearing a Liverpool shirt.

Remembering Liverpool’s lousy record with Italian players 

Daniele Padelli 

The first-ever Italian to play for Liverpool is a title Daniele Padelli will always hold, though it was hardly a performance to remember.

In his one game for the club, he conceded two soft goals against Charlton Athletic, with Liverpool opting against making the goalkeeper’s loan move permanent.

Gabriel Paletta 

The Argentine-born centre-back signed for Liverpool in 2007, touted as one of South America’s best up-and-coming defenders.

He struggled to break into the first-team, however, and made just eight appearances before departing Liverpool to sign for Boca Juniors. Paletta returned to Europe in 2010 and has had successful stints at Parma, AC Milan and Atalanta. After several seasons in Serie A, he pledged his international allegiance to Italy and earned three caps for the Azzurri in 2014.

Andrea Dossena

Andrea Dossena arrived at Liverpool in 2008 with a growing reputation after impressing at Udinese. A £7m recruit, the Italian was signed as a replacement for John Arne Riise but never came close to reaching the fan-favourite status of the man he succeeded.

But for two goals in four days during memorable wins over Real Madrid and Manchester United, he made just 18 largely forgettable league appearances across 18 months before returning to Italy with Napoli.

Alberto Aquilani

Alberto Aquilani was the headline recruit at Liverpool during the 2009 summer transfer window, after arriving from Roma in a £17m deal. Signed as a replacement for Xabi Alonso, it proved to be a mammoth mistake for Rafael Benitez.

He arrived injured, spent almost his entire Liverpool career injured, and made just 18 league appearances for the Reds. After loan spells at Juventus and AC Milan, he returned to Serie A permanently with Fiorentina in 2012. The fee was reported to be just €790,000.

Fabio Borini 

Brendan Rodgers made Fabio Borini his first signing as Liverpool manager, as he completed a reunion with the former Chelsea and Swansea forward.

The Italian’s debut ended in a disastrous defeat at West Brom before a broken ankle and disclosed shoulder decimated his campaign. He scored twice in 20 appearances before being shipped on loan to Sunderland.

Mario Balotelli

Mario Balotelli’s time with Liverpool was not quite as bonkers as his stint with Manchester City, but it wasn’t nearly as good either.

Signed as part of a transfer splurge funded by Luis Suarez’s sale to Barcelona, Balotelli proved to be a big disappointment at Anfield. He scored just one goal in 16 league appearances before being packed off back to former club AC Milan on loan.

Read – Liverpool signing reacts to imminent Premier League transfer

See more – Five of the best Serie A to Premier League transfers

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