‘It was a complete mismatch’ – Gerrard on Liverpool’s ‘unbelievable’ transfer error | OneFootball

Steven Gerrard has admitted Liverpool got it “badly wrong” in the transfer market when the club opted to sign El Hadji Diouf instead of Nicolas Anelka in 2002.

Speaking on Rio Ferdinand Presents, our former captain was asked about frustrating moments in recruitment and didn’t hold back when recalling the decision that still baffles him more than two decades later.

“We got recruitment badly wrong at times. Badly wrong,” Gerrard said.

“We had the chance to sign Nicolas Anelka or El Hadji Diouf and we bought Diouf, on the back of a four or five-game period in a World Cup, when we could have bought someone on the back of five or six years.”

Gerrard: ‘I couldn’t believe what was happening’

(Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images)

The 44-year-old added that he still isn’t sure who made the final call but labelled the decision “a complete mismatch”.

“Anelka came into our sessions, coolest man ever,” he explained.

“Calm, relaxed — you just knew he had that aura. He was ready to help Liverpool win more. Then a decision was made, and I couldn’t believe what was happening.”

The French striker had impressed during a short loan spell at Anfield, scoring key goals in a campaign that saw us finish second under Gerard Houllier.

Yet instead of making the move permanent, the club turned to Senegalese forward Diouf following his standout displays at the 2002 World Cup.

It’s a transfer that continues to divide opinion and Gerrard’s latest comments only underline how costly that decision proved.

Liverpool’s missed opportunity revisited

(Photo by Clive Brunskill/ Getty Images)

Anelka himself later admitted “this is my biggest regret” when discussing his time at Liverpool, explaining that he wanted to stay permanently but was denied the chance.

Diouf, meanwhile, has remained one of the club’s most controversial figures, with his later feud with Jamie Carragher making headlines again recently.

Gerrard’s comments have reignited debate about how different our early-2000s era might have been if that transfer had gone the other way.

You can watch Gerrard’s comments on Anelka and Diouf (from 31:43) via Rio Ferdinand Presents on YouTube:

You can watch Slot’s post Chelsea press conference via Empire of the Kop on YouTube:

Join our channel of readers on WhatsApp to get the day’s top stories straight to your mobile