Steven Gerrard has admitted his decision over Liverpool’s infamous decision to sign El Hagi Diove instead of Nicolas Anelka in 2002.
It is a move that remains one of the club’s biggest regrets. Nicholas Anelka He spent a season on loan with the Reds, which impressed Steven Gerrard And his teammates.
However, the permanent move worth £13m fell through after the club turned their attention to the Senegalese striker who is on duty at the World Cup.
Steven Gerrard criticizes Liverpool for not signing him
It came in the latest episode of Rio Ferdinand presents podcastDiscussing various topics.
Gerrard has opened up on Trent Alexander-Arnold’s controversial move to Madrid. He also discussed the club’s decision not to sign Anelka, describing it as a classic case of the club getting recruitment wrong, choosing a striker based on a short burst of international form rather than his long-term pedigree.
Gerrard recalls: “We got recruitment badly wrong at times. I’ll give you one example, we had the opportunity to sign Nicolas Anelka or El Hagev, and we bought Diof on the back of a World Cup for four or five games instead of someone on the back of five or six years.”
Gerrard pointed to Anelka’s aura during training as evidence of his quality: “Anelka came into our training sessions, and he was the coolest guy ever, calm, relaxed, you knew he had an aura and confidence in himself, and he was ready to win.
“Anelka was coming in and was a level above everyone else, but then that decision was made and I couldn’t believe what was happening.”
The decision will continue to haunt Liverpool, with Diove failing to live up to expectations on and off the field, while Anelka has enjoyed a scintillating Premier League career elsewhere.
Nicolas Anelka’s amazing Premier League career took him through the top clubs
Nicolas Anelka’s career English Premier League Speaks for itself. After bursting onto the scene with Arsenal, where he scored 23 goals in 65 league appearances, he continued to act Liverpool (loan), Manchester City, and Chelsea, among others.
At Manchester City, Anelka scored 37 goals in 89 matches, establishing himself as one of the most consistent strikers in the league.
| The club | Appearances | Objectives | Helps |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chelsea | 184 | 59 | 27 |
| Manchester City | 103 | 45 | 8 |
| arsenal | 90 | 28 | 14 |
| Liverpool | 22 | 5 | 3 |
During his time at Chelsea, he scored 38 goals in 125 matches, winning the Premier League title (2009-10) and the Golden Boot (2008-09).
Over the course of his Premier League career, Anelka scored 125 goals in 364 appearances, ranking among the top French scorers in English football history, a tally that underscores just how costly Liverpool’s 2002 decision was.
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