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Liverpool's loan deals rated with 0/10 flop and 9/10 'monster' as 47m ace seals transfer

Liverpool have confirmed the loan signing of Ronald Araujo from Barcelona and here we've ranked and rated every Reds loan move of the Premier League era

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    Liverpool have landed Barcelona captain Ronald Araujo on a season-long loan - and the 47m defender will hope to fair better than some of the Reds' previous temporary deals.

    Here at Daily Star Sport we've taken it upon ourselves to rank and rate every loan signing made by the Merseyside giants during the Premier League era - from all-time flops to world class superstars, there has been quite the range of success.

    Former Sunderland goalkeeper Mark Prudhoe came on loan from Stoke City as cover for David James and Michael Stensgaard in November 1994, but never actually played for the Reds during a short spell at Anfield. After retiring, the journeyman stopper returned to Sunderland as an academy goalkeeping coach. He's even credited by England keeper Jordan Pickford for helping set him on the path to playing for Everton (and conceding hilarious Divock Origi goals in Merseyside derbies).

    Speaking of Sunderland and Everton goalkeepers, Alec Chamberlain started his career with the Black Cats before moving to Everton. He would later become a Watford legend, but it was during his time with Stoke City that he signed for Liverpool on loan towards the end of the 199495 season, again as understudy to James, after Stensgaard dislocated a shoulder in an ironing incident. Despite never playing a game for the Reds, he collected a League Cup winner's medal as an unused substitute in the Coca Cola Cup final win over Bolton Wanderers. Not a bad return!

    Another journeyman goalkeeper signed by Liverpool on loan as cover in 1994, this time from Crewe Alexandra, Mark Gayle didn't play a game for the Reds. The ex-Walsall man later coached at clubs including Leamington.

    Arthur Melo was brought in by Jurgen Klopp on transfer deadline day in the summer of 2022 as a stopgap signing on loan from Juventus, after the Reds had failed to secure a new first team midfielder. A miserable season would ensue for the Reds and for the injury-prone Brazil international, who played a total of 13 minutes in an embarrassing 4-1 Champions League defeat at Napoli.

    Having previously shone at Gremio, he had made a 35m move to Barcelona in 2018, where he was initially hailed as the "next Xavi". But he then made a controversial - and not at all suspicious - 66m switch to Juventus in 2020. Liverpool didn't blow that much cash on him, but the 4m in loan fees they did pay was a complete waste of money.

    Former Tottenham defender Steven Caulker was somehow Klopp's first signing. Another stop-gap measure, he was already on loan at Southampton from Queens Park Rangers during the first half of 2015-16, an arrangement that was terminated to allow the once-capped England defender to move to Anfield that January. At the time he was struggling with gambling and alcohol addictions, demons which had followed him throughout his career, and bizarrely he was used more as an emergency striker.

    Three of his four appearances came off the bench, thrown up top by a desperate Klopp. He came on as an auxiliary striker in the 87th minute before the Reds clinched a late equaliser in a 3-3 draw with Arsenal. He was used in the same manner in a 1-0 loss at home to Manchester United and again away against Norwich City - entering in the 90th minute and contributing to a 95th-minute winner by Adam Lallana. He started once in his natural position in a goalless FA Cup draw with West Ham, then after pulling out of the replay with back spasms, said Klopp "wrote him off".

    Daniele Padelli was loaned to Liverpool by Sampdoria in January 2007, with Rafael Benitez hailing the arrival of "a good young goalkeeper" who was a mainstay of Italy's Under 21s. He made his debut and only appearance for the club that May against Charlton Athletic, in the last league game of a disappointing domestic season, ahead of the Champions League final defeat to AC Milan in Athens.

    In doing so, he became the first Italian to ever play for the Reds. But after a poor performance that saw him concede two goals in a disappointing 2-2 draw, he returned to Sampdoria, before spells with Torino, Inter Milan and Udinese.

    Fans were ecstatic about the possibility of a 'Moneyball' signing when Nuri Sahin, a Bundesliga title winner at Borussia Dortmund under Jurgen Klopp, arrived on loan from Real Madrid in the summer of 2012, after struggling to make his mark in Spain. But the deal for the deep-lying midfield marvel was terminated after just six months.

    Sahin scored three goals in 12 outings for the Reds, but was frustrated by Brendan Rodgers' baffling decision to play him as a number 10. "I did not fail at Liverpool," he later insisted. "Brendan Rodgers wanted me to play as a number 10. But I do not play behind the strikers. It is not my real position... thank God I have left Brendan Rodgers." Klopp meanwhile said Sahin was a "brilliant player", adding: "I dont know why Brendan Rodgers would do this."

    A fairy tale of a loan deal saw Gerard Houllier solve the problem of goalkeepers Jerzy Dudek and Chris Kirkland both being injured in 2004 by bringing in veteran Southampton goalkeeper Paul Jones, 36, on loan.

    The boyhood Liverpool fan jumped at the chance to play for the Reds for a month, rather than move to Saints' rivals Portsmouth on a permanent deal. And he became the club's oldest post-war debutant, keeping a clean sheet in a 1-0 win over Aston Villa at Anfield, before the Welsh star played in a 2-1 loss away at Tottenham, before returning to the south coast, having accomplished a lifelong dream to play for the Reds.

    Javier Manquillo arrived from Atletico Madrid in the summer of 2014, but it appeared he had been targeted by head scout Barry Hunter and analyst Michael Edwards rather than manager Brendan Rodgers, who was often at loggerheads with the other members of the Reds' then transfer committee.

    The 20-year-old Spanish right-back arrived for a two-season stint at Anfield, yet never featured in the Premier League after the December of his first and only season. He had looked a solid option, and later proved it at Sunderland on loan and then for Newcastle under Benitez, but Rodgers refused to pick him. Atletico took him back a year ahead of schedule.

    Liverpool threw away potential back-to-back Premier League titles under Jurgen Klopp by going into the 2020-21 campaign with only three centre-backs - Virgil van Dijk and his injury prone sidekicks Joel Matip and Joe Gomez - after deciding not to replace the outgoing Dejan Lovren. By January, Klopp was playing Jordan Henderson and Fabinho in defence after Jordan Pickford's horror challenge on Van Dijk ended his season and Matip and Gomez were inevitably injured.

    On deadline day, Liverpool bought Ben Davies from Preston for 1.6m, and signed Ozan Kabak on loan from struggling Schalke, with the option to buy him for 18m. The Turkey star was nowhere near good enough and ended the season behind Nathaniel Phillips and Rhys Williams.

    Long before Antonio Conte turned him into a Premier League winning wing-back, Victor Moses could have lifted the title at Liverpool when on loan in 2013-14. The Nigeria winger was out of favour at Chelsea just a season after signing from Wigan, so was secured by Brendan Rodgers on a season-long loan. He even scored on his debut in a 2-2 draw at Swansea City.

    But it was all downhill from there. Moses was replaced in the team by a teenage Raheem Sterling and his 19 league appearances only included six as a starter. Worse still, Liverpool fans will never forget his shocking miss in the dying moments of the infamous 3-3 draw with Crystal Palace, when he missed his kick completely with the goal begging. Chelsea fans crowed online, branding him 'Agent Moses', as the Reds' title dream was shattered.

    Another player who found himself part of an unexpected title challenge, Aly Cissokho signed for Liverpool on a season-long loan from Valencia in August 2013, after Rodgers failed to sign another left-back, Guilherme Siqueira, from Granada. Cissokho's abilities can probably best be summed up by the fact the France international, then 25, was expected to compete with Jose Enrique for a place in the first team, but soon found himself back-up to 20-year-old Jon Flanagan.

    Cissokho was barely good enough for his next club, Aston Villa. But while at Anfield he did have two inadvertent memorable moments. He got an accidental rebound assist for Luis Suarez's spectacular long-range header in a 4-1 win over West Brom and saw a shot deflect off Ryan Shawcross's groin for an own goal in a 5-3 win at Stoke.

    Nicolas Anelka had shown he could be a key part of a Premier League title winning side at Arsenal, but with his controversial agent brothers in tow, failed to fulfil his world class talent at Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain. Liverpool fans were delighted when Gerard Houllier announced a "fantastic deal" to sign him on loan in December 2001. The French boss, who had worked with Anelka before, said it was "no risk", adding: "I know what has been said about him and I dont care."

    Six months later, he'd changed his mind. Anelka had only scored five goals in 22 games, but looked the business. Yet a permanent deal collapsed - Anelka would later say because Houllier didn't like his 'personality' and his salary demands. Which might make sense if the Reds hadn't then spent a fortune on El Hadji Diouf, one of the worst players and biggest disgraces to wear a Liverpool shirt. It was a huge sliding doors moment in Houllier's time at Liverpool, as Anelka - who Steven Gerrard described as "top class" and a "good lad" - went on to shine for Manchester City, Bolton and Chelsea.

    Javier Mascherano was one of the best defensive midfielders on the planet, but somehow found himself warming the bench at West Ham in 2006 after the Hammers' controversial deal to bring him to the Premier League alongside Argentina team-mate Carlos Tevez. A row over the duo's ownership rights and third party contracts would late see the Londoners fined a world record 5.5m. So in January 2007, Benitez saw an opportunity and swooped to sign the "monster of a player" on an 18-month loan.

    Playing alongside Xabi Alonso and freeing up Gerrard to bomb forward, Liverpool fans were soon boasting they had "the best midfield in the world" as they reached the Champions League final. The Reds later signed Mascherano from his owners MSI for 18.6m and he was crucial to a title challenge in 2008-09. Sadly, he left for Barcelona for 20m in 2010, after US owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett ran the club into the ground and Benitez was infamously sacked and replaced by the hopeless Roy Hodgson. Mascherano accused Hodgson of lying about him refusing to play and claimed senior figures at Liverpool had broken a prior promise to let him leave - a sad end to his Anfield career.

    1. Ronald Araujo

      []

      Liverpool have landed Barcelona captain Ronald Araujo on a season-long loan - and the £47m defender will hope to fair better than some of the Reds' previous temporary deals. Here at Daily Star Sport we've taken it upon ourselves to rank and rate every loan signing made by the Merseyside giants during the Premier League era - from all-time flops to world class superstars, there has been quite the range of success.

      1 of 15

    2. Mark Prudhoe N/A

      []

      Former Sunderland goalkeeper Mark Prudhoe came on loan from Stoke City as cover for David James and Michael Stensgaard in November 1994, but never actually played for the Reds during a short spell at Anfield. After retiring, the journeyman stopper returned to Sunderland as an academy goalkeeping coach. He's even credited by England keeper Jordan Pickford for helping set him on the path to playing for Everton (and conceding hilarious Divock Origi goals in Merseyside derbies).

      2 of 15

    3. Mark Gayle N/A

      []

      Another journeyman goalkeeper signed by Liverpool on loan as cover in 1994, this time from Crewe Alexandra, Mark Gayle didn't play a game for the Reds. The ex-Walsall man later coached at clubs including Leamington.

      3 of 15
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