7 Liverpool Players of Last 10 Years Who Haven't Won over the Fans
The current Liverpool squad under Brendan Rodgers is one of the most divisive in the club's recent history, with a host of big-name players not quite having won over the support of the Anfield faithful for various reasons.
From the baying Kop to the many desperate caverns of Twitter, some players' very inclusion in the starting lineup will be met with disgust and derision.
This is not a new phenomenon, either. With the Reds boasting one of the world football's most passionate fanbases, there have been many players over the years who have not won over the supporters.
Here, we find seven who have not quite been warmed to over the past decade, including cover stars Mamadou Sakho and Dejan Lovren.
Dirk Kuyt
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During his six seasons with the club, Dirk Kuyt was one of the most underappreciated players on Liverpool's roster.
The industrious striker-turned-midfielder scored 71 goals in 285 games, including important strikes against Arsenal, AC Milan, Manchester United and Everton—genuine, game-defining goals—but never found himself the darling of the Kop.
Kuyt's only sin was simply being unfashionable.
"There has been no Liverpool player more underrated in the Premier League era than the likeable Dutchman," This is Anfield's Henry Jackson wrote in 2012.
Basing his game on mental fortitude and physical endeavour, Kuyt's lack of flair arguably awarded him this position—quietly shining in a team that also featured the likes of Fernando Torres, Xabi Alonso and Steven Gerrard, Kuyt was one of Liverpool's most dependable players, but far from the most popular.
His legend is boosted by hindsight
Yossi Benayoun
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Yossi Benayoun is a player who has turned out for three of the Premier League's biggest clubs, but when he arrived at Liverpool in 2007, he was best known for a two-season stint with West Ham United.
Like Kuyt, Benayoun was a player who ghosted into the periphery when it came to supporter adulation largely due to the popularity of those around him.
The Israeli was integral to Liverpool's attack between 2007 and 2010, but his ethereal movement and effortless first touch were a sideshow to the barnstorming duo of Torres and Gerrard.
Adopting a squad position for Chelsea and Arsenal following his Merseyside departure, Benayoun continued to play an unassuming role in the Premier League.
A player who plugged the gaps to help build a title-challenging side, Benayoun was hugely underrated by Liverpool supporters.
Harry Kewell
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Harry Kewell arrived with a considerable reputation when he signed for Liverpool in a deal worth £5 million in 2003, as reported by BBC Sport.
After a seven-year spell with Leeds United that saw the Australian contribute significantly to their Champions League semi-final run in 2000/01, Kewell was courted by European giants such as Arsenal, Manchester United, Barcelona, AC Milan and Chelsea, before opting to move to Merseyside.
Kewell signed a contract worth £60,000 a week and was assigned the club's iconic No. 7 shirt—but the Sydney-born winger failed to emulate the success of its former owner, Kenny Dalglish.
In an injury-hit five seasons at Anfield, Kewell made 139 appearances, scoring 16 goals.
Starting in the Reds' 2005 Champions League final win, Kewell suffered the misfortune of having to be withdrawn early into the first half with a torn abductor muscle; Kewell's body ensured he could not write his name in Liverpool folklore.
Remaining a fixture in Liverpool's charity endeavours, Kewell is a popular figure post-retirement, but during his time as a Liverpool player, the winger was little more than a luxury.
Joe Allen
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Perhaps the most divisive Liverpool player in the Premier League era, dynamic midfielder Joe Allen remains something of an enigma on Merseyside.
Is he, as Rodgers famously christened on his arrival, the "Welsh Xavi," or another dispensable talent in a long line of transfer mistakes by the Reds manager?
Like Kewell, Allen's Liverpool career so far has been blighted by injury—he has averaged just 24 league games a season since his move from Swansea City in 2012—but an inconsistency on the field has not aided his endearment to the Kop.
When on form, Allen is capable of masterminding the destruction of the league's leading midfielders—ask Yaya Toure—but too often he sinks into the periphery.
The 2015/16 season could be a defining one for Allen under Rodgers, but he is, unfortunately, never likely to win over the supporters
Simon Mignolet
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Simon Mignolet's 2014 struggles have been written indelibly in the memories of the Liverpool support.
However he progresses, the Belgian is unlikely to shake that six-month run of miserable performances from the minds of the more stubborn sections of the Kop.
Considered something of a risk when he arrived at Liverpool from Sunderland in 2013, Mignolet's first season on Merseyside was the miraculous title challenge hallmarked by a score-more-than-we-concede approach by the Reds.
Liverpool conceded 50 goals in that 2013/14 campaign, more than all but three of the Premier League's top 10.
When Luis Suarez left for Barcelona and Daniel Sturridge's injuries stunted his efforts in attack, Liverpool's defensive frailties were magnified.
Backed by a shaky Mignolet, the Reds' back line was awful in 2014.
The 27-year-old will likely forever be considered upgradable by many Liverpool supporters, despite an upturn in form since the turn of the year—September calls, via Bleacher Report's Allan Jiang, to sign then-free agent Victor Valdes serve as the perfect evidence of this.
Mamadou Sakho
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Sakho's Liverpool future is up in the air this summer, according to Aaron Flanagan of the Mirror, and the debate surrounding the French centre-back's potential departure is indicative of his status among Liverpool supporters.
Like Allen, Sakho is supremely divisive.
Search "Sakho clumsy" into Twitter's search engine and an endless stream of criticism is uncovered, but do the same with "Sakho best defender" and the 25-year-old is praised in equal measure.
Sakho is an intriguing character on the field: He's a gangly, front-footed defender who looks likely to make a mistake at any minute, but in reality he is Liverpool's strongest defender in the tackle, in the air, in reading the game and in possession.
If Sakho leaves Liverpool this summer, his departure may be met with sighs of relief from some sections of the club's support, but his sale would also spark fury among those of a more measured, objective persuasion.
Dejan Lovren
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Lovren's first season on Merseyside was an individual calamity.
Dropping in confidence by the game, Lovren's performances throughout 2014/15 made a mockery of the £20 million transfer fee Rodgers felt wise to sanction upon his move from Southampton—the Croatian was the poster boy for Liverpool's sixth-placed misery.
Now facing a considerable challenge as Rodgers' restored first choice at left-sided centre-back, Lovren will need to win over the support of Anfield with consistent performances.
Whether this is possible or not is hugely debatable—the former Lyon man needs a Jordan Henderson-like upturn in fortunes to erase the mistakes of his maiden Liverpool campaign.
Statistics via LFCHistory.net.
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