6 total flop Liverpool strikers who Darwin Nunez will hope to avoid emulating
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Darwin Nunez could be the latest 'King of the Kop' – with the Uruguayan striker boasting one of the most potent goalscoring records in Europe.
But before he slaps the 'Welcome to Anfield' sign for the first time, Nunez will have to learn from some cautionary tales. The Reds don't have the best record when it comes to mega-money strikers – from Andy Carroll to Christian Benteke.
Even those who arrived on Merseyside for a small fee have struggled under the bright lights of Anfield. And Daily Star Sport is now looking at six strikers who spectacularly flopped at Liverpool.
Christian Benteke – £41million
Benteke was somewhat of a revelation when he first arrived on British shores with Aston Villa in 2012, and after three successful years, he landed a move to Liverpool in 2015.
Benteke and Liverpool were never really a match made in heaven – and outside a spectacular bicycle kick against Manchester United, the Belgian played a bit-part role.
The Belgian left Liverpool after just one season in 2016 to join Crystal Palace.
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Mario Balotelli – £18million
Mario Balotelli always had the 'it' factor, at Manchester City he was regularly the main attraction: for better or for worse.
But after a spell away from England, curiosity was heightened when Mad Mario arrived on Merseyside to the tune of £18million. It's safe to say things didn't go as planned when Balotelli packed his bags two years later with just one more Premier League goal to his name.
At least we got this iconic quote: "When I score, I don't celebrate because I'm only doing my job."
Iago Aspas – £10million
To be fair to Iago Aspas, he was very much a victim of circumstances at Anfield.
The young Spaniard made the switch to Merseyside in the summer of 2013, the season Liverpool mounted a title charge spearheaded by Daniel Sturridge and Luis Suarez. Aspas struggled for game time and failed to score in England's top flight.
He was shipped out on loan to Sevilla before moving back to Celta Vigo for a fraction of the initial fee.
Andy Carroll – £37million
It was all too much too soon for Andy Carroll when he packed his bags and moved from his native Newcastle to Liverpool.
The Englishman notched just 11 goals in 58 appearances as Liverpool saw their £35million move go down as one of the worst in Premier League history. In fact, it took Carroll almost three months before he found the net for the first time in Red.
Carroll's nightmare came to end in 2013 when a loan move to West Ham was made permanent.
Milan Jovanovic – Free
Eyebrows were raised when Milan Jovanovic swapped the Belgian Pro League for the glitz and glamour of Liverpool.
It was a relatively low-risk move on Liverpool's end, after all, Jovanovic arrived on a free, and he had been in decent goalscoring form in Belgium. But it quickly become apparent he was more likely to be found on the subs bench than on the field.
The Serbian failed to score in ten appearances, and he swiftly returned to Belgium.
Andriy Voronin – Free
Like Jovanovic, Liverpool's acquisition of Andriy Voronin on a free was relatively low risk.
But with just five Premier League goals in three years, as well as being part of one of the worst Reds sides in recent years, it's fair to say the Ukrainian was a massive miss.
Voronin hit headlines earlier this year when he quit his job at Dynamo Moscow due to Russia's ongoing invasion of his homeland.
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