Fenway Sports Group were begged not to sign a Liverpool manager’s dream transfer before eventually granting his wish, only for the player to be a big-money flop
18:04, 09 Dec 2025Updated 18:05, 09 Dec 2025
John Henry FSG
FSG were begged not to sign a Liverpool flop(Image: Liverpool FC via Getty Images)
Brendan Rodgers once fought Fenway Sports Group (FSG) to sign a big-money flop that Liverpool’s director of research ‘begged’ the owners not to buy.
The Northern Irish boss had a turbulent end to his spell at Anfield after guiding the club to the closest they had been to winning the Premier League title in 2014 before Jurgen Klopp's triumphant side.
Rodgers’ downfall came at the same time he finally got his transfer wish, signing Christian Benteke, who celebrated his 35th birthday last week, in a deal worth £32.5million from Aston Villa. But, as reported by Simon Hughes in the Independent at the time, the board had to hatch a deal with Rodgers that if Benteke was signed, he wouldn’t object to the £29m arrival of Roberto Firmino.
Brendan Rodgers
Brendan Rodgers' transfer record at Liverpool was far from spotless(Image: Liverpool Echo)
The two strikers went on to have completely contrasting careers at Anfield. Benteke scored just 10 goals in 42 games before he was sold at cut price to Crystal Palace the following summer. While Firmino became a crucial part of Klopp’s Champions League and Premier League-winning team.
Liverpool’s former director of research Ian Graham previously told This Is Anfield that he ‘begged’ FSG not to sign the Belgian striker.
He said: “Benteke was the epitome of that kind of misunderstanding of style. Benteke in the right system, in a system that plays to his strengths, is a very effective striker. Our problem was Liverpool didn’t play that system.
“In 2012, when both Brendan and I joined the club, Brendan’s number one priority was to get rid of Andy Carroll – the one player that we’d had in the past who did play in that style.”
Graham added that Rodgers was obsessed with Benteke and fought to sign him for three consecutive summers before the Northern Irishman finally got his way.
Christian Benteke
Christian Benteke struggled during his year at Liverpool(Image: PAUL ELLIS/AFP via Getty Images)
“Benteke arrived in 2015, and when I said in the book that I begged Fenway not to sanction the signing, one of the reasons I was surprised they were considering it was in summer 2014 Brendan wanted Benteke, and then we convinced Fenway he shouldn’t come, and in 2013 it was the same thing,” he added.
“It was frustrating with Benteke because the style he played, again nothing negative to say about the player or person, wasn’t a fit for him at Liverpool.
“My preference was Romelu Lukaku, he had a lot of strengths of Benteke but a lot more mobile, less of a traditional target man, [but] Brendan was convinced Benteke was just a superior player to Lukaku.”
Graham revealed he also pushed the club to sign then Atletico Madrid star Diego Costa before the brute striker joined Chelsea.
“By the time we decided ‘ok, let’s go for Costa’ it was already too late, he’d already signed a new contract,” he said.
Article continues below
“Thinking back, can you imagine the forward line of Luis Suarez and Diego Costa? I’m not sure Liverpool would be anyone’s second team with that pair of centre-forwards!”
Benteke is still playing but is currently a free agent having left MLS side DC United, where he won the Golden Boot in 2024 with 23 goals in 30 games.