It is not easy to say no if Liverpool Football Club come calling, but since the inception of the Premier League, several players have signed without ever making an appearance.
Jamie Carragher leads the way for the most appearances in the Premier League of any Liverpool player in history, with 508, after playing his entire career with the Reds.
Throughout the Premier League era, Liverpool have had signings that etched their name in folklore and others who never got off the mark, such is the nature of the beast.
Excluding signings intended for the youth side, 12 players have signed for the club since 1992 without ever making a competitive first-team appearance in any competition:
• Michael Stensgaard – Signed 1994
• Stephen Pears – 1995
• Nicky Rizzo – 1996
• Jorgen Nielsen – 1997
• Haukur I. Gudnason – 1998
• Daniel Sjolund – 2000
• Alou Diarra – 2002
• Carl Medjani – 2003
• David Martin – 2006
• Alex Manninger – 2016
• Andy Lonergan – 2019
• Ben Davies – 2021
LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - Wednesday, July 22, 2020: Liverpool’s goalkeeper Andy Lonergan, goalkeeper Adrián San Miguel del Castillo, goalkeeper Alisson Becker, goalkeeping coach John Achterberg and goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher celebrate with the Premier League trophy as the Reds are crowned Champions after the FA Premier League match between Liverpool FC and Chelsea FC at Anfield. The game was played behind closed doors due to the UK government’s social distancing laws during the Coronavirus COVID-19 Pandemic. Liverpool won 5-3. (Pic by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)
There is a common theme when it comes to goalkeepers, with five on this list never putting on their gloves in a match for the Reds.
Lonergan and Manninger were both signed as experienced third-choice goalkeepers under Jurgen Klopp, with the remit of offering experience and a presence in training – they combined for 12 games on the bench.
Nielsen, meanwhile, sat on the bench a total of 55 times without ever seeing a minute of action. He came close in 1999 after Sander Westerveld was sent off, but Liverpool had used all their changes.
The most eye-catching signing story, though, goes to Pears, who was signed as a short-term solution after Stensgaard – another name on this list – dislocated his shoulder while ironing.
LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - Monday, August 9, 2021: Liverpool's Ben Davies during the pre-match warm-up before a pre-season friendly match between Liverpool FC and Club Atlético Osasuna at Anfield. (Pic by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)
As for the most recent name supporters will recall, it is Davies. He signed after a £1.6 million deal was agreed in February 2021 as an emergency centre-back during Liverpool’s injury crisis.
He never went on to make a competitive appearance, but was named in a matchday squad on eight occasions.
Davies then signed for Sheffield United on loan before a £4 million deal was agreed with Rangers, which saw the defender finally play his first game at Anfield in 2022.
Others on the list include Medjani, who later admitted that while he learned a lot in England, he regretted leaving France. Gerard Houllier was a big factor in his signing, but he was replaced by Rafa Benitez after the defender’s first season.
Gudnason was an exciting 20-year-old forward when he arrived in January 1998, but injuries derailed his hopes of making his mark at Anfield and he returned to Iceland in 2000.
Although none of the abovementioned players made an appearance, they can all proudly say they were a Liverpool player.