Liverpool flop makes surprise move to EFL club on short-term deal after months as a free agent
A former Liverpool player who flopped at Anfield has dropped down to League Two after signing for Salford City
Before the arrival of Jurgen Klopp to Anfield, Liverpool made a number of questionable signings in the transfer market with their recruitment policy leaving a lot to be desired.
The Reds are now able to recruit some of the biggest names in world football and have made several signings in the last 10 years that have since become club legends - such as Virgil van Dijk, Alisson Becker and Mohamed Salah, to name just a few.
However, there was a time when the Reds struggled in the transfer market. Under Brendan Rodgers, several signings were made that simply did not work out.
Liverpool flop Fabio Borini joins League Two side Salford City
One of those was Fabio Borini. The Reds signed the ex-Chelsea man in 2012 for around £10.5m in what was Rodgers first signing at the club. However, his move to Anfield proved to be a poor decision.
The Italian forward scored just three goals in 38 appearances for the Reds. A measly return for any forward. He was contracted at Liverpool for three seasons but spent one of those - the 2013/14 campaign when the Reds finished second in the Premier League - on loan at Sunderland.
He returned to Anfield for the 2014-15 season before leaving permanently in the summer of 2015 to join Sunderland. Since then, he has played for several clubs including AC Milan and most recently Sampdoria.
He left the Serie B side at the end of last campaign and has been a free agent since. However, he has now found a new club after penning a short-term deal with League Two club Salford. He has been training with the club but has now agreed a deal until January after an injury within the Salford squad.
What Fabio Borini said about joining Salford City
Speaking to the club website, Borini said: “It’s been great, I came in to train to keep myself fit in this transition between contracts and Salford, the Gaffer, Alex Bruce were kind enough to allow me to use the facilities and train here.
“Experience is one thing that I can bring, but it’s not just about the experience that I have on the pitch, it’s outside of the pitch so leading by example in training, outside training, how to manage a game.
“I’ve never played League Two football so I need to learn as well from my team mates the main characteristics of this league, but I will bring myself as an open book for my team mates to use me, learn from me or help me, so I’m very open to this challenge.
“It’s a challenge that I’m embracing and I chose to embrace because I needed the real football, something that warms my heart for football, not for anything else.”
It is a big step down the divisions for Borini, who was playing in the Italian second tier last term. Salford are ninth in League Two after 12 games.