The summer of 2004 was a transformative time for Liverpool, with Rafael Benitez arriving as the club’s new manager alongside five new first-team signings.
Xabi Alonso, back then a young and highly-rated young midfielder at Real Sociedad, is the most fondly remembered of that quintet of new recruits, having played a key role for the Reds in their miraculous Champions League victory before becoming a standout player as they challenged for the Premier League title.
The former Spain international enjoyed an illustrious career, winning league titles with Real Madrid and Barcelona, but how did Liverpool’s other four summer signings that summer fare?
Djibril Cisse
Liverpool’s marquee signing that summer, a 22-year-old Cisse, had just had the season of his career with Auxerre. He scored a career-best 26 goals in the 2003-04 Ligue 1 campaign, earning status as the next big thing in French football.
But his time on Merseyside was marred by injury, and his debut season with the Reds resulted in just four goals in 16 Premier League appearances.
A nomadic career followed, with stints back in England at Sunderland and Queens Park Rangers as well as spells at the likes of Marseille, Lazio and Panathinaikos.
Cisse hasn’t played professionally since 2018, but in the summer of 2020 he offered to play for free in search of 100 Ligue 1 goals (he’s just four shy, on 96). Unfortunately, no one took him up on the offer.
READ: Djibril Cisse: A wonderful striker denied Liverpool greatness by injury
Josemi
Benitez’s first official signing (Cisse had already been sealed before his appointment), Spanish defender Josemi had established himself as a dependable right-back across three seasons with Malaga.
But he received a red card in a 4-2 victory against Fulham early in his Liverpool career and struggled to win back his place after Steve Finnan came back in.
Josemi returned to Spain, signing for Manuel Pellegrini’s Villarreal midway through the 2005-06 season, and he remained a La Liga regular till 2010 before seeing out his career in Greece (Iraklis, Levadiakos, Skoda Xanthi) and India (Atletico Kolkata).
It’s easy to forget his time in Merseyside, but his honours list proudly lists the Champions League, having made seven appearances in the miraculous run to Istanbul, where he was an unused substitute in the final.
Antonio Nunez
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