Overview

• Gerrard said Liverpool got recruitment “badly wrong,” highlighting the choice to sign El-Hadji Diouf instead of retaining Nicolas Anelka after his loan spell.
• He argued Diouf was signed off a brief World Cup surge, whereas Anelka offered five to six years of proven performance.
• Anelka had been on loan at Liverpool in 2001–02 before joining Manchester City, with Diouf arriving from Lens for about £10m and lasting two seasons.
• Rio Ferdinand called Anelka one of the top three toughest opponents he faced, with Gerrard praising Anelka’s composure and quality in training.
• Coverage revisited long-standing tensions, including Gerrard’s critical autobiography remarks, a teammate’s account of a pre-season dressing-room clash, and Diouf’s 2023 claim he would be remembered more in Senegal than Gerrard in England.