Damien Comolli has revealed that his signing of Jordan Henderson while he was Liverpool’s Director of Football was one of the contributing factors to his sacking, per The Athletic via The Sunderland Echo.
What’s the word?
Liverpool paid £20m to bring the midfielder into the club from Sunderland in 2011.
He has since gone on to make 358 appearances for the club, captaining them to Champions League glory last season.
However, Comolli says that the board were unimpressed with his signing and cited the purchase when he was sacked in 2012.
He said: “The day they sacked me, they said you made a big mistake with Jordan Henderson.
“I said ‘are you sure?’ and they said ‘yes, it’s a big mistake’.
“I said I thought they were wrong, but what can I say? They are the owners of the club and if they want to make that decision then they make that decision.
“I was convinced he would be special. I was convinced he would be a Liverpool captain because he had all the attributes as a player and as a person.
“I’m delighted to see what he’s achieved and I think there is a lot more to come.
“I think he could win something on the international stage, he’s going to win the Premier League, and I think he could win a lot more going forward with Liverpool.”
Call yourself a Liverpool expert? How much did each of these big-money January signings cost?
Wait and see
Liverpool’s owners were very quick to judge Henderson.
He was signed in June of 2011 and Comolli was axed 10 months later.
In his first season at the club, Henderson, now a fully-fledged England international with 55 caps to his name, made 48 appearances in a remarkably poor Reds side.
They finished eighth that season under the management of Kenny Dalglish; they were 37 points behind champions Manchester City.
Now, Henderson has been liberated under Jurgen Klopp, becoming a box-to-box midfielder and captaining a side that haven’t lost once in the top-flight this term.
They are 22 points ahead of second-placed Manchester City.
It just goes to show that patience is key when it comes to signing players and that sometimes, marrying the right player with the right manager can lead to a sizeable return on an investment.
A deal at £20m for Henderson looks a snip now; Comolli ought to feel rather bitter.
Meanwhile, an ex-Liverpool ace has had his say ahead of their clash with Manchester United!
