Jamie Carragher says FSG has learned Liverpool lesson after 'panic buy' who was 'always injured'

Liverpool fans have been somewhat critical of owners Fenway Sports Group over the years. The Reds have had to look on as Man City have won six of the last seven Premier League titles, with only Liverpool stopping Pep Guardiola's side from complete domination of the English top flight.

Some have accused FSG of not pushing the boat out for signings and for keeping within a restricted budget when it comes to transfers since taking control of the club in 2010. Yet on the flip side of that now is with the Premier League now enforcing much stricter financial controls on sides, Liverpool is in no need to sell players in order to balance the books, or face potential points deduction.

Another facet that often gets overlooked is the lack of panic buys from Liverpool since FSG took over. The club have got more right than wrong over the last decade when it comes to signings, and former Jamie Carragher gave the perfect example of a panic buy that went horribly wrong at the end of the 2000s.

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Xabi Alonso left Liverpool to sign for Real Madrid in the summer of 2009, and Liverpool decided to buy Roma midfielder Alberto Aquilani as his replacement. Aquilani was a highly-rated midfielder and had starred for Roma as they reached two Champions League quarter-finals in 2007 and 2008.

“He [Alberto Aquilani] didn’t train, he was always injured!” laughed Carragher on the BOSS Podcast .

“But when people say about Liverpool now and have a go at FSG and I always defend them, people think I’ve got some link with the club, I don’t get paid by the club, I pay for my own season ticket!” adds the former centre-back. “But I’m not going to criticise someone who’s come in and done a great job.

“That type of transfer [Aquilani] now would never be allowed to happen at our club. Because the people above them would just go ‘what? he’s been injured for three months already, he’s only played that many games in his career.’

“We bought him injured, you’re losing [Xabi] Alonso and you’re buying a player who’s injured. That was just a panic buy out of nowhere."

Aquilani only made some 28 appearances for Liverpool, and didn't make his first start until December 2009, some four months after signing. He was sent on-loan to Juventus the next season and he signed for Fiorentina permanently in the summer of 2012 after another loan spell at Milan.

Liverpool.com says: Carragher is right, Liverpool wouldn't make a snap signing such as the Aquilani one in the modern age, especially not with his injury track record. Liverpool fans would need to remember that before arguing the club don't spend enough money in the market. It's about spending wisely, not extravagantly.