The departure of Luis Suarez from Liverpool was a blow that left a lasting impact at Anfield . After an outstanding 2013/14 season, where he netted 31 goals, the Uruguayan superstar made his move to Barcelona, leaving a gaping hole in the Reds' frontline.
The $97.5million earned from the transfer should have softened the blow of losing such a talented player, but it presented a significant challenge for Brendan Rodgers and the Liverpool recruitment team.
Alexis Sanchez, who bore the closest resemblance to Suarez's style, chose Arsenal over Liverpool , slipping through Rodgers's fingers. As a result, Rodgers decided to distribute his budget among several players, bringing nine new faces to the Liverpool first team. Emre Can, Alberto Moreno, Rickie Lambert, Dejan Lovren , Adam Lallana, Divock Origi , and Javier Manquillo all joined the squad, with Mario Balotelli becoming the 'big-name signing' many fans had been hoping for since Suarez's departure.
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However, it was perhaps the acquisition of Lazar Markovic that sparked the most interest and anticipation. Signed from Benfica for $26million, Markovic was considered one of the most promising young wingers in European football during the summer of 2014.
A complicated deal saw Liverpool gain full ownership of Markovic's economic rights a decade ago after Benfica sold their 50% stake, with the remaining half belonging to an investment fund owned by super-agent Pini Zahavi.
With enviable speed and agility, at 20 years old, Lazar Markovic seemed destined for greatness in football. Markovic himself had no doubts about his potential, asserting: "I am ready to play straight away," and confidently adding, "I can become one of the best players in the Premier League . Perhaps I am so confident because in every season I have played I have finished as a champion."
His self-assurance was crystal clear. However, what unfolded was a journey filled with frustration both for Markovic and Liverpool, leading to an inevitable recognition that his transfer is one of the most disappointing financial outlays in Liverpool's recent history.
During his stint with the Reds, Markovic's influence was limited to a mere 34 appearances across all competitions, accompanied by a merry-go-round of four loan spells which failed to culminate in a lasting move away from Merseyside before his definitive leave behind the scenes on transfer deadline day in January 2019.
An astonishing four-and-a-half years passed without a start for Markovic at Liverpool, and he didn't get any game time under Jurgen Klopps management. The closest brush he had with Klopp's matchday plans was warming the bench during a League Cup loss to Leicester City in September 2017.
Markovic's last starting appearance was etched in disappointment in an FA Cup semi-final clash with Aston Villa at Wembley, and from that moment until his eventual transfer to Fulham, Liverpool had paid him a staggering $12.6million in wages. Had he remained at Anfield for the rest of his contract, his earnings would have been bolstered by another $1.3million.
The decision to bring him to Merseyside was a spectacular failure and emblematic of the recruitment issues that dogged the club for years during the early part of the last decade. After being banished to the Under-23s and implored to find a new club under Klopp, Markovic appeared unwilling or unable to unearth a team that would take him.
Insiders at the club at the time insisted Markovic wasn't a disruptive influence in the U23 set-up, but he appeared strangely unwilling to revive a career that has patently flatlined on Merseyside. Markovic's 34 appearances for the Reds worked out at around $416,000 a game.
His four loan spells with Hull, Sporting Lisbon, Fenerbahce or Anderlecht were likely to have somewhat subsidised the winger's wages, but it was an astronomical cost for someone who hadn't played since Rodgers was still six months away from the Liverpool sack.
Markovic, now back in his homeland with Partizan, endured a lonely existence for much of his final four years at Liverpool, exiled to the shadows while Klopp transformed the team into Champions League finalists who were capable of seriously challenging for the Premier League.
His exit was a quiet one, but his name will always be synonymous with the beginning of the end of the Rodgers era at Anfield.
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