Here’s a funny little story!
Alexander Kačaniklić, Liverpool’s former Academy player, has claimed Roy Hodgson sold him to Fulham by accident, thinking he was a ‘different Alex’.
(We’re not sure who the Alex that was supposed to be offloaded was!)
In 2010, we allowed the winger to join the Cottagers, along with Lauri Dalla Valle – in exchange for Paul Konchesky – the left-back who became known as one of the worst players to ever represent us.
According to Kačaniklić, Hodgson didn’t really want to get rid of him – and actually tried to reverse the decision once it was made
“It was a bit difficult for Liverpool to replace me, but when I was in Fulham and before I signed up, I had a conversation with Roy Hodgson on the phone, where we found out that he had changed the wrong Alex,” he told fotbolskananelen.
“In his head, he thought he exchanged another Alex for Konchesky. But then it was too late. It’s a little funny…
“When he realised he just told me I was welcome back in Liverpool with open arms, but I had to do what I felt. I had already changed my mind and was very excited about coming to Fulham.
“When Roy Hodgson came to the club, it was a little different, a big change. Benitez had been there before and made the club his own with everyone who worked there. When he left and took all his people with him, it became a bit turbulent. Hodgson didn’t look so much at us younger players; he wanted quick results. He wanted Paul from Fulham.”
Kačaniklić is now 27-years-old and plies his trade for Hammarby in his homeland, having left Nantes in January.
He ended up doing well in Fulham, making 84 league appearances, but it’s not like he put in the kind of performances that suggested Hodgson made a grave mistake!
It does perhaps sum up the shoddiness of Liverpool’s former manager in the transfer market, of course.
He signed Christian Poulsen for £5m and lent Juventus, the side we bought him from, Alberto Aquilani on loan, just after the Italian had finally returned from injury.
We acquired Joe Cole, Danny Wilson and Milan Jovanovic. We spent real money on Brad Jones.
It’s no wonder we were battling relegation by the time Hodgson was fired. Dark days!