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Nicolas Anelka arrived on loan and was a big hit with the Kop, but Gerard Houllier decided against his permanent signing and captured El-Hadji Diouf instead.

One particular night when the lights went out against Newcastle was Anelka's golden moment at Liverpool. A superb display from the mercurial Frenchman lit up Anfield.

Many supporters were surprised when Gerard Houllier decided not to make Anelka a permanent addition to his squad at the end of the 2001-02 season. The player's contribution (four goals from 20 League games plus one goal in the FA Cup against Birmingham) had helped the club achieve second place in the Premier League behind champions Arsenal. Instead of securing Anelka on a permanent deal, Houllier decided to buy Diouf after the World Cup in the Far East that summer.

It wasn't long before Nicolas was back in English football anyway as Kevin Keegan soon signed him for Manchester City, where he spent three fairly successful years (38 League goals from 89 games) before he was on the move again, this time to Turkish club Fenerbache. He helped them win the championship and thereby qualify for the following season's Champions League.

During the summer of 2006, Nicolas Anelka was again linked with English clubs. Portsmouth seemed to be the front-runners but it was Bolton Wanderers who eventually secured his signature on a four-year contract that had cost them a club record fee. He hadn't been at Bolton long before he was linked with yet another move.

Just over a year after originally signing for Bolton, he signed a new four-year contract which should have kept him at The Reebok until 2011. But when Chelsea came calling in the January transfer-window of 2008, it was hard for the player or his club to say no. 

A Champions League winner with Madrid, he would reach another final with Chelsea but after a tight match that went the full distance it was his penalty-kick, saved by Manchester United 'keeper Edwin van der Sar, that meant that London clubs were still without a European Cup win while Manchester and Liverpool's combined total rose to eight.

What Nicolas mght have done had he stayed at Anfield in 2002 is only conjecture. But the significant number of goals scored for the clubs he has played for since suggest that he could have become a really important player if he had stayed. But sadly he didn't so we will never know how good he might have been for us had his time at Anfield been longer than just a few weeks.

Other Clubs:

PSG, Arsenal, Real Madrid, PSG (2), Man City, Fenerbache, Bolton, Chelsea