Last season, Steven Caulker endured a torrid time at Liverpool, and now that he's back at Queens Park Rangers, the one-time England international has opened up about his experience at Anfield.
When asked on Friday about his Liverpool loan spell, Caulker told West London Sport:
“Last year was difficult. I certainly don’t knock it because I learned a lot from it, but being back here is great. You just can’t compare that feeling of playing.”
After completing the deal in January, Jurgen Klopp claimed Caulker was the 'best solution' for Liverpool, and explained his decision to make the transfer:
"He [Caulker] has Premier League experience, and is a good header of the ball. We want to press the opponent and so they have to play long balls [and] you need people who can help you with headers".
Caulker's frustration is certainly understandable - Klopp granted him only 95 minutes of game time overall, and three of his sub appearances amounted to 4 minutes of pitch time (!)
To his credit, Liverpool kept a clean sheet on Caulker's only start for the club (against West Ham in February), but that cut no ice with Klopp, who only included him in the squad on two more occasions over the following three months.
Caulker's lack of game time hasn't affected his standing at QPR, though. He's already started four games this season, and helped QPR keep two clean sheets along the way.
Can Caulker - who cost QPR £8m - legitimately be described as a transfer flop? I personally don't think so. Clearly, he just never got the chance to really prove himself.
^ Hailed by Ole Gunnar Solskjaer as a 'fantastic' defender
When asked on Friday about his Liverpool loan spell, Caulker told West London Sport:
“Last year was difficult. I certainly don’t knock it because I learned a lot from it, but being back here is great. You just can’t compare that feeling of playing.”
After completing the deal in January, Jurgen Klopp claimed Caulker was the 'best solution' for Liverpool, and explained his decision to make the transfer:
"He [Caulker] has Premier League experience, and is a good header of the ball. We want to press the opponent and so they have to play long balls [and] you need people who can help you with headers".
Caulker's frustration is certainly understandable - Klopp granted him only 95 minutes of game time overall, and three of his sub appearances amounted to 4 minutes of pitch time (!)
To his credit, Liverpool kept a clean sheet on Caulker's only start for the club (against West Ham in February), but that cut no ice with Klopp, who only included him in the squad on two more occasions over the following three months.
Caulker's lack of game time hasn't affected his standing at QPR, though. He's already started four games this season, and helped QPR keep two clean sheets along the way.
Can Caulker - who cost QPR £8m - legitimately be described as a transfer flop? I personally don't think so. Clearly, he just never got the chance to really prove himself.
^ Hailed by Ole Gunnar Solskjaer as a 'fantastic' defender
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