ContinueAlberto Aquilani's troubled tenure at Liverpool has finally drawn to a close, after the club today officially confirmed the midfielder’s permanent transfer to Serie A’s Fiorentina.
The 28-year-old Italian arrived at Anfield in the summer of 2009 for a fee of £17 million from AS Roma. He arrived with a reputation as a fine reader of the game blessed with the ability to unlock defences with incisive passing, seemingly an adequate replacement for Xabi Alonso, who left the Merseyside club to join Real Madrid earlier in that summer.
Aquilani's career never really got started at Liverpool, however. His first season was marred by a succession of injuries that severely limited his first team appearances. The Italian never really found his way back into Liverpool’s first team plans, regardless of whether it was Rafa Benitez, Roy Hogdson, Kenny Dalglish or eventually Brendan Rodgers managing the club, and spent two of the last three years of his Liverpool career back on loan in Serie A. In 2010, he spent a season at Juventus, followed by another at AC Milan. Both clubs had options to buy the midfielder at the end of each loan. Both declined.
Overall, the 28-year-old made just 28 appearances as a Liverpool player since his arrival at Anfield in August of 2009. A statement on the official Liverpool website read: "Liverpool Football Club can today confirm that Alberto Aquilani has completed a permanent transfer to Serie A side Fiorentina.
"Everyone at the club would like to wish Alberto all the best for the future."
