Benitez’s First Summer Signings At Liverpool 2004/05

Spaniard Rafa Benitez was appointed Liverpool manager on July 1, 2004, after enjoying a hugely successful time in charge of Spanish outfit Valencia. During his time at Anfield, Benitez brought in a total of sixty-one players, and today, we’re going to explore who his first signings were after taking over as manager of the club.

What you can be sure of is that any manager worth their salt, when arriving at a new club, will want to quickly get to work on building the squad in a way that suits them and their style of play. And Benitez is no different in that respect. In the summer window of the 2004/05 season, he acquired four new players, and all four of them were Spanish.

Josemi
Josemi was the first new signing through the door for Benitez, arriving in late July of 2004. The right-back was brought in to be the starter in that position at the club, but a combination of injury issues and dips in form meant he never made the shirt his own, and Steve Finnan profited from that and established himself. After just over a season with Liverpool, Josemi headed back to Spain.

Antonio Nunez
Antonio Nunez joined Liverpool as Benitez’s second signing, as part of the deal that saw Michael Owen head to Real Madrid. However, the Spanish attacking midfielder claimed he would have become a Liverpool player regardless. Unfortunately for Nunez, he picked up a serious injury during his first training session at the club, and following several months out of action, he never really got going. Like Josemi, Nunez’s stay at Anfield was a short one.

Xabi Alonso
Xabi Alonso was undoubtedly one of Benitez’s best and most successful signings as Liverpool's manager. The central midfielder, who Premier League betting markets had as favourite this summer to replace Jurgen Klopp in the Anfield dugout, brought an elegance to Liverpool’s midfield. His passing range and vision was unrivalled, and in close to five years at the club, he was integral in the Reds winning the Champions League, the Super Cup and the FA Cup.

Luis Garcia
Luis Garcia, like Alonso, proved to be an excellent acquisition by Liverpool and Benitez. The fact that the latter and Garcia had a prior working relationship really helped. What you could say about Garcia, and again very similar to Alonso, is that he hit the ground running and came up in the big moments during his first season at the club. Things did become a bit up and down, and serious injury was a part of that, but many will fondly look back on his three years at Anfield.

Benitez, like all managers, signed some players, and it worked out great. Some proved to be indifferent signings, and others can be forgotten. But, acquiring the services of Alonso and Garcia as two of the four he made in his first transfer window was some going, and Alonso, especially, stood out in a big way.

Written by Alan Spencer