At the time, big-spending Leeds left the football world shocked with a sensational swoop for a Liverpool hero.
Leeds United travel to Liverpool on Tuesday for their EFL Cup quarter-final clash. Coincidentally, the very next day will mark the anniversary of one of the most shocking transfers that has ever taken place between two Premier League clubs.
On November 30th 2001, Reds hero Robbie Fowler completed an £11m deal with Leeds (via The Guardian) in a move that appeared to confirm that the Whites only had eyes for the table’s summit after going all the way to the Champions League semi-final the previous campaign.
Robbie Fowler coming up against Leeds during his first spell at Liverpool
Sadly for Leeds however, Fowler never quite managed to recreate the form that often left the Anfield Kop rocking during his time in Yorkshire. Nevertheless, it was still one of the most stunning deals the top flight has seen for the last couple of decades.
The England forward may have fallen somewhat out of favour on Merseyside – with Gerard Houllier tending to prefer Michael Owen and Emile Heskey up front – but he was still one of the most lethal forwards in the country by the time that Leeds came calling.
Robbie Fowler during his time with Leeds
And while Liverpool finished second, 14 points clear of Leeds in fifth, at the end of Fowler’s first season with his new club, his form suggested that the Reds had still perhaps made a mistake letting him go as he scored 12 times in 22 games.
However, his second season with Leeds was much more disappointing as he scored twice in eight before leaving for Manchester City in January. While the Whites would beat the drop that year, their financial struggles meant that their days in the top flight were still numbered and the inevitable was confirmed the next year.
Meanwhile, Fowler would return to Anfield in 2006. Although he was clearly past his prime by this stage, he was still able to remind Liverpool supporters of how good he could be, and remind Leeds fans of how successful his spell with the Whites could have been had he arrived at a different time when the club’s wheels were not beginning to fall off.
Robbie Fowler after rejoining Liverpool
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