Liverpool free signing tipped to be 'next Teddy Sheringham' before ridicule and wife hitting back at critics

Liverpool had endured the ultimate highs and most painful lows during Rafa Benitez’s early years as manager.

His first season at the club brought the Champions League trophy to Anfield with the ‘Miracle of Istanbul’ in 2005, and was then followed a year later by Steven Gerrard’s heroics in the FA Cup final. But 2007 saw disappointment as the Reds lost to AC Milan in the final of the European Cup in Athens.

That summer saw understandable sadness but also the opportunity to go again for more success. On this day in 2007, Liverpool unveiled the signing of striker Andriy Voronin on a free transfer from Bayer Leverkusen.

The deal was announced in February of that year, and throughout the second part of that campaign there was hope that Liverpool had got a real bargain on their hands. Arriving with an impressive goal record in Germany, the Ukraine international was bringing reasonable hype to Anfield.

As Voronin arrived on Merseyside, it had already been confirmed that Robbie Fowler would be leaving the club following his second stint at Anfield. As one Liverpool legend left, many were hoping that Voronin could provide the finishing capabilities that Fowler left with him.

It was a signing that certainly impressed Gary McAllister. The former Red even labelled Voronin as potentially the “signing of the season”.

"Sometimes when you bring in a player on a Bosman they turn out to be worth their weight in gold,” McAllister told LFC Magazine in 2007. “To get a player like Andriy Voronin for free, we could be looking at one of the best signings of the season.

“Rafa won't need to spend a lot of time telling someone like Voronin what to do. A player of his experience and ability knows instinctively when to move and where to run to.

“You