5 of the strangest loan deals of the last decade (2010-2019)

#4 Steven Caulker – QPR to Liverpool (2015-16)

Steven Caulker was deployed as a makeshift striker during his strange time at Liverpool

Once capped by England during his time at Tottenham Hotspur, defender Steven Caulker made a strange loan move from Queens Park Rangers to Liverpool in January 2016 that got even stranger when Reds boss Jurgen Klopp decided to deploy him in a completely different position than he’d previously played in – and actually had slight success in doing so.

The 2015-16 season actually started with Caulker on loan from QPR at Southampton, which made a little more sense given their low-to-mid-table status, but he only managed 8 appearances for the Saints after joining, the last of which came during a home 1-6 defeat by Liverpool.

Somehow his performance in that game was enough to convince Klopp to bring him to Anfield – apparently he’d been impressed with his aerial prowess – and so Southampton agreed to terminate their deal with QPR in order for him to join the Reds in another loan deal until the end of the season.

Caulker ended up making three Premier League appearances for Liverpool, all from the bench, but rather than being used as a defender, Klopp sent him on as a makeshift, battering-ram striker. Strangely enough, it worked – in 2 of the 3 games in which he appeared, the Reds scored late goals, including a 95th minute winner from Adam Lallana in a game against Norwich, a strike that Caulker had a hand in setting up.

Unfortunately for the defender, we never got the opportunity to see him play in his preferred position; injuries and personal issues raised their head, and after January, he never played another minute at the club before returning to QPR at the end of the season.