Leeds United were unlikely to see the best of Robbie Fowler after his shock £12m transfer from Liverpool, as the Reds legend arrived at Elland Road already hampered by reduced mobility compared to his prime years at Anfield.
The Whites signed the prolific striker in 2001, with manager David O’Leary hoping to keep pace with Manchester United and Arsenal in the Premier League title race. Leeds’ goalkeeper at the time, Nigel Martyn, had firsthand experience of Fowler’s talent, having faced him many times when Fowler was a goal-scoring force at Liverpool.
However, Martyn soon noticed that Fowler wasn’t quite the same player Leeds had feared when he was at his peak for Liverpool, where he scored 171 goals in 330 appearances. Speaking on the Undr the Cosh podcast, Martyn explained, “The thinking was we had got to third in the league, we want to challenge Manchester United and Arsenal, so we needed to buy players. We bought Robbie Fowler, but you’ve got to ask why Liverpool would sell to a rival.
“He was a great footballer, but it was a lot of money. I had been on the receiving end of Robbie many times in a Liverpool shirt, where he could score goals for fun. But when he came to us, he had a hip injury, and his mobility wasn’t what it used to be. We saw flashes of how good he could be, but Liverpool saw that he wasn’t the same.”
Fowler’s time at Leeds was brief, lasting just a season and a half before moving to Manchester City. Despite the limitations caused by his injury, he still managed to score 14 goals in 33 appearances for Leeds. After his stint at City, Fowler rejoined Liverpool and later had spells with Cardiff City, Blackburn, North Queensland Fury, Perth Glory, and Muangthong United in Thailand.
Though Leeds fans never got to witness the full potential of Fowler’s legendary talent, his brief flashes of brilliance still left their mark.
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