Liverpool: What happened to the player Roy Hodgson sold to Fulham by mistake | OneFootball

Roy Hodson’s reign at Liverpool was nothing short of disastrous.

He lasted just 20 games at Anfield and was sacked with just five wins to his name in six months.

He left the club just four points above the relegation zone.

Ask Liverpool supporters to remember the Hodgson era and they will likely shudder at the thought of his spell in 2010.

Whether it was the defeat to League Two Northampton at Anfield in the League Cup in which he claimed the Cobblers would be “a formidable challenge” ahead of the tie.

Or perhaps it was when he had “qualms” about Liverpool’s performance during a 2-0 defeat in the Merseyside derby.

“That was as good as we have played all season, and I have no qualms with the performance whatsoever,” he said.

Maybe it was the fact he admitted Liverpool were in a relegation battle after seven Premier League matches.

“There are 31 games left but when you are in the relegation zone you are in a relegation battle,” he admitted.

Hodgson just wasn’t cut out to manage a club of Liverpool’s size.

Hodgson sold a Liverpool player by mistake

But Liverpool supporters may not be aware of everything that happened OFF the pitch during Hodgson’s reign. Most notably, when he accidentally sold the wrong player.

No, really.

After arriving in the summer of 2010, Hodgson raided his former club, Fulham, for Paul Konchesky. The less said about that £3.5 million signing the better…

As part of the deal, Lauri Dalla Vale and Alexander Kacaniklic went to Craven Cottage.

However, according to Kacaniklic, Hodgson wanted to sell a different Alex and not him.

“It was a bit difficult for Liverpool to replace me, but when I was in Fulham and before I signed up, I had a conversation with Roy Hodgson on the phone, where we found out that he had chosen the wrong Alex,” said Kacaniklic to fotbolskananelen in a podcast, per the Liverpool Echo.

“In his head, he thought he had sold another Alex for Konchesky. But then it was too late. It’s a little fun!

“Then he just told me I was welcome back in Liverpool with open arms, but that I could do what I felt. By then I had already made my mind up and was very excited about coming to Fulham.”

An incredible story.

But what happened to Kacaniklic?

What happened to the Liverpool player Hodgson sold by mistake?

Fortunately for Hodgson, Kacaniklic didn’t go on to become a superstar.

The Swede managed 100 appearances for Fulham in the Premier League and the Championship, scoring 11 goals. He also had fairly unsuccessful loan spells in the second tier with Watford and Burnley.

He then moved to Nantes on a free in 2016. However, in three seasons in Ligue 1 he only managed 31 games and failed to score.

Kacaniklic returned to his native country in 2019 and had possibly the most successful spell of his career at Hammarby. He notched 18 goals in 56 appearances and even earned a call-up to the national side after a six-year absence, captaining them for the first time in January 2020 during a 1–0 win over Kosovo.

After leaving Hammarby ahead of the 2020/21 season, Kacaniklic spent the last two campaigns in Croatia with Hajduk Split but could only manage two goals in 29 appearances.

Now, just days before turning 31, he’s signed for the Cypriot side, AEL Limassol.

It certainly hasn’t been a bad career for the winger, making 21 appearances and scoring three goals for Sweden.

Could he have done a job for Liverpool? Probably not. But was he better than simply one of two make weights in a deal that brought Konchesky to Anfield? Almost certainly.