Harry Kewell will finish his Liverpool career at the weekend after costing the club $331,000 for every game he has played for them, according to figures in Britain today.
As his contract expires, Kewell has been branded an expensive flop after his five injury-plagued seasons at Anfield.
And he will be denied a farewell appearance when Liverpool end the Premier League season against Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday.
British media say Kewell’s $10.4 million transfer fee from Leeds United, plus his high salary, add up to about $46 million for the 139 appearances and 16 goals since he was signed by Gerard Houllier on a five-year deal in 2003.
That contract expires this weekend, with Liverpool not expected to offer a new deal to the 29-year-old.
“He has played just 18 games for Liverpool in the last two seasons, and it became clear that his appearance as a second-half substitute in the shock FA Cup defeat by Barnsley in February would be his last.” the Daily Mail said.
The Liverpool Daily Post said Kewell was unlikely to be given a swansong at Tottenham on Sunday, adding that coach Rafael Benitez had called time on the Socceroo’s “disappointing Liverpool career”.
A Liverpool spokeswoman would not confirm whether Kewell would be leaving the club.
“we haven’t got any information regarding Harry Kewell’s contract,” she said.
Liverpool’s former Australian hero , Craig Johnston, described Kewell’s transfer in July 2003 as the most important signing at the club since Kenny Dalglish joined in 1977.
But a horror run of injuries, including serious groin, knee, thigh, ankle and foot problems, allowed Kewell little chance of delivering on such lofty assessments.
He limped off injured in the 2005 Carling Cup final, the Champions League final later that season and the FA Cup final the following year.
In the 2007 Champions League final, he came off the bench despite having played just 46 minutes that season.
Some critics showed little consideration for the fact that injuries prevented Kewell delivering as expected.
The Liverpool Echo lampooned the Australian star, using recent criticism of Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney’s fiancee, Colleen McLoughlin, as a starting point.
“Colleen McLoughlin took a lot of stick recently when it emerged that she describes herself as a journalist on her passport,” it said.
“But surely her audacity pales into insignificance when compared to that of Harry Kewell, whom passport officials around the world are being led to believe is a professional footballer.”
The Evening Standard’ website, This is London, also stuck the boot in.
“Kewell costs more than Channel 5 pay for an episode of Neighbours - and only lasts half as long,” its headline said.
“Remember Kewell, from his dashing days at Leeds when he would run at defenders and dazzle in Premier League matches, before Liverpool paid him a fortune and then he disappeared up his own bank account?”
Relegation-threatened Fulham, who tried to sign Kewell in January, are expected to move for him again.
Italian club Juventus has also been mentioned as a possible destination.
Kewell appeared in OK! magazine this week as part of an eight-page cover story about the recent birth of daughter Matilda, his third child with former British soap star Sheree Murphy.
Asked when he plans to retire, Kewell told the magazine: “Who knows? These days you can play until you’re 40.”
He was equally non-committal about whether he might leave England, but admitted he would love to live in New York.
“We don’t know what the future holds,” he said.
“I’m coming back now after my injury, which was difficult.
“We’ll probably be on the move for the next five years, but we’re prepared.”
It’s not his fault that he got hurt while playing for Liverpool and then couldn’t play very often but he is responsible for no loyalty to the club that stood by him through his painful years. His loyalty to the dosh is too common in today’s game! So, I say get lost dude and remove his image from ever having been a Liverpool player. What a disgrace to the history of our number 7’s…