In the midst of the mayhem of a disastrous week filled with abusive e-mails, shock FA cup exits with the team booed off the pitch, and injuries to the only two players capable of providing poor Rafa’s team with a glimmer of hope, Maxi Rodriguez signed for Liverpool in a three and a half year deal.

With his contract at the Calderon expiring at the end of the season, the 29 year old arrives from Atletico Madrid on a free transfer, and can play on either wing or behind a main striker.

Having also starred for Espanyol, Maxi has good La Liga pedigree; his average of 1 goal every 4 games in Spain -combined with 10 goals from 35 games for his national side- is indicative of his eye for goal.

Liverpool’s new number 17 is familiar with a couple of the Reds’ big names, being good friends with Javier Mascherano and an ex-team mate of Fernando Torres. Indeed, it was from Torres that he inherited the captain’s armband at Atletico, and despite leading the club to Champions League qualification, it ultimately, however, proved a poisoned chalice for the temperamental star; substituted to his distaste during one game, the enraged winger threw the captain’s armband to the ground in a gesture that consequently soured his relationship with the club’s fans and sparked the beginning of the end of his time there.

With the Liverpool squad so decimated with injuries, lack of form and twitter scandals, Maxi had a taste of the action this afternoon, coming off the bench in the 78th minute Liverpool‘s one-all draw at Stoke, but was given little chance to make any sort of impact.

Coming in at 7.5m in FPL, he jumps ahead of Ryan Babel and Albert Riera in the pecking order and will certainly get his fair share of playing minutes in the upcoming weeks, as last year’s runners-up look for inspiration without the talismanic Gerrard and Torres.