Former Liverpool director of football Damien Comolli believes he was sacked by the club's owners for "wasting money" on a young Jordan Henderson.
Comolli was dismissed from his role in April 2012 by Fenway Sports Group for his failures in the transfer market.
The Frenchman had negotiated the £16 million transfer with Sunderland for the 20-year-old Henderson in June 2011, along with the acquisitions of Andy Carroll, Stewart Downing and Charlie Adam during his two-year stay at Anfield.
Henderson endured a difficult start to his Liverpool career under manager Kenny Dalglish but has gone on to develop into a leading member of the side and replaced Steven Gerrard as captain at the start of the 2015-16 season.