01.07.2004 - Cisse completes Reds' switch

---

Djibril Cisse finally completed his transfer from Auxerre to Liverpool today, in deal which shattered the club's transfer record.

The French international striker has been one of the hottest properties in Europe for over two years, with many of Europe's leading clubs showing interest in signing him.

But since Gerard Houllier expressed his interest in signing Cisse, the player has always insisted that Liverpool is the club he wanted to move to, and after completing a £14m move, Cisse's wish has finally come true.

Cisse was top scorer in the 2001-2 season, when he caught the eye of a number of top clubs, and had a £30m price tag slapped on his head by Auxerre manager Guy Roux, who was desperate to hang on to his star player for as long as possible. However, his club manager has long since been resigned to losing the 22-year old, who will now be aiming to have a big impact on the Premiership this season.

Cisse scored 70 goals in 128 league appearances for Auxerre, including 26 last season, a tally which hasn't been bettered for over a decade, and he has already been handed the famous number 9 shirt at Liverpool, following in the footsteps of past Anfield goalscoring greats such as Billy Liddel, Ian Rush and Robbie Fowler.