Jurgen Klopp will go down as one of the greatest managers in Premier League history for his incredible achievements with Liverpool.
He took charge of a struggling Liverpool side in 2015 and transformed them into one of the most dominant teams in England and Europe.
During his nine-year tenure, he won every major trophy available, including the club’s first league title in 30 years, the Champions League, FA Cup, and two League Cups.
While Jurgen Klopp left Anfield as one of the club’s most iconic figures, known for his charismatic leadership and exceptional man management, there is one area where he may not have been the best at: player recruitment.
Jurgen Klopp during his final game for Liverpool vs Wolves.
Photo by Andrew Powell/Liverpool FC via Getty Images
That’s according to Ian Graham, Liverpool’s former Director of Research, who reveals how Klopp decided against signing one of the best strikers in the Premier League in 2022.
Jurgen Klopp decided to sign Darwin Nunez over Alexander Isak
Graham reveals that Liverpool had to decide between signing Darwin Nunez, who had impressed against them in the Champions League or Alexander Isak, who was one of Europe’s top young strikers at the time.
Klopp ended up pushing the club to sign Nunez, with Liverpool signing him for a then club-record fee of £85m.
However, his decision hasn’t worked out as hoped. Nunez has struggled to make the desired impact at Anfield.
In contrast, Newcastle ended up signing Isak for £63m in the same summer, and the player has since then established himself as one of the best strikers in England and across Europe.
Player Games Goals Assists Goal Involvements Goals per Game
Darwin Nunez (Liverpool) 143 40 26 66 0.28
Alexander Isak (Newcastle) 109 62 11 73 0.57
Darwin Nunez vs Alexander Isak club stats – 2022/23 till present
Three years later, Liverpool have now put Nunez up for sale, and the Reds have identified Isak as the dream replacement. But prising him away from St James’ Park won’t be easy, with Newcastle valuing the 25-year-old at around £120m.
Despite the hefty price tag, a move is not entirely impossible. The Reds have already splashed over £100m on Florian Wirtz, and reports suggest that Liverpool would be willing to spend over £100m again for the right striker.
That said, the focus now will be on outgoings, which could potentially raise the funds required for a big-money move for Isak.
Both Nunez and Luis Diaz are expected to be sold in big-money moves, with Liverpool seeking £70m for Nunez while Saudis are prepared to pay £72m for Diaz.
Jurgen Klopp wanted to sign Julian Brandt over Mohamed Salah
This is not the first instance revealed by Graham that shows Klopp’s poor judgment when it comes to player recruitment.
Graham has famously revealed that Klopp was initially pushing for the signing of Julian Brandt over Mohamed Salah back in 2017.
It reportedly took a concerted effort from Michael Edwards, Graham, and the recruitment team to convince Klopp that Salah was the better fit for Liverpool’s system.
To Klopp’s credit, he was open-minded and willing to be persuaded by the data and analysis, a decision that proved to be one of the best ones the club has made in recent years.
Salah’s £35 million move has since become one of the greatest signings in Premier League history, with the Egyptian racking up 245 goals and 113 assists in 401 appearances across all competitions for Liverpool.