We’re two years removed from Jurgen Klopp’s final trophy at Liverpool — here’s an update on the Carabao Cup final stars from 2024.
It was late heroics that secured the victory, with Virgil van Dijk winning it for Liverpool in the 118th-minute.
What made it so magical was that the final took place at a time in the season where Liverpool were devastated by injuries and had to use every inch of the squad to make it past Chelsea.
Many of the players who played a key role are still important figures at the club. Those are Van Dijk, Ibrahima Konate, Andrew Robertson, Conor Bradley, Wataru Endo, Ryan Gravenberch, Joe Gomez, Alexis Mac Allister and Cody Gakpo.
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But what about the senior stars who have departed for pastures new, and what about Klopp’s kids?
Liverpool’s senior Carabao Cup heroes who have left the club
Caoimhin Kelleher was Klopp’s go-to goalkeeper in this competition. He played almost every minute in the Carabao Cup in his final two seasons at the club. Now, the Irishman is first choice in a Brentford side challenging for Europe.
Also in the starting lineup was Luis Diaz. The Colombian went to Bayern Munich in the summer and has cemented himself as one of Europe’s elite wingers with 34 goal involvements in 33 games for the German giants.
Chelsea v Liverpool - Carabao Cup Final
Photo by Visionhaus/Getty Images
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Barely qualifying as a senior player, Harvey Elliott started ahead of the injured Mo Salah, and we all know how his career has unfortunately panned out. Elliott has struggled at Aston Villa during his loan spell this term.
Kostas Tsimikas is still on the books at Liverpool, but is out on loan at Roma.
Where are ‘Klopp’s kids’?
We all recall the famous Gary Neville line uttered during the climax of the final.
On the Sky Sports commentary, he said: “In extra-time it’s been Klopp’s kids against the blue, billion-pound bottlejobs.”
The German coach had no choice but to dip into his more youthful options, and it ended up being one of the greatest moments for Liverpool’s academy.
Jarell Quansah came on for Konate with just 15 minutes to go and was key for Liverpool at the back. Now, he is plying his trade at Bayer Leverkusen in a starting capacity. A player who won’t soon be forgotten about, given his buyback clause.
Bobby Clark was sold to RB Salzburg, but is back in England this season on loan at Derby County. James McConnell was recalled from Ajax on deadline day this past January and could be set for a return to the senior squad.
Then, there’s Jayden Danns. He has struggled with injuries since the final, and will hopefully be back as an option in the coming weeks.
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FA Cup draw
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Lewis Koumas and Trey Nyoni didn’t make it off the bench that day. The former is on loan at Hull, while the latter remains on the fringes of Arne Slot’s squad.
It’s somewhat underwhelming to see so many of the stars from that cup win now elsewhere. Particularly the young players, whose Liverpool futures could not have looked more promising than in the aftermath of the Chelsea final just two years ago.
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