A Barcelona backfire? Every player Liverpool have offloaded under Klopp - and what happened next

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Jurgen Klopp has transformed Liverpool since ending his sabbatical in October 2015.

Under his leadership, the Reds have reached two major European club finals – in which they finished runners-up to Sevilla (2016 Europa League) and Real Madrid (2018 Champions League) – as well as playing some of the most scintillating football we’ve seen during that time.

This season has seen Liverpool emerge as Manchester City’s greatest championship threat. The 18-time English champions are now forged in Klopp’s image after he initially inherited a squad designed by his predecessors.

Though some remain, those who have bought into his vision, others have fallen by the wayside and left for new adventures. Among them are big personalities desperate for a new challenge, as well as those who waited for an opportunity they never received.

Below is a list of players who have permanently left Liverpool under Klopp’s watch and what happened next.

1. Christian Benteke

Season: 2016/17
Club joined: Crystal Palace
Transfer fee: £27m
Games under Klopp: 36

Benteke’s time at Liverpool can be described as a wasted opportunity. His reputation on arrival had and has never been higher, but the Belgian marksman couldn’t replicate his Aston Villa form and is rarely spoken about at Anfield these days. A move was best for all parties, Klopp had started to reinvigorate the Reds attack minus Benteke, who moved south to Crystal Palace, where despite an impressive first season he now continues to struggle for goals.

2. Jordon Ibe

Season: 2016/17
Club joined: Bournemouth
Transfer fee: £15m
Games under Klopp: 33

So much was expected of Jordon Ibe. Many Liverpool supporters felt he was the perfect successor to Raheem Sterling, who had departed to Manchester City weeks before Klopp’s arrival. His new boss was prepared to give the young English winger a chance but it never quite worked out. With regular playing time even more scarce, Ibe became Bournemouth’s then-most expensive acquisition and it is where he plays his football today, albeit mostly in an impact-sub capacity.

3. Joe Allen

Season: 2016/17
Club joined: Stoke City
Transfer fee: £13m
Games under Klopp: 33

Affectionately dubbed the “Welsh Xavi”, there was a time when Joe Allen’s name was rarely missing from Liverpool’s midfield. His greatest run in the side came under Brendan Rodgers, under whom he previously worked at Swansea City. Klopp, appreciative of technically gifted midfielders, never saw the best of Allen, who soon departed from Stoke City where he continues to ply his trade in the Championship with five goals and four assists for the 14th-placed Potters.

4. Martin Skrtel

Season: 2016/17
Club joined: Fenerbahce
Transfer fee: £5m
Games under Klopp: 18

One of Liverpool’s longest-serving players when Klopp arrived, Skrtel’s best days were firmly behind him. Sparingly used by the German tactical, he’d leave for present club Fenerbahçe in the summer of 2016. He is regular starter with the Turkish giants but yet to win a major honour.

5. Luis Alberto

Season: 2016/17
Club joined: Lazio
Transfer fee: £4m
Games under Klopp: 0

Luis Alberto never really got his Liverpool career going and wasn’t even used by Klopp before moving to The Eternal City. His subsequent performances for Lazio suggests potentially one that got away. Last season, he scored 11 goals in Serie A as Lazio finished fifth.

6. Tiago Ilori

Season: 2016/17 (winter)
Club joined: Reading
Transfer fee: £3.75m
Games under Klopp: 3

Another player who joined Liverpool young but never genuinely broke through, Tiago Ilori would enjoy a number of loans spells prior to making his senior debut under Klopp but there was never any inkling of a long-term future. He’s since found a home at Reading, whom he joined in January 2017, but is linked with a return to Sporting Lisbon.

7. Brad Smith

Season: 2016/17
Club joined: Bournemouth
Transfer fee: £3m
Games under Klopp: 10

Brad Smith never really threatened to be Liverpool’s first choice left-back under Klopp, before joining Bournemouth where he played a handful of games prior to signing for MLS outfit Seattle Sounders.

8. João Carlos Teixeira

Season: 2016/17
Club joined: FC Porto
Transfer fee: Free
Games under Klopp: 7

Teixeira, similar to compatriot Ilori, would toil in the loan system before leaving the Reds without having firmly established himself. The native of Braga would join FC Porto, who loaned him out to his hometown club before he signed for Vitória Guimarães last summer.

9. Kolo Touré

Season: 2016/17
Club joined: Celtic
Transfer fee: Free
Games under Klopp: 24

Kolo Touré played somewhat of a mentor role in Brendan Rodgers’ final months as Liverpool boss. It wouldn’t be the case under the incoming Klopp, though the German was happy to have the Premier League winner around. Touré, keen for playing time as his career started to wind down, would reunite with Rodgers at Celtic before transitioning into a coach.

In Glasgow, the former Arsenal defender became an ‘Invincible’ for the second time in his career as Celtic won the 2016/17 Scottish Premiership title without losing a single game.

10. Mario Balotelli

Season: 2016/17
Club joined: Nice
Transfer fee: Free
Games under Klopp: 0

Balotelli’s nonchalance was never going to mix with Klopp’s discipline given how crucial work rate and pressing are to him. The enigmatic Italian marksman departed under a cloud but has since enjoyed his best football in years at Nice, though that particular relationship seems to be over.

11. Mamadou Sakho

Season: 2017/18
Club joined: Crystal Palace
Transfer fee: £26m
Games under Klopp: 29

Ill-disciple on pre-season duty ultimately ended Sakho’s Liverpool career. At one point he looked settled under Klopp, but in the end tardiness supposedly meant he the former PSG captain could no longer be trusted.

Crystal Palace would come to Sakho’s rescue. There, he enjoys a key role under former Reds boss Roy Hodgson.

12. Lucas Leiva

Season: 2017/18
Club joined: Lazio
Transfer fee: £5m
Games under Klopp: 65

For much of his time in a Liverpool jersey, Lucas was maligned for failing to live up to initial performances as he transitioned from CAM to defensive midfielder. This ultimately subsided and the Brazilian midfielder left Anfield with to some degree of goodwill. His experience was routinely tapped into by Klopp, as he made over 50 appearances under the German before signing for Lazio.

13. Kevin Stewart

Season: 2017/18
Club joined: Hull City
Transfer fee: £4m
Games under Klopp: 20

Kevin Stewart joined Liverpool from Tottenham Hotspur but never really made the grade despite making a handful of appearances during Klopp’s stewardship. He would subsequently be loaned out – to Cheltenham Town, Burton Albion and Swindon Town – before leaving Anfield permanently for Hull City

14. Andre Wisdom

Season: 2017/18
Club joined: Derby County
Transfer fee: £2m
Games under Klopp: 0

Before joining Derby County in 2017, thus ending a nine-year association with Liverpool, the Leeds-born defender celebrated winning the Austrian championship with Red Bull Salzburg. Once seen as having great potential, Wisdom never got a look-in under Klopp.  These days, he’s used intermittently on either side of Frank Lampard’s defence.

15. Philippe Coutinho

Season: 2017/18 (winter)
Club joined: Barcelona
Transfer fee: £142m
Games under Klopp: 89

You’ve heard of this one, right? He went on to become Liverpool’s record sale by some distance as Coutinho’s protracted transfer nearly doubled what Barcelona paid for Luis Suarez, his former Reds teammate. Since reuniting with the Uruguayan marksman, Coutinho is yet to find a home in the Barcelona starting line-up as Ernesto Valverde has been reluctant to use him in midfield. He has been benched for several league games at the time of writing and Barcelona were recently forced to publicly reassure Coutinho of his future at the club.

16. Danny Ward

Season: 2018/19
Club joined: Leicester City
Transfer fee: £12.5m
Games under Klopp: 3

Danny Ward served as Liverpool’s third-choice goalkeeper before looking for pastures new. He’d settle for Leicester City last summer but is yet to make a league appearance under Claude Puel, who has exclusively used him in the EFL Cup.

17. Ragnar Klavan

Season: 2017/18
Club joined: Cagliari
Transfer fee: £2m
Games under Klopp: 53

Signed and sold by Klopp. The much-travelled Estonian central defender served his purpose, injecting some experience in Liverpool’s backline, and in the process became a cult hero among the club’s vocal support for his inexplicable bursts of unnecessary (and endearingly clumsy) flair.

Klavan can today be found representing Serie A side Cagliari.

18. Jon Flanagan

Season: 2018/19
Club joined: Rangers
Transfer fee: Free
Games under Klopp: 9

Flanagan’s time at Liverpool ended in disgrace when he pleaded guilty to assaulting his girlfriend. However, former teammate and captain Steven Gerrard would offer him a second chance when he brought him to Rangers last summer. He has only featured in one of the club’s last six league outings, a one-minute cameo in their emotional 1-0 win over city rivals Celtic at Ibrox.

19. Jordan Williams

Season: 2018/19
Club joined: Rochdale
Transfer fee: Free
Games under Klopp: 0

Despite coming through Liverpool’s academy, Jordan Williams made just one appearance for his boyhood club. He was never on Klopp’s radar prior to joining Rochdale, where his career has been resuscitated.

20. Emre Can

Season: 2018/19
Club joined: Juventus
Transfer fee: £14m
Games under Klopp: 116

Can’s final season with Liverpool was a frustrating one for all those concerned.

He was trusted and given regular game time by Klopp despite running down his contract as Liverpool refused to include a buy-out clause in any extension. In the end, as expected, Can opted to join Italian powerhouse Juventus, where despite a promising start he’s now looking to rediscover his groove following a period on the sidelines.

The post What happened next? Every player to leave Liverpool under Jurgen Klopp appeared first on Squawka News.



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