What happened to the players who left Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool, including Balotelli, Can & Coutinho - gallery
There have been plenty of sales during the last eight years, but have any ex-Reds gone on to better their careers?
Jurgen Klopp has been at Liverpool since 2015 and overseen a complete transformation at Anfield during that time.
His current squad is unrecognisable from the one he inherited. It’s safe to say there has been plenty of change en route to winning the Premier League and Champions League.
Over the years, the majority of transfer dealings were overseen by football guru Michael Edwards, the former Sporting Director at Liverpool, who helped identify the right players to sign and sell.
Given the success that the Reds have enjoyed under Klopp, a number of players may well regret leaving when they did. Others had no choice.
With this summer set to be extremely busy from a transfer standpoint, we look at players who left under Klopp and how they fared post-Liverpool career.
1. Emre Can - July 2018
Departing on a free transfer to Juventus, Can never settled at the Italian club despite the Old Lady winning a league and cup double. He went on loan to Borussia Dortmund for the second-half of the 2020 season. Finding it to be a much better fit, he moved there permanently in the summer after making only 37 appearances in Italy.
2. Adam Lallana - July 2020
One of Klopp’s favourite players to utilise early on in his Liverpool career, but the boss craved a different profile of player in his midfield and attacking positions and Lallana was allowed to leave on a free. He joined Brighton where he’s played 70 times and he remains a key squad member to this day.
3. Sadio Mane - June 2022
Part of one of the best attacks in Premier League history, Mane departed last summer, somewhat surprisingly, for pastures new after six years on Merseyside. His move to Bayern Munich hasn’t worked out as of yet. Injuries have played their part as he’s scored six in 18 appearances so far, but the German side are one of the favourites for the Champions League and incoming manager Thomas Tuchel may look to utilise the forward more than his predecessor Julian Naglesmann did.
4. Georginio Wijnaldum - July 2021
Having been a key part of Klopp’s 4-3-3, fans were distraught when the club allowed the Dutchman to leave for PSG on a free transfer. He was part of the squad who won the Ligue 1 title last season, but he departed for AS Roma in the summer of 2022. However, he suffered a tibia fracture which kept him out for the majority of this season, but he’s now back in action under Jose Mourinho.