A lot was made of Jurgen Klopp’s performances as Liverpool manager for the majority of last season; while the standard of football and entertainment value rose, Liverpool still only managed an 8th place finish. However, Liverpool fans (including myself) can agree that we are very privelidged to have one of the world’s best managers in an era when results have not gone consistently our way and not enough progression has been made.
Ahead of Jurgen Klopp’s first full season as manager of the Reds, I assess his first transfer market as the Liverpool boss.
Sadio Mané
Liverpool’s biggest signing of the summer transfer window was Sadio Mané from Southampton for £30-34 million. Despite being one of the Saint’s standout players of 2015/16, many were left baffled as to why the price tag was so high. Liverpool have a bad track record when it comes to signing Premier League players for vast amounts of money, with Andy Carroll and Christian Benteke springing to mind. However, Mane’s debut against Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium showed why we should be excited, with Mané scoring a brilliant solo goal, dribbling through a small gap between two defenders and stroking the ball past Petr Cech into the top left corner. Since then he has scored 4 goals and gained 2 assists in 8 league games for Liverpool.
Transfer Rating: 9/10
Georginio Wijnaldum
Georginio Wijnaldum, or Gini, has come off the back of a relatively poor 2015/16 campaign, playing in a disastrous Newcastle side that ended the season with relegation from the Premier League. He will be looking to prove himself in the EPL again after moving to Liverpool for £20 million. He has set himself a target of 10 league goals this season in an interview with LFCTV and has started well in new surroundings, bagging an assist for Adam Lallana’s goal against Arsenal. He is a very versatile midfielder and is expected to play in the centre, but can also fill in as a winger if needed.
Transfer Rating: 7/10
Loris Karius
Simon Mignolet, despite being a good shot-stopper, has for years been a figure for ridicule in between the sticks at Liverpool. Liverpool have addressed this issue by investing in the Mainz 05 keeper Loris Karius. He was voted second best goalkeeper in the Bundesliga last season behind Manuel Neuer, so he can’t be too bad, surely. However, during a preseason match vs Chelsea, he broke his wrist after colliding with Dejan Lovren, so we don’t yet know of his quality under Premier League conditions. Although, judging by his performance last season and what we saw of him during preseason, he looks like a solid young goalkeeper with bags of potential for the future.
Transfer Rating: 7/10
Joel Matip
Despite agreeing to join the club several months before, Matip didn’t arrive at Liverpool until 1st July. This was because he had to see out the remainder of his contract at Schalke, a club at which he blossomed into one of the Bundesliga’s top defenders. A slightly shaky preseason left anyone who was paying attention slightly unsure about him, but a strong start to the season has lead to him becoming the first name of many a fans team sheet. He has said in an interview that he is good for a few goals, so perhaps a sign of more from Matip.
Transfer Rating: 8/10
Ragnar Klavan
Ragnar Klavan, the captain of the Estonia national team, arrived at Liverpool from Augsburg. Not many knew his name at the time, but since then he has made himself known as a very reliable backup centre-back. He enjoyed a very decent preseason and has been solid enough when he’s played in competition (except the Burnley game). With the whole Mamadou Sakho kerfuffle, it is good to know that even without Sakho we have a good depth in central defenders.
Transfer Rating 7/10
Marko Grujic
Bought in January 2016, Marko Grujic enjoyed a loan back to his previous club Red Star Belgrade in which he won the league title. Despite only playing a bit-part role this season, his preseason was fantastic as the young midfielder scored a beautifully executed header against Barcelona. His header almost seemed to chip the keeper in the emphatic 4-0 win.
Transfer Rating 7/10
Alex Manninger
More to follow
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