Liverpool: Klopp’s £35m sale has been as often as Salah’s since leaving
Liverpool returned to excellent seasons in 2023/24 under Jurgen Klopp
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Liverpool have returned to form this season, which has seen them challenge for trophies in recent years, as Jurgen Klopp has reinvigorated his squad.
After failing to win a trophy in 2022/23 after finishing fifth in the Premier League, the German had a lot on his mind going into the summer transfer window. Summer reform was clearly one of his thoughts.
Fabinho, Jordan Henderson, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Naby Keita and James Milner were out, new arrivals included young talents such as Dominik Szoboszlai, Ryan Gravenberch and Alexis Mac Allister, while Waturo Endo added experience to the midfield.
Klopp has done wonders in the summer by changing his midfield options and the Reds have lost just once this season, a 2-1 Premier League defeat by Tottenham Hotspur last month.
A return to the form of some of their big hits was also key. Luis Diaz struggled with injuries last season but scored three goals and provided an assist in ten appearances this season.
Mohamed Salah is another player who continues to impress for the Anfield side and his influence in the squad could propel them back into the limelight as they chase more success under the German.
How has Mohammed Salah done this season? The winger has already scored six goals and provided four assists in just ten games and it’s clear he’s showing no signs of slowing down anytime soon, despite turning 31 in June.
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His performances in the Premier League have been a joy to watch and he is currently one of Liverpool’s best players by many measures. Indeed, the Egyptian surpasses the team in goals and assists (nine), as well as shots (1.5), great chances created (nine) and second (2.1), which clearly shows. how impressive he has been in the final third of this season.
Salah is vital to the success that Anfield is looking for this season and at the time of writing (19/10/2023) he currently has 192 goals in 315 appearances for the club and is on track to reach 200. sign before the New Year.
However, Klopp’s club could be better off if they didn’t sell Sadio Mane in 2022, as the winger is currently scoring as often as Salah this season and could still be a useful player for the Reds.
How much did Liverpool sell Sadio Mane for? After a 2021/22 season that saw the Reds just two games away from an unlikely top four, the Senegalese international announced his intention to leave the Merseyside outfit and bowed out after winning the FA Cup and League Cup. Since joining from Southampton in the summer of 2016 ahead of Klopp’s first full season, Mane has scored 120 goals and provided 48 assists in 269 games, winning everything there is to win, including the Champions League and Premier League.
Klopp even praised him after the draw against Aston Villa at the end of last season, the German saying: “He’s a machine, I told him after the game. A massive player, a massive player. His physicality is raw. A mixture of technique. , desire and then physicality. – Now [even] at the moment when everyone obviously has a few yards of legs, as you can see with him, to be honest [he can do it]. Main objective. Just a great, world-class player.”
However, all good things must come to an end and after six productive seasons at Anfield, Mane has left the club to join Bayern Munich in 2022 in a deal worth around £35m.
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However, his spell in Germany has not lived up to expectations and perhaps he would be better off staying with the Reds rather than choosing a new challenge elsewhere.
What happened to Sadio Mane? In total, he played 38 times for the Bundesliga giants, but scored just 12 goals in his first game for them, one less than Klopp’s 23 last season.
Perhaps the pressure was just too much at Bayern and although he won the league title, it seemed clear that he would not be a long-term option for Thomas Tuchel, who took over from Julian Nagelsmann following his sacking in March.
That led to Mane looking for another club with just a year left on his contract at Bayern and he snapped up Al-Nassr from Saudi Arabia for €40m (£35m), meaning the German repaid his fee. they died a little over a year ago.
Sadio Mane’s league form since leaving Liverpool
2022/23
2023/24
goals
7
6
help
5
2
Shots on goal per game
0.9
1.3
Best aids for game
1
2.3
Successful drops per game
1
2.9
Statistics via Sofascore
Mane is having a disappointing 2022/23. certainly left the year behind as he scored six goals in just nine Saudi Arabia Pro League appearances, while he added another contribution in the Copa del Rey and looks to be returning to some form.
Those seven goals have actually meant he has surpassed Salah this season and suggests he could yet be an additional attacking option Klopp could use. He has scored seven times in 12 games across all competitions (once per 1.7 games), compared to six in 10 (once per 1.7 games) for the aforementioned Egyptian side, indicating that they are both scoring at the same level this season.
On a team-wide basis, Mane is second only to Cristiano Ronaldo in goals and assists (eight) in the league, but is also first in most important assists per game (2.3) and successful assists (2.9), indicating a clear comeback. . his viable best in Asia.
Klopp and Mane have both clearly improved, but still needed more efforts.