Jurgen Klopp’s 5 Worst Signings At Liverpool

One of the best coaches in Premier League history, Jurgen Klopp was appointed Liverpool’s head coach in October 2015. Over the last eight-and-a-half seasons, the German has taken the Merseysiders to every possible trophy, most notably ending their 30-year Premier League drought in 2020. He could have had a couple of more Premier League titles to his name had Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City not been as flawless.

Since 2015, Klopp has overseen 17 transfer windows, signing a massive 58 players in total after splurging a whopping £807.15 million ($1.02 billion). Many of them have turned out to be spectacular additions, helping the club to important trophies. There have also been a few players who could not make it at Anfield, either due to a lack of confidence or injuries. Continue reading to meet Klopp’s five worst signings at Liverpool:

#5 Thiago Alcantara

When it comes to technical ability, Thiago Alcantara is one of the best in the Premier League. However, Liverpool just have not been able to tap into Thiago’s world-class capabilities due to his poor fitness record. The Spaniard, who joined the club for £20 million ($25.38 million) from Bayern Munich in July 2020, has missed many games due to injuries, not allowing Jurgen Klopp to count on his ability to instill calm and dominate possession.

Thiago sees his contract expire in June 2024, and as things stand, Liverpool may allow him to leave the club for free at the end of his tenure. The ex-Barcelona star has played 97 games for the club in all competitions so far, scoring thrice and claiming six assists.

#4 Marko Grujic

Jurgen Klopp’s first-ever signing as Liverpool manager, Marko Grujic joined the club from Red Star Belgrade for a £5.1 million fee in January 2016. The defensive midfielder exhibited a lot of heart whenever he came onto the pitch, but he lacked the quality to become a regular at one of the most successful clubs in England.

Grujic, who currently plies his trade at FC Porto, played 16 games for the club before leaving for Porto in June 2020. He scored only once and claimed an assist for the Anfield outfit.

#3 Loris Karius

Jurgen Klopp signed talented goalkeeper Loris Karius from Mainz for a £4.7 million fee in July 2016. The German shot-stopper was backed to become one of the best in the business, but the story did not quite pan out the way many expected. Karius lacked confidence under the bar and made some howlers throughout his Liverpool career, including two career-defining mistakes in the 3-1 defeat to Real Madrid in the 2018 UEFA Champions League final.

Karius never really recovered from the setback and left the club as a free agent in June 2022. The Newcastle United backup goalkeeper played a total of 49 matches for the Reds, conceding 47 times.

#2 Arthur

Hopes were high when Liverpool secured Arthur’s services from Juventus in the summer of 2022. The Reds signed the Brazilian on a one-year loan, agreeing to pay Juventus around $5 million as loan fee.

The central midfielder made his debut in a 4-1 defeat to Napoli on Matchday 1 of the 2022-23 UEFA Champions League season, playing for a mere 13 minutes. Unfortunately, that unremarkable cameo turned out to be his only appearance for the Reds as he picked up a thigh injury shortly after. Arthur had to undergo surgery in October and was never seen in action prior to his return to Juventus in June 2023.

#1 Ben Davies

Liverpool signed Ben Davies from Preston North End for only £500,000 ($634,530) in February 2021. The center-back joined the club to provide cover for Joel Matip and Virgil van Dijk, who had suffered massive injuries earlier in the season. Unfortunately, Davies could not hack it at Merseyside, suffering a training injury after failing to keep up with Liverpool’s intense sessions.

Davies made the bench a few times but failed to play a single minute of soccer, with Klopp putting his faith in other players over him. Fortunately for the Reds, Scottish Premiership side Rangers came calling for him in July 2022 and signed him for a £3 million ($3.81 million) fee.