Jurgen Klopp has solidified his position as one of the best managers of the last decade. His time at Borussia Dortmund and Liverpool earned him praise from both fans and critics.
The German manager achieves the ideal balance of tactical acumen and man-management. Jurgen Klopp’s ability to transform an ordinary player into a superstar is a hallmark of his management.
The 54-year-old has been credited with developing the skills of several world-class players, including Virgil van Dijk, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, and Mohamed Salah, during his managerial career.
However, not all of the current Liverpool manager’s signings have proven fruitful. When it comes to acquiring talent, he, like all managers, has made his fair share of mistakes. Here are Klopp’s top five worst signings who failed to make an impact:
Number 5: Dominic Solanke
When Dominic Solanke arrived at Anfield, he was one of England’s brightest prospects. Before Jurgen Klopp signed him, the Chelsea academy graduate had won the UEFA European U-17 Championship (2014) and the FIFA U-20 World Cup (2017) with England.
Despite not commanding a high transfer fee, Solanke was held in high regard after winning the Golden Ball at the U-20 World Cup. He did not, however, impress the Anfield faithful. The striker only had one goal and one assist in 27 appearances across all competitions.
He quickly fell down the pecking order and was eventually sold to AFC Bournemouth. The 6’2″ tall forward cost the south coast club £19 million, which is another mystery given his lack of performance at Liverpool.
Apart from the Solanke selling fee, everything about him was a disaster for Liverpool, and he has to be considered one of Klopp’s worst signings.
Number 4: Marko Grujic
Jurgen Klopp signed Marko Grujic in the summer of 2016 and was regarded as one of the best young central midfielders. The Serbian cost the Merseyside club £6.3 million after his departure earlier this year, even that seems like a bad deal.
Grujic had represented Serbia at all youth levels and was regarded as a top prospect throughout Europe. At 17, he made his debut for Red Star Belgrade. By 2015, he had established himself as an important team member, helping them win the league title.
Jurgen Klopp persuaded him to join Liverpool despite interest from other top clubs such as Chelsea, Inter Milan, and Juventus. The fairy tale ended there, as the midfielder never made it into the first team.
Marko Grujic was sold to FC Porto in the summer transfer window after five turbulent years at Liverpool, including four loan spells.
Number 3: Adrian Ramos
Adrian Ramos is one of the few players whose career has plummeted since joining Jurgen Klopp’s squad. Before joining Klopp at Borussia Dortmund, the former Hertha Berlin striker had a productive 16-goal Bundesliga season with the Bundesliga club in 2013-14.
Under Jurgen Klopp, things didn’t go as planned for the Colombian international, who scored just two goals in his first season at Signal Iduna Park. This was regarded as a significant drop in output after being the joint-fourth highest goal scorer the previous season.
His most productive season with Dortmund was in 2015-16, when he scored nine goals in 27 league games. The £8.73 million signings never really filled the void left by Robert Lewandowski, and it has to be considered one of Jurgen Klopp’s worst transfers.
Adrian Ramos was unable to recover from his failure at Borussia Dortmund and is now playing for America de Cali in his native Colombia.
Number 2: Loris Karius
Loris Karius’ performance, or rather lack thereof, in the 2018 Champions League final will live on in infamy. The Merseyside club, which was chasing their sixth Champions League title at the time, was put on the back foot twice as a result of Karius’ gaffes.
Karius’ errors could not have occurred on a larger stage. He was made a scapegoat following the loss to Real Madrid and was never able to gain Jurgen Klopp’s trust. Since Alisson arrived at Liverpool, Karius has never been in goal for the 19-time Premier League champions.
Neither the £5.58 million transfer fee nor his overall performance was excessive. However, he had a disastrous night in the Champions League final in Kyiv, which permanently harmed his reputation.
Nobody knows if Liverpool would have won if Karius hadn’t made those errors. But one thing is certain: his career under Jurgen Klopp came to an end after the horror show.
Number 1: Ciro Immobile
Ciro Immobile, an Italian striker, is without a doubt Jurgen Klopp’s worst signing to date. In 2014, he was purchased from Torino for a fee of £16.20 million. In his one and only season under the German tactician, he scored three goals in 24 Bundesliga appearances.
It is worth noting that Immobile scored 22 goals in 33 games for Torino in the 2013-14 Serie A season. Immobile returned to his beloved Serie A after struggling at Borussia Dortmund and Sevilla.
He has thrived for Lazio since 2016, which adds to the reasons why Jurgen Klopp’s signing was a disaster. Ciro Immobile has scored over 100 goals for his club in the last five years and recently won the Euros with Italy.
In total, he scored 10 goals in 34 appearances for the German giants. The fact that Dortmund lost money by selling him to Sevilla made his inclusion on this list obvious.
