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Before Jurgen Klopp's arrival, Borussia Dortmund was just another club struggling to make their mark in the Bundesliga reigned by the mighty Bayern. The year before Klopp joined Borussia, they finished 13th.
His success at Borussia didn't come overnight. It took him time, patience and the right buys. He bought players, mainly youngsters, unknown and raw at the time because money was an issue and he had an eye for the hidden talents. He trained them, gave them first team opportunities, built them, not as a set of individuals, but as a team.
Two years later, the footballing world was aghast, for it was Klopp's minnows who dethroned Bayern from the crown. The players he had developed over time took the World by storm. They have become the stars and some were planning to leave Borussia.
At Liverpool, it was no coincidence the quality of the players like Firmino and Sane improved drastically after Klopp's arrival. He has such an effect on the players he trains.
Klopp's ability to bring the best out of a player is no secret. But even he made some flawed signings. Some cost him big money, some left his club and improved drastically. Here is a list of five flawed signings by Jurgen Klopp.
#5 Julian Schieber
Julian Schieber joined Borussia from Stuttgart for €5.50M in the summer of 2012. After their second successive Bundesliga triumph, many players secured a big move to elite clubs of Europe and age forced some of the players to leave the club. Julian Schieber was brought in as a replacement to their talismanic striker, Lucas Barrios.
However, the German center-forward could manage only a few appearances and a very few goals for the club over his two-year stint. He played 57 games and managed to score only six goals. In 2014, he was sold to Hertha Berlin.
#4 Kevin Kampl
It is uncharacteristic of Klopp to sell a player six months after his arrival. Kevin Kampl who made his debut on 31 January 2015, stayed with Borussia only till the end of that season.
Kampl joined Dortmund from Red Bull Salzburg for €12M. In the wake of his performance for Salzburg, the price tag seemed sensible.
The Slovenian centre midfielder was expected to be a regular for Liverpool. But in a star studded line up with the likes Gundogan, Reus and Mkhitaryan the Slovenian found it difficult to break into the first team.
Even when he started, he was a shadow of his former self. He rarely showed the aggression and tenacity he had in abundance at Salzburg.
He managed 19 appearances for Borussia. Considering his performance, it is no surprise that he left the club in the summer transfer window to join Leverkusen for €11M. Kevin Kampl currently plays a key role in the impressive Leipzig side who stays 3rd in the Bundesliga.
#3 Loris Karius
If it was not for his super costly errors in the UCL final, Karius might still be guarding the for Liverpool. Sadly, it is how the football works, all it takes is one blunder to slide a player down from the pinnacle of his form.
When Karius arrived at Anfield for €6.20M from Mainz, the Goalkeeping side of the Reds was not in great shape. The inconsistency and the lack of form of Mignolet were costing them important points.
Karius started his Liverpool career on a dull note, managing a few starts here and there. But by the end of 2017-18 season, he rose to the form of his career and cemented his place as the number one goalkeeper for the Reds. It didn't last long as he let his team down when they needed him the most. He made two mistakes in the Champions League final. He was sold to Besiktas on loan at the end of the season.
#2 Ciro Immobile
It is an enigma how a player of Immobile's caliber failed to develop under a manager like Klopp. He is now a prolific goalscorer for Lazio, finding the net with a certainty that puts his Borussia career to shame. He scored 76 goals in 104 games for Lazio, the evidence of his talents. But for Borussia, he managed just a 10 in 34 appearances.
The Italian center-forward was expected to be a regular scorer and the target man when he joined from Torino for €18.50M. That was the year Lewandowski left Borussia, and Immobile was presumably his replacement. Under Klopp's high pressing 'heavy metal' style, he never settled.
He spent only a season at Borussia Dortmund, as he rarely found the back of the net. He was sold first on loan and later permanently to Sevilla for €11M.
#1 Ivan Perisic
Another player who couldn't reach his potential under Klopp is Ivan Perisic. The Croatian winger was signed for €5.5M in 2011 and was expected to flourish under Klopp. He stayed for more than a year at the club showing glimpses of talents which persuaded Klopp to keep him at the club.
On his day, he was the unstoppable winger hypnotizing the opposition defence, scoring thunderbolts from outside the box and whipping in dangerous crosses. But those days were few and far between.
Perisic managed to score 12 goals from 64 appearances before leaving the club to join Wolfsburg for €8M in January of 2013. Though Borussia made a profit in terms of money, Ivan Perisic's signing is considered a flop because of the fact that Klopp failed to explore the huge potential the then youngster possessed.
Perisic now plays a talismanic role for Inter Milan in Serie A.
