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Jurgen Klopp has firmly established himself as one of the best managers of the last decade. His stints at both Borussia Dortmund and Liverpool have drawn plaudits from fans and critics alike.
The German manager finds the perfect blend of tactical nous and man-management. A feature of Jurgen Klopp’s management is his ability to turn an ordinary player into a superstar.
Jurgen Klopp has had several hits and misses when it comes to signings
During his managerial career, the 54-year-old has been credited for honing the skills of several world-class players including Virgil van Dijk, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Mohamed Salah.
However, not all signings made by the current Liverpool manager have turned out to be fruitful. Like all managers, he has made his fair share of mistakes when it comes to acquiring talent. Here are the top five worst signings under Klopp who failed to make an impact:
#5 Dominic Solanke
Dominic Solanke was one of England's brightest talents when he arrived at Anfield. The Chelsea academy graduate had won the UEFA European U-17 Championship (2014) and the FIFA U-20 World Cup (2017) with England before Jurgen Klopp signed him.
Despite not commanding a considerable transfer fee, there was massive expectation from Solanke as he had won the Golden Ball at the U-20 World Cup. However, he failed to impress the Anfield faithful. Among 27 appearances in all competitions, the striker contributed just one goal and one assist.
It wasn’t soon before he fell down the pecking order, and was eventually sold to AFC Bournemouth. The 6’2” tall forward cost the south-coast side £19 million, which is another mystery as he hadn’t proved himself at Liverpool.
Everything apart from the selling fee of Solanke wasn’t pretty from a Liverpool perspective, and it is safe to say that he ranks among Klopp’s worst signings.
#4 Marko Grujic
Marko Grujic was signed by Jurgen Klopp in the summer of 2016, and was touted as one of the best young central midfielders. The Serbian set the Merseyside club back by £6.3 million, but even that feels like a bad deal after his departure earlier this year.
Grujic had represented Serbia at all youth levels and was a highly rated prospect across Europe. He made his debut for Red Star Belgrade at the tender age of 17. By 2015, he had become an integral part of the side and played a key role in winning the league title.
Amid interest from other top clubs such as Chelsea, Inter Milan and Juventus, Jurgen Klopp convinced him to make the switch to Anfield. That’s where the fairy tale ended as the midfielder never broke into the first team.
After five torrid years at Liverpool, which included as many as four loan spells, Marko Grujic was finally sold to FC Porto in the transfer window this summer.
#3 Adrian Ramos
Adrian Ramos is one of the few players whose career went on a downward spiral after being acquired by Jurgen Klopp. Before joining forces with Klopp at Borussia Dortmund, the former Hertha Berlin marksman had a fruitful 16-goal league campaign with the Bundesliga outfit in 2013-14.
Things didn’t go as planned for the Colombian international under Jurgen Klopp, as he scored just two goals in his first season at Signal Iduna Park. This was considered a massive dip in output after being the joint-fourth highest goal scorer of the previous season.
His most prolific campaign with Dortmund came in 2015-16, wherein he scored nine goals in 27 league matches. The £8.73 million acquisition never really filled the void left by Robert Lewandowski, and has to rank among Jurgen Klopp’s worst transfer dealings.
Adrian Ramos could not recover from his failure at Borussia Dortmund and currently plies his trade with America de Cali in his native Colombia.
#2 Loris Karius
Loris Karius will always be remembered for his performance, or rather lack of it, in the 2018 Champions League final. The Merseyside-based club, who were eyeing their sixth Champions League crown at the time, were put on the backfoot twice due to Karius’ blunders.
Karius’ mistakes couldn’t have happened on a bigger stage. He was scapegoated after the loss to Real Madrid and could never gain the confidence of Jurgen Klopp. After Alisson arrived at Liverpool, Karius has never been between the sticks for the 19-time league champions.
Neither was the transfer fee of £5.58 million too hefty, nor were his overall displays terrible. However, he had a dreadful night at Kyiv in the Champions League final, forever damaging his reputation.
No one can be certain if Liverpool would have won the match if not for Karius’ howlers. But one thing is for sure, his career under Jurgen Klopp definitely ended after the horror show.
#1 Ciro Immobile
Italian striker Ciro Immobile is undoubtedly Jurgen Klopp’s worst signing so far. He was purchased from Torino in 2014 for a fee of £16.20 million. In his only season under the German tactician, he scored a paltry three goals in 24 Bundesliga appearances.
It is important to note that Immobile had scored 22 times in 33 matches for Torino in the 2013-14 Serie A campaign. After struggling at Borussia Dortmund and Sevilla, Immobile found a way back to his beloved Serie A.
He has thrived for Lazio since 2016, which adds to the reason why the signing by Jurgen Klopp was an atrocious one. Over the last five years, Ciro Immobile has scored over 100 goals for his club and recently won the Euros with Italy.
Overall, he scored just 10 goals in 34 matches for the German giants. The fact that Dortmund suffered a loss by selling him to Sevilla made his inclusion on this list straightforward.
