Sadio Mane and 8 other players that flopped after leaving Jurgen Klopp team

Jurgen Klopp is a highly respected football coach admired by fans and players alike. He has achieved great success during his managerial career, both at Borussia Dortmund and Liverpool. However, despite his success, Klopp has often had to sell some of his top-class players over the years. While these players may have left for various reasons, they have struggled to replicate their form after leaving Klopp’s tutelage.

One such player is Sadio Mane, who left Liverpool for Bayern Munich in 2021 for a cut-price £27million fee. While he was expected to be a transformative signing for Bayern, things haven’t quite worked out that way. Mane has struggled to fit in under both Julian Nagelsmann and Thomas Tuchel and scored just one goal since the World Cup, leading to speculation about his future at the club.

Another player who struggled after leaving Klopp’s team is Mario Gotze. Gotze looked like a generational talent when he broke through at Borussia Dortmund under Klopp, but committed an act of treason by agreeing a £35million move to Bayern Munich during the 2012-13 season. Despite scoring the winner in the World Cup final a year after his move, Gotze never truly found his form away from Dortmund and returned to the club three years later.

Philippe Coutinho, who was a star at Liverpool, was sold to Barcelona for around £140million. While his transfer fee was used to sign Virgil Van Dijk and Alisson, Coutinho remains one of Barcelona’s worst ever buys, and now finds himself on the periphery at Aston Villa. On the other hand, Georginio Wijnaldum hit his best form under Klopp at Liverpool, where he became loved by the fans. However, he left for PSG in 2021 and has since received heavy criticism for his performances.

Xherdan Shaqiri, who was mainly used as a super-sub during his three seasons at Liverpool, became a useful player for the team. However, he joined Lyon in 2021 in search of first-team football but was disappointing in Ligue 1 and joined Chicago Fire in the MLS after just six months at the club.

Philipp Degen, a solid right-back at Borussia Dortmund, departed the club shortly after Klopp’s arrival and joined Liverpool but made just 13 appearances for the club before having his contract terminated in 2011.

Felipe Santana, who made over 100 appearances as a rotational centre-back at Dortmund, threw a tantrum and tried to force his way out of the club, demanding more playing time. Santana requested to leave multiple times and eventually joined arch-rivals Schalke in 2013, blaming Klopp for losing the Champions League final.

Shinji Kagawa was sensational at Borussia Dortmund but could not resist a move to Manchester United in 2012. Kagawa was popular but ultimately disappointing at Old Trafford and lasted just two seasons before returning to Dortmund. Like Gotze, Kagawa’s second spell at the club wasn’t as impressive as his first.

Nuri Sahin was so good at Dortmund that he was coveted by every top club in Europe and departed Klopp’s side for Real Madrid in 2011. However, the Turkish midfielder played just 10 games for Los Blancos before a disastrous loan move to Liverpool saw his stock plummet. He returned to Dortmund and never found his best form again.

Emre Can was a reliable and versatile player at Liverpool but ran down his contract and joined Juventus on a free transfer in 2018. Can thought he was upgrading, but Liverpool would go on to win the Champions League in the season after he left, while he was a disaster in Turin. He then moved to Dortmund, where he has fared better than at Juventus, but admitted that his decision to leave did not go down well with his former boss.

In conclusion, while Jurgen Klopp has had to sell some top-class players over the years, these players have struggled to replicate their form after leaving his tutelage. Klopp’s coaching style has proven to be highly effective, and players who leave his team often find it difficult to adjust to new surroundings. Klopp’s success as a coach is a testament to his ability to get the best out of his players and build winning teams.