Liverpool have got an awful lot of transfers right in the Jurgen Klopp era, with Michael Edwards and Co. making some tremendous purchases. But what about sales?
It’s widely known that the club do far better business now than they did a decade ago or longer, even on the outgoing side.
A few players have departed for surprisingly big money, while other high-profile names have failed to live up to expectations after leaving Anfield for new scenes.
The next player permanently sold by Liverpool will be the 40th departure of the Klopp era—including both senior players and youngsters on the fringes of involvement.
Here we take a look at how each of the 39 have fared since being sold or released, in chronological order from our first summer under Jurgen, just after having reached the Europa League final.
2016
Jose Enrique: Moved to Real Zaragoza and retired a year later. Has since successfully overcome a brain tumour requiring surgery. A social media regular in support of the Reds.
Kolo Toure: Moved to Celtic to rejoin ex-Reds boss Brendan Rodgers, won the treble and then became a coach. Still working with Rodgers now as a first-team coach with Leicester.
Jordan Rossiter: Moved to Rangers but hasn’t been able to build on the early promise of his career yet. Had a loan with Bury and was on another with Fleetwood, aged 22, but has suffered a season-ending knee injury.
Joao Carlos Teixeira: Moved back to Portugal and is finally now a regular with Vitoria Guimaraes, aged 27.
Jerome Sinclair: Wanted first-team minutes so left for Watford. Three loans later he’s finally getting it at VVV Venlo in the Eredivisie. Now aged 23.
Samed Yesil: Initially meandered around Greece and Germany’s lower leagues; has just signed for Turkish third-tier team Ankara Demir in January, aged 25.
Sergi Canos: A tremendous talent who has suffered with injuries. Shone in the Championship with Norwich and Brentford. We’ll see him in the top flight eventually no doubt, but he’s out for the season with knee ligament damage.
Martin Skrtel: Joined Fenerbahce, stayed for three years; joined Atalanta, stayed for 24 days. Said he couldn’t play a back three, so joined Istanbul Basaksehir instead, back in Turkey’s top flight. Now aged 35.
Jordon Ibe: Moved to Bournemouth and is still there, but his career has nosedived. Three league goals in his four seasons and only has two sub appearances in the Premier League this term.
Joe Allen: Still a Stoke City regular, now aged 29. Has been captain most of this season.
Brad Smith: Didn’t lock down a spot at Bournemouth but enjoyed a very productive loan spell with Seattle Sounders in MLS. Has just joined Cardiff on loan in January.
Christian Benteke: Has scored one Premier League goal in the last 22 months and four in the last three seasons. Still at Palace, now 29. Usually picked as impact sub ahead of Divock Origi for Belgium.
Luis Alberto: Certainly in the top two or three success stories since leaving the Reds. Alberto is a key player for Lazio who are challenging for the Serie A title. Plays as an offensive-minded No. 8 in a 3-5-2, is a creative force and proved himself a capable goalscorer when used as the support option behind a lone striker. Made his Spain debut in 2017. Many felt he should have had more chances while at Anfield; is one of the few who have since gone on to prove that was precisely right.
Mario Balotelli: Had a good couple of years in France, with Nice and Marseille. Moved to Brescia last summer and is now up for sale. Has never been able to harness consistency in his game or reach the levels some predicted for him.
2017
Tiago Ilori: Had a couple of years as a starter at Reading, then joined Sporting CP in 2019 where he’s usually sub. Now 26.
Jack Dunn: Never actually played for the Reds. Now 25 and plays for local side Warrington Town.
Alex Manninger: Signed as goalkeeping cover and retired at the end of his season with the Reds. Offered a coaching role but decided to end his time in football.
Andre Wisdom: Has been at Derby County since leaving the Reds. Only a semi-regular, switching between right-back and centre-back.
Lucas Leiva: Another key man for Lazio since he’s switch. Plays at the base of midfield behind Luis Alberto and is another guaranteed starter. Liverpool fans regularly hijack Lazio social media polls to ensure he wins!
Ryan Fulton: Never played for the Reds. Is now at Hamilton in Scotland where he was sub keeper last term, but has been sidelined this year with a knee injury.
Kevin Stewart: Is more noted for going the other way when the Reds made the Andy Robertson signing than for anything he did for Liverpool. Still at Hull, has been a regular but currently sidelined with a broken foot.
Mamadou Sakho: Still at Palace with Benteke and hasn’t recaptured his best old form after leaving the Reds. Was last year revealed to be suing the World Anti-Doping Agency for tarnishing his career after a ban saw him miss the Europa League final and be subsequently sold—despite not taking any substance which was on their banned list.
2018
Philippe Coutinho: The highest-profile departure has not been a success. Coutinho left for his dream move to Barcelona for up to £145m, but has been on loan this term at Bayern Munich and, despite performing well at times, there are suggestions they don’t want him permanently. Now 27 he should be in his prime, but instead faces uncertainty and a fight to regain his elite-level form. Can’t be blamed for taking the plunge with the move he wanted, but it certainly hasn’t gone to plan.
Cameron Brannagan: Initially seen as having a good chance of making the grade, but didn’t kick on enough. Now 23, he’s a key player for Oxford in League One.
Emre Can: Like Coutinho, fancied a move away. Like Coutinho, it hasn’t quite worked out. Moved to Juventus on a free and was good last season, if in and out of the team, but this year wasn’t in the manager’s plans and was left out of the Champions League squad. Got himself a move to Borussia Dortmund on deadline day in January and there’s little doubt he’ll be a massive success there. Tipped to play as one of three centre-backs for BVB and is still involved with the Germany national team.
Danny Ward: Has been Leicester‘s sub keeper since leaving the Reds. Only plays in the cups.
Ragnar Klavan: The 34-year-old is still doing his thing in Serie A with Cagliari. A regular at centre-back in a very aggressive and fun-to-watch team.
2019
Rafa Camacho: Took his time to get going with Sporting CP, but has recently earned a place in the team and started to shine. Still only 19.
Dominic Solanke: A regular up front for Bournemouth, but he’s a striker who doesn’t score goals. Hasn’t notched in the league for the Cherries since joining and has one in 25 this term in all competitions.
Lazar Markovic: Returned to former club Partizan Belgrade in the summer and did start well, but has been out injured for months.
Daniel Sturridge: Signed for Turkish side Trabzonspor in the summer. Has seven goals in 15 games in all competitions, though has missed a few through injury too. Was linked with Aston Villa in January but remains in the Super Lig.
Alberto Moreno: Injuries have hampered Moreno since joining Villarreal and he has only played seven games, but he should be a regular once fully fit.
Adam Bogdan: Joined Hibs in November and will be there until the end of the season. Hasn’t played yet.
Connor Randall: Made the move to Bulgaria with Arka Kardzhali in the summer and has mostly been a starter in defence.
Danny Ings: Southampton made his loan deal permanent in summer and he has thrived this term, scoring 16. Played recently at Anfield and got a tremendous reception from fans and former team-mates alike.
Simon Mignolet: First-team action is what he wanted and that’s what he’s got at Club Brugge. Didn’t miss a minute in the Champions League or Jupiler League so far.
Ryan Kent: Hasn’t made as big an impact with Rangers as he did last year on loan, but is a regular starter.
Bobby Duncan: Moved to Fiorentina, hasn’t been anywhere near their first team. A loan to Sunderland fell through in January. Perhaps he watched his former U18/U23 team-mates play at Anfield on Tuesday night.
Allan Rodrigues de Souza: Never played for the Reds due to work permit issues and completed a move to Atletico Mineiro last month. Highly regarded in Brazil.
2020?
Nathaniel Clyne: Heads the list of likely departures this summer. Is out of contract and has been injured all year.
Adam Lallana: Another who is out of contract and might want to move on in search of more regular action. Plays a decent role in the squad but nowhere near a starter.
Xherdan Shaqiri: Like Lallana, might want more game time. Has been significantly hampered by injuries this season but has bags of talent. Reds will get £20-30m for him if he leaves.
Gini Wijnaldum: Only on the list due to having a year left on his contract. Might renew, might depart. Formidable player and a key member of Jurgen Klopp‘s squad—one of the few who, like Can, Coutinho and Ings before him, he won’t actively want to lose but knows he can replace if necessary.
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