Coutinho, Henderson and 3 Other Top Stars Who Struggled After Leaving Liverpool Under Klopp

Coutinho, Henderson and 3 Other Top Stars Who Struggled After Leaving Liverpool Under Klopp

Elijah Odetokun
updated at January 24, 2024 at 1:41 PM
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S. Mané
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  • Jurgen Klopp has made Liverpool one of the best teams in the world
  • The German manager was allowed time to build his team up and win
  • He has said goodbye to some top stars who have struggled elsewhere

Liverpool became a force to reckon with in recent years under Jurgen Klopp, who has been in charge of the Premier League club since he was appointed in October 2015.

The German manager was allowed time to build his squad, not winning any trophy in the first three years and has also overseen some high-profile departures from the club.

Philippe Coutinho, FC Barcelona, Camp Nou, Real Betis, La Liga.
Philippe Coutinho's career has taken a downward spiral after joining Barcelona in 2018. Photo by Eric Alonso.
Source: Getty Images

Sports Brief looks at the top five stars who left Merseyside and struggled elsewhere.

Players who left Liverpool under Klopp

1. Phillipe Coutinho

Per Sky Sports, the Reds sold Coutinho to Barcelona for £146 million despite Klopp’s persuasive efforts to keep him in England. His time in Spain went sour. He had loan stints at Bayern Munich and Aston Villa, joining the latter permanently in 2022. He is currently on loan at Qatari club, Al-Duhail.

2. Sadio Mane

Mane spent six years at Liverpool and was part of the deadly trio alongside Mohamed Salah and Roberto Firmino. He left to join Bayern Munich in 2022, with the manager claiming they respected his wishes. He was in Germany for one year before he was sold to Saudi Pro League side, Al-Nassr.

3. Roberto Firmino

Another member of the trio who has not found his feet since leaving Anfield, the Brazilian ran down his contract and joined Al-Ahli in Saudi Arabia. He scored a hat-trick on his debut. However, he is currently on a 16-game drought and wants to leave the Middle East to return to Europe.

4. Jordan Henderson

The former Liverpool captain was ‘tempted’ by money and left the club to join Al-Ettifaq in Saudi Arabia, reuniting with Steven Gerrard as manager and Georgino Wijnaldum as teammate. Per SportBible, he took a 75% deal to join Ajax six months after leaving England.

5. Divock Origi

The Belgian forward may not be regarded as a legend at the club, but he played a vital role in the success achieved under Klopp, particularly the 2019 UEFA Champions League campaign, scoring a brace against Barcelona. He spent eight years in Liverpool before joining AC Milan in 2022. He's currently on loan at Nottingham Forest.

Henderson explains decision to join Ajax

Sports Brief also reported on Henderson explaining why he joined Ajax six months into his time at Al-Ettifaq after growing tired of playing in the Arabian country.

The England international and ex-Liverpool claimed his decision was for him and his family, and it was sad for him to leave the SPL club midway through the season.

Authors
Elijah Odetokun photo
Elijah Odetokun
Elijah Odetokun is Reuters-trained journalist with three years of experience having previously worked at Daily Times Nigeria, OmaSports and El Futbolero.
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Jürgen Klopp