Liverpool made only £40m in deadline day transfer after six Jurgen Klopp players offloaded

Liverpool haven’t looked back under Arne Slot since the departure of Jurgen Klopp, and while the German left in 2024, the writing was on the wall a year prior during the summer transfer window

Liverpool offloaded six players key to Jurgen Klopp’s tenure in 2023, including a £40million deadline day departure. The exits signalled an impending end to the German’s reign, and he handed the keys over the following year.

The Reds have not looked back since Klopp left Merseyside to be replaced by Arne Slot, who won the Premier League title in his very first season. Admitting he didn’t want to manage Liverpool on “three wheels,” iconic boss Klopp announced he would wave Anfield goodbye in January 2024, and did so at the end of the 2023/24 campaign.

Yet, some market movement the previous summer made it clear that a fresh era was setting in. Players key to Klopp’s successes, such as Jordan Henderson and Fabinho, were sold, with many leaving for free to usher in a new generation under the German’s successor.

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The summer of 2023 saw change galore on Merseyside, with the club’s midfield overhauled and plenty of money spent. Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai, whose brilliant free kick won the Reds their Sunday evening clash against Arsenal, arrived for £35m and £61m respectively.

Wataru Endo and Ryan Gravenberch also completed summer transfers, though it was those who were shown the exit door who signalled new beginnings. Long before the summer deadline, four once integral first-team players opted to leave the club upon the expiry of their contracts.

Roberto Firmino was one of these four, and he joined Saudi Pro League side Al-Ahli that June. The Brazilian now plays for Qatari side Al Sadd. James Milner, who played a valuable squad role under Klopp, also let his deal run down and left in June for Brighton, where he remains. He netted his first Seagulls goal on Sunday against Manchester City.

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain left for free, joining Turkish side Besiktas, and is now a free agent. Midfielder Naby Keita, plagued by injury at Liverpool, was the final star to see his deal expire, and he signed for Werder Bremen as a free agent. He now plays for Hungarian side Ferencvaros.

One month later, former Reds captain Henderson also called time on his Liverpool career, further beckoning the arrival of a new generation. The Englishman controversially joined Saudi Pro League side Al-Ettifaq for a reported £12m.

When deadline day approached, one more exit was on the agenda. Brazilian holding player Fabinho also jumped ship for Saudi Arabia, signing for Al Ittihad in a deal worth £40m.

All in all, six pivotal servants to Klopp departed for a grand total of £52m, just £40m of that recuperated on deadline day. The subsequent incomings helped pave the path for a new manager to fill the void Klopp left.

All of Mac Allister, Szoboszlai and Gravenberch have proven endlessly valuable to Slot, with his Liverpool reign still in its infancy. The Dutchman, in particular, was a player revolutionised under Slot last year, dropping much deeper and acting as a playmaking No. 6.

“I immediately liked it because he was so comfortable on the ball,” Slot stated when asked about Klopp’s signing, Gravenberch. “I immediately felt that would be a good asset to have. Then we had to find out during the first games in the season if he was defensively strong enough.

“But he definitely was and I think now is one of the players with the most interceptions and all these kinds of things. That’s also a team dynamic, because if the front three don’t work enough, it’s hard for a six to win the ball back. But he has all the ingredients to play in that position really well.”

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