Liverpool have enjoyed their best era since the 1980s under Jurgen Klopp, with the German leading them to a sixth European title and a historic first Premier League crown as the Anfield faithful managed to put years of misery behind them.
The 55-year-old has enjoyed some of his greatest success in the transfer market, signing players who were perhaps underappreciated at previous clubs before starring for the Reds, with Mohamed Salah being a prime example.
He isn’t without his faults however, with signings such as Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Takumi Minamino proving to be disappointments during their stint at the club.
Yet, it was the £52.75m move for Naby Keita back in 2018 which has been the most underwhelming for Klopp during his seven-year tenure.
How much is Naby Keita worth now?
Liverpool agreed on a club record (at the time) fee of £48m in 2017 for the midfielder, who was set to join the following year. The Anfield side had to pay extra due to RB Leipzig’s final Bundesliga position, with the final total being the aforementioned £52.75m.
Having registered 11 goal contributions – six goals and five assists – while averaging 1.4 key passes and 2.4 tackles per game during his final season for Leipzig, this form clearly impressed Klopp who was looking to sign a midfielder who could add an attacking threat while also be solid defensively.
His first season at Liverpool saw the Guinean score just three times in all competitions in what was a rather underwhelming campaign despite winning the Champions League.
Bouncing back in 2019/2020, the 28-year-old was an integral part of Liverpool’s title-winning side, registering five goal contributions while completing a staggering 88% of his attempted dribbles and winning 62% of his total duels as the Reds raced away with the title.
Since that campaign, he has played just 68 matches in all competitions due to a variety of injury problems that have seen him miss 53 games. This season alone he has featured just 12 times, getting only 441 minutes on the pitch and Klopp will have a big decision to make come the end of the season considering his contract is due to expire.
His Sofascore rating of 6.52/10 in the league this term ranks him as the third-worst player in the squad and when he has made the pitch, his performances have lacked any sort of urgency or significance, winning only 37% of his duels and losing possession 7.3 times per match.
GIVEMESPORT journalist Louis Dangoor even dubbed him “woeful” at the end of last season and his recent displays have seen his value plummet.
FootballTransfers value the £120k-per-week midfielder at €7.6m (£6.7m) and this represents a massive 87% decrease on the fee Liverpool paid for him in 2018.
Despite some early promise, there is no doubt Klopp has endured a howler over Keita and with the player likely to leave for free in the summer, it is a rare blunder by the German mastermind.