Liverpool star trio Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane and Virgil van Dijk fall behind 31-year-old star as Reds’ statistically best player under Klopp
Liverpool's star trio Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane and Virgil van Dijk are behind 31-year-old Brazilian star Philippe Coutinho as statistically the best player during Jurgen Klopp's managerial tenure at Anfield, according to data from WhoScored.
Klopp's decision to step down from his managerial role at Liverpool sent shockwaves across the footballing world and threw the Reds' future plans into disarray. They are now on the lookout for a new world-class manager to help them achieve similar heights as Klopp did during his term.
During his time at Anfield, the German managed players of the highest calibre across the pitch. However, Coutinho is the player with the highest WhoScored match rating, with a 7.63/10 average. He beat out Salah (7.41), Mane (7.38) and Van Dijk (7.23) to the top spot.
Despite having this unique distinction, Coutinho was not part of the Champions League and Premier League-winning Liverpool squads. He even lost both the League Cup and Europa League finals with the Reds in the 2015/16 season. He could never help them make a push for any more trophies, ending his storied career at Anfield without a title.
He scored 54 goals and assisted 45 times in 201 games for the Reds before making a €135 million move to Barcelona in 2018. He did end up winning the Champions League during a loan move to Bayern Munich in 2020, but never quite reached the levels he was destined for due to the recurring injuries that plagued his time at the Camp Nou.
Liverpool could make a late transfer decision on youngster that has impressed Jurgen Klopp
Liverpool could be weighing up a late loan move for young midfielder Bobby Clark before the transfer deadline amidst interest from a Championship side and multiple League One outfits, reports Liverpool Echo.
The 18-year-old has made three appearances for the Reds this season, but could be sent out to a Football League side to gain more first-team gametime. However, there has been no concrete offers from those sides to the Liverpool management for the player's services.
Clark, who moved to Anfield from his boyhood side Newcastle United in 2021, recently signed a new long-term contract at the club, and was singled out for particular praise after the win against Norwich.
Talking about Clark, Klopp said:
"There is a lot to come still. Bobby Clark didn't come on [today] but I think he did particularly well in the last few games."
Both Dominik Szoboszlai and Trent Alexander-Arnold made their return from injury in the 5-2 win against Norwich City in the FA Cup. This means that Clark could find his minutes extremely limited should he continue his stay at Anfield till the end of the season, and a loan could be the best move for his fledgling career at the moment.