Klopp's Blind Spot: Why Liverpool Almost Missed Out on Salah
Remember that summer of 2017? Liverpool was chasing targets, trying to build a squad that could finally challenge for the Premier League. The name on everyone’s lips, or at least Jurgen Klopp’s, wasn't Mohamed Salah. According to Gab Marcotti, Klopp had his heart set on Julian Brandt, then tearing it up for Bayer Leverkusen. Brandt was a good player, no doubt, but looking back, it's wild to think Salah almost didn't land at Anfield.
Thing is, Klopp valued a certain type of winger, one who tracked back relentlessly, fit his "heavy metal" pressing system. Brandt, with his work rate and technical skill, seemed like a perfect fit in Klopp's mind. Salah, fresh off a fantastic season at Roma where he bagged 19 goals and 15 assists across all competitions, was seen by some as more of a pure goalscorer, maybe not the defensive workhorse Klopp craved. But then, Michael Edwards and his scouting team started doing their thing. They crunched numbers, watched hours of tape, and kept coming back to one conclusion: Salah was the guy.
The Data Don't Lie
Edwards' analytics department was relentless. They presented Klopp with a mountain of evidence. Salah's underlying numbers at Roma were off the charts, not just his goals, but his expected goals (xG), his touches in the box, his ability to create chances. This wasn't just a flash in the pan; it was consistent, high-level production. They showed how Salah consistently beat defenders, how his movement off the ball was elite, and how his finishing was clinical. Real talk, the scouts essentially told Klopp, "You're wrong, boss. This guy is a superstar." It's not often a manager of Klopp's stature gets overruled, but the data was just too compelling. Liverpool shelled out around £34 million for Salah, a fee that, even then, felt like a steal.
And then Salah arrived. He didn't just meet expectations; he shattered them. His debut season in 2017-18 was historic. He scored 32 Premier League goals in 36 appearances, breaking the record for a 38-game season. He added 11 more in the Champions League, leading Liverpool to the final against Real Madrid. That year, he won the PFA Player of the Year, the FWA Footballer of the Year, and the Premier League Golden Boot. Brandt, meanwhile, stayed at Leverkusen until 2019 before moving to Borussia Dortmund, never quite reaching the stratospheric heights Salah did. No disrespect to Brandt, who's a fine player, but Salah was on another planet.
A Lesson in Trusting the Process
This whole saga really highlights the importance of a strong, independent scouting and analytics department. Klopp is a generational manager, absolutely. He built Liverpool into a European and Premier League champion. But even the best have blind spots. His initial preference for Brandt over Salah wasn't a bad judgment call on Brandt's ability; it was a misjudgment on Salah's fit and potential. The club's structure, with Edwards and his team having significant sway, allowed for a different perspective to ultimately prevail. Imagine a world where Klopp got his way. No "Egyptian King." No 2019 Champions League title. No 2020 Premier League title. It's a scary thought for Liverpool fans.
Look, this wasn't the first time an analytics department has pushed for a player over a manager's initial preference, and it won't be the last. But it's a prime example of how modern football clubs need to operate. You need a vision from the top, absolutely, but you also need departments with the expertise and the data to challenge that vision. My hot take? Clubs that don't empower their data and scouting teams to genuinely influence transfer decisions are already falling behind. They're just leaving too much to gut feeling in a game that's increasingly about marginal gains.
Salah will go down as one of Liverpool's greatest ever players, a genuine legend. And it's all thanks to a persistent scouting team and a manager humble enough to change his mind. I predict we'll see more instances like this where data-driven insights override a manager's initial preference, leading to even greater transfer market efficiency across the top leagues.