Jamie Carragher claims Jurgen Klopp didn't want to sign Mohamed Salah for Liverpool | OneFootball

Former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher has name-dropped Borussia Dortmund ace Julian Brandt as the player that Jürgen Klopp preferred – and wanted to sign - over the ever-brilliant Mohamed Salah. In the summer of 2017, the Egyptian returned to the Premier League after a failed stint with Chelsea as the Reds parted ways with, in hindsight, a measly fee of £34.3 million to secure the forward’s signature.

Many eyebrows were raised given he only managed to notch two goals and a further four assists in 19 games for the west Londoners – but, since adorning the red of Liverpool, he has been an unstoppable force. This season alone, the 31-year-old has registered 27 goal involvements (18G, 9A) in as many games, all while spearheading his side to the top of the table.

But Salah strutting his stuff for Liverpool may have never come to fruition if the entirety of their transfer business was down to the German tactician, Klopp. Given that Salah is now a genuine candidate for the Ballon d’Or 2024, Klopp will certainly be thanking his lucky stars that the higher-ups took control.

Carragher insists Brandt was Klopp’s preference

Carragher: ‘He didn’t want to sign Mo Salah’

Speaking on The Overlap alongside host Gary Neville, Ian Wright, Roy Keane and Jill Scott, Carragher revealed that Liverpool signing Salah was not Klopp’s prerogative. Instead, it was signing Brandt at the top of his to-do list, as the now-pundit insisted that the Liverpool hierarchy, thanks to their previous interest, took over the reins and ensured Salah moved to Anfield.

On the notion that every manager should just buy every player they like the look of, Carragher believes this should never be the case and used this instance between Salah and Brandt as a prime example, highlighting what Salah has done for the club since the switch nigh seven years ago is irreplaceable.

Carragher also pushed the idea that managers, at whatever level, should have some sort of say in their respective club's transfer business, especially as it is those who work alongside them on a day-to-day basis. Referencing when people play up to the noise and claim they didn’t sign a player, Carragher – a defender who played 737 times in Liverpool colours – believes that all managers should be consulted over incomings, so it doesn’t leave them perplexed, even perhaps jovially, when someone turns up ‘with their boots at 9:00’.

Brandt’s career since Salah switch

German moved to Borussia Dortmund

Imagine how different things could’ve been. Salah has played a more than vital role in Liverpool’s Champions League and Premier League triumph, all while remaining their standout performer in times when things aren’t exactly going their way. When Liverpool finished fifth in the Premier League in 22/23, the 94-cap Egypt international still recorded 19 goals and 12 assists, domestically. Becoming the fifth-fastest player to reach 150 Premier League goals, he is certainly a true Merseyside legend.

But what about Brandt? Since Klopp had the opportunity to sign him, the Bremen-born star has moved to Borussia Dortmund, a side that the Reds boss used to manage. He has gone on to plunder 193 games, 37 goals and 42 assists in his 193-game Signal Iduna Park career. He has become a German Super Cup and German Cup winner but, despite the star-studded nature of his Dortmund side, Bundesliga glory has continued to evade him year upon year.

Brandt’s move to Liverpool falling through alongside the club’s persistence to sign Salah may have been the best blessing in disguise given how well the latter has continued to perform on a season-by-season basis at Anfield. Even if there are, as shown above, aspects of the game that Brandt is superior in this campaign, the thought of not having Salah operating on Liverpool's right flank is one that their fans do not want to fathom.