Liverpool: Where are Jurgen Klopp's first ten signings now? | OneFootball

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One of the greatest managers in Liverpool history, Jurgen Klopp has enjoyed a remarkable career at Anfield since taking charge of the club back in October 2015. The German has spearheaded a revolution on the red half of Merseyside, turning them from pretenders to contenders, and lifting the Champions League and Premier League along the way.

His start to life at Liverpool didn't go as smoothly as it does now though, and it took several transfer windows for Klopp to really stamp his authority and mark on his team. Now, we're taking a look at the first ten signings that the current Reds boss made, and where they are now...

1 Marko Grujic

The first signing of the Jurgen Klopp era, Marko Grujic arrived as a highly-rated talent from Red Star Belgrade, with hopes of becoming the centre-piece of a new-look Liverpool midfield. Instead, he played less than 400 minutes of football across all competitions at Anfield, and would spend most of his contract at the club out on loan at the likes of Cardiff, Hertha Berlin and Porto.

It would be the Portuguese side who would then sign him on a permanent deal, clinching a £10.5m deal for the midfielder - just over double of what Liverpool had paid to bring him in the first place. The now 27-year-old still plays with Porto, and has amassed 23 senior caps with his country Serbia. Given that Klopp's side also negotiated a 10% sell-on clause in the deal to sell him, the Reds could still stand to make significant money if a team decides to lure him away from Portugal. Klopp's first signing may not have been a successful one on the pitch, but it certainly has ended up making money off it.

2 Steven Caulker

Arguably one of the strangest and perhaps most pointless signings in recent memory at Anfield, Steven Caulker's arrival probably still raises eyebrows amongst Liverpool fans. After having his loan to Southampton from QPR cancelled just so he could join the Reds until the end of the season back in the 2015/2016 campaign, Caulker made his debut in a thrilling 3-3 draw against Arsenal. But, the former England international didn't come on as a substitute as a natural centre-back, instead being sent on as an auxiliary striker.

In fact, in the next couple of matches after that, Caulker would be brought on by Klopp as an emergency striker against Manchester United and Norwich respectively, and while he didn't score, he did play a part in Adam Lallana's 95th minute winner in the latter. Caulker would make just four total appearances in a Liverpool shirt, and would go on to enjoy a journeyman career, playing in Scotland and Turkey for a number of different clubs. The now 31-year-old is a free agent after leaving his latest club, Wigan, and also now represents Sierra Leone at international level, where he has earned 13 caps.

3 Kamil Grabara

The second permanent signing that Klopp made at Anfield, Kamil Grabara was yet another exciting youth prospect who the Liverpool boss snapped up early on in his reign at the club. The goalkeeper came through the youth ranks at Ruch Chorzow back in his native Poland, and would join Liverpool in 2016 amid reported rival interest from the likes of Manchester City and Manchester United.

Grabara would only be promoted to the senior team at Anfield ahead of the 2018/2019 campaign however, and while he did make that step-up, he would instead spend the next three years out on loan at AGF in Denmark, then Huddersfield Town in the Championship, and then back to AGF. The Poland international would leave Liverpool on a permanent basis in 2021 to join Copenhagen, and his impressive performances there saw him awarded the Goalkeeper of the Year award in December 2022 by a local sports magazine. Grabara has since however made another move, signing for Bundesliga side VfL Wolfsburg this past summer on a long-term contract, and will officially join the Bundesliga club in the summer of 2024 .

4 Loris Karius

The one signing that Liverpool fans probably wish Klopp never made, Loris Karius is remembered at Anfield for all the wrong reasons, unfortunately. Again arriving as another well-regarded prospect, the German goalkeeper endured a miserable few seasons on Merseyside, capped off with some high-profile mistakes in high-profile games. Karius' most notable gaffes of course came in the Champions League final against Real Madrid, when first he let Karim Benzema score a bizarre goal, and then letting in a speculative effort from Gareth Bale.

The shot-stopper wouldn't play again for Liverpool rather unsurprisingly, and after a couple of loan spells at Besiktas and Union Berlin, made the permanent move to fellow Premier League side Newcastle. Lo and behold, despite not making a single appearance for the Magpies previously, Karius was forced into action for the Carabao Cup final against Manchester United earlier this year after first-choice goalkeeper Nick Pope was sent off a week prior in a clash against you guessed it, Liverpool.

5 Sadio Mane

The first Klopp signing to truly make an impact at Anfield, Sadio Mane would become a Liverpool icon in his glittering spell at the club. The Senegal international arrived from Southampton after impressing on the south coast, and would go on to develop as a genuine world-class superstar in his time on Merseyside. His pace, directness and goal-scoring instinct marked him out as one of the Premier League's best wide forwards, and he often came up with big goals in big games.

Mane would finally leave Liverpool in the summer of 2022 after winning both the FA Cup and Carabao Cup, joining Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich. However, a rocky spell in Germany that saw him pick up injuries and pick fights with teammates - Leroy Sane in particular - Mane was let go by the Bavarian club earlier this summer, moving sticks to Saudi Arabia to join forces with Cristiano Ronaldo at Al Nassr.

6 Joel Matip

One of the shrewdest signings of the Klopp era, Joel Matip arrived on a free transfer after leaving Schalke in the summer of 2016. The centre-back has since been a long-term and reliable servant at Anfield, often partnering Virgil van Dijk when fit. Ibrahima Konate's arrival has had an impact on his game-time at the club, but Matip is certainly someone who Klopp trusts and is a go-to man on big occasions.

In fact, after winning the Premier League's Player of the Month award back in February 2022, Klopp admitted that his centre-back was widely underrated, but that the former Cameroon international was so unassuming he probably wouldn't care anyway.

7 Ragnar Klavan

Another one of the unremarkable signings from Klopp's early transfer windows at the club, Ragnar Klavan certainly didn't embarrass himself while in a Liverpool shirt, but it didn't help his cause that Virgil van Dijk was later signed in January 2018 and the Reds would go on to become the force that they are. The Estonia international did have some memorable moments though, not least earning the Man of the Match award in a 1-0 win over Everton in the Merseyside derby at Goodison Park in December 2016.

In fact, just a couple of weeks after that fine performance, Klavan would claim the honour of becoming the first Estonian player to score in the Premier League, when he netted a dramatic late winner in injury-time against Burnley. The centre-back would finally leave Liverpool in the summer of 2018, joining Cagliari, before making the move back to Estonia in 2021 after 17 years away. First, he would play for Paide Linnameeskond, before this summer completing a switch to Tallinna Kalev.

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Hands up if you remembered Alex Manninger played for Liverpool? Or rather signed for them. Yes, the former Austria international who had previously played for Arsenal in the 1990s, and then Juventus in the 2010s, made the shock move to Anfield when he penned a short-term contract with the club back in July 2016. Manninger had initially been training on Merseyside to keep up his fitness after leaving German side Augsburg, before Klopp made the decision to keep him on in an official playing capacity.

The goalkeeper himself would later admit at his own surprise at a move to Liverpool coming to fruition despite having turned 39 at the time. Manninger would not make a single appearance over the course of the one season he played for the club though, and in May 2017, would duly announce his retirement from the game.

9 Georginio Wijnaldum

Now back to another major success story at Anfield, Georginio Wijnaldum represented a smart signing from Liverpool after the Reds picked him up from a relegated Newcastle. The Dutchman almost single-handedly dragged the Magpies away from the drop, but after failing to do so, still earned himself a move to Merseyside, where he became a regular and lynch-pin in the middle of the park. Part of that dominant midfield trio that included both Fabinho and Jordan Henderson too, Wijnaldum was the man for the big occasion.

His goals and role in the comeback triumph over Barcelona at Anfield will live long in the memory, with Wijnaldum becoming the first Liverpool player since Ryan Babel to score twice after coming off the bench in a Champions League game. The Netherlands international would leave Anfield at the expiration of his contract in the summer of 2021 however, and after a title-winning stint with French giants PSG, would make a loan move to Serie A side Roma. Wijnaldum would play just the one season there, before permanently moving on to Saudi Arabia to join Al-Ettifaq.

10 Mohamed Salah

The tenth player Klopp signed, and undeniably one of the greatest in Liverpool history. To say Mohamed Salah hit the ground running at Anfield following his move from AS Roma would be a bit of an understatement, with the Egypt international quickly making mincemeat of the Premier League.

This summer did however see some very serious rumours linking with him a big-money move to Saudi Arabia, although Klopp's adamance that he would be staying put did in the end ring true. Whether Salah remains at Anfield in the long-term however, is certainly up for debate, and there may even be a potential exit on the cards come the end of this current season. Whatever the case with his future, the winger has already cemented his legacy as one of the best ever at Liverpool, and that is some going for someone who isn't anywhere near ten years at the club like some of the all-time greats.