Remembering Klopp’s first-ever signing & how Thiago arrival ruined his great Liverpool chance | OneFootball

With a midfield now boasting the likes of Alexis Mac Allister, Dominik Szoboszlai and a reformed Ryan Gravenberch, Liverpool fans could be forgiven for saying, ‘who?’, when re-encountering Marko Grujic.

The Serbian, who signed for the Reds back in 2016 (and was Jurgen Klopp’s first signing), rarely caught daylight in the famous red shirt at Anfield. The now 28-year-old registered only 16 appearances (and two goal contributions) in total before his £10.5m to FC Porto came to fruition.

Speaking to Kurir Sport back in 2021, the ex-Red Star Belgrade man recounted his experience in pre-season and Thiago Alcantara’s impact on his L4 future:

“Of course. I believe that they believe in me. In every conversation, whether it’s Klopp or one of the directors, they always remind me that I am a player of great potential. But when I get into the system I don’t get a chance. It confuses me a little,” the footballer said.

“I went through [pre-season] preparations with the club [Liverpool]. After two years in the Bundesliga, I returned more mature to England. That’s what they told me in Liverpool.

“But when Thiago Alcantara came from Bayern, I estimated that there would not be much space for me. I didn’t want to gamble. I see now that there are a lot of injured players at Anfield. It is certain that I would get a chance, but I could not have foreseen that.”

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The Merseysiders went on to endure a seriously injury-hit season that also saw our centre-back options decimated. A 1-0 defeat to Burnley in January was the spark for a disastrous run of form at home that came close to nudging Jurgen Klopp’s men out of the top four spots.

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A Liverpool opportunity denied?

Thiago Alcantara brought a great level of class to the squad but was hindered by injuries – (Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)

It’s difficult to predict what might have been for Grujic had he opted to roll the dice and back himself in a Liverpool shirt.

An injury crisis might have been averted. We might have gone on to retain the title even despite the presence of Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City.

We can certainly understand why our former midfielder opted to go where the minutes were more readily available in the interest of his career. And that’s particularly after we landed a player of Thiago Alcantara’s immeasurable quality.

Equally, of course, it’s not entirely beyond the realms to suggest things might have taken a turn for the better as far as his time at Liverpool was concerned had he stayed put on Merseyside.

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