Liverpool insiders concede Mane sale was a mistake
FT Desk
- 9 Sept 2022 22:26 BST
- 3 min read
Liverpool have got off to their worst ever Premier League start under Jurgen Klopp, while Sadio Mane was allowed to leave for Bayern Munich in the summer.
Admittedly, Mane wanted a new challenge in his career after six glittering seasons at Anfield during which he won the Champions League and the Premier League, but he was still Liverpool's player to lose.
The Reds were obsessed with tying Mo Salah down to a new contract this summer, but his £350,000/€404,000 a week basic deal put him on twice the money Mane was earning for largely the same job.
60-70% of Senegal want Sadio Mané to leave Liverpool.
He plans to do what they want 👋 pic.twitter.com/kIQBx8syyr— Football Transfers (@Transfersdotcom) June 4, 2022
Since the African wingers have parted, Mane has scored five goals in eight games in all competitions for Bayern, while Salah has only mustered three in eight for Liverpool.
Miguel Delaney, writing in his Reading the Game column in the Independent, highlighted the Reds early pre-season and hectic schedule, before elaborating on a more specific issue.
"Beyond that, though, many see a quite basic problem," he explained. "Sadio Mane had become a genuinely world-class player and they haven't yet replaced him. It is said to have been something that people within the club are gradually realising.
"Darwin Nunez is good, but…'
"They don't have that outlet, that impact. Darwin Nunez is good, but he's still potential, and requires adaptation. It is far from the only problem, of course, but it is one that ripples out."
Mane was an attacking asset for Liverpool but also a diligent worker, and the Reds' running stats since he left enforce the notion that his absence is being keenly felt.
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"#lfc have been out run in every single match this season," professional data analyst Dan Kennett posted on Twitter after Liverpool's goalless draw with Merseyside rivals Everton last Saturday. "Minimum 1.7k fewer than opponent, max 7k, average 3.4k per match."
Klopp's style has come to be known as "heavy metal football," but without Mane Liverpool's band are falling apart.
