Liverpool paid the price for £25m transfer rule break with Jurgen Klopp admitting 'pain'

Jurgen Klopp broke a golden transfer rule by signing Thiago Alcantara for Liverpool. The Spanish midfielder enjoyed an illustrious, trophy-laden career with Barcelona and Bayern Munich before arriving at Anfield in 2020 in a £25million move at the age of 29.

However, Liverpool took a huge gamble on signing the seasoned veteran, given he was entering the twilight years of his career and held very little resale value as a result. It also went against Liverpool's traditional recruitment drive of only bringing in fresh faces under the age of 25 years old, according to one insider.

Back in 2022, a source told the Liverpool Echo of Thiago's move: "When a player is younger, there is a chance [to improve] but when a player is older, there are fewer chances.

READ MORE: Sky dishes out quicker broadband speeds - is it worth the price?

READ MORE: Drivers can make their car use 'zero fuel' - without switching to an EV

"The older players we've seen [who have been bought] are top players like Thiago, he was the best European midfielder at Bayern and we signed him for a decent fee. But usually we don't sign players older than 24 or 25."

While Thiago displayed flashes of brilliance during his time at Anfield, scoring three goals and providing six assists in 98 outings, many football fans will ponder whether the juice was worth the squeeze. That is considering that he spent large parts of his tenure with the Reds sidelined through injury, including missing all but one game of the 2023/24 Premier League campaign due to persistent hip and muscular problems.

Injury is something that caused then-manager Klopp to fret due to his adoration and respect of the star, later saying in 2024: "I know injuries have been a frustration for him and also for us. But the level that he was able to play at when he was available was incredible.

"This is what I will remember. Now he will go in a new direction with his family and we can only wish them well. Wherever he plays next I would be happy to watch. An artist of the game who will only ever paint the most beautiful pictures."

Despite offers from Saudi Arabia as time on his Liverpool contract ticked down, Thiago ultimately decided to step away from the beautiful game for good at the age of 33, content with his remarkable list of achievements for club and country.

Klopp also parted ways with the Reds at the end of the 2023/24 season, calling time on his nine-year tenure at Anfield, with a Premier League title and a Champions League trophy among the seven pieces of silverware he won in all.

He was swiftly replaced by Arne Slot, who was able to engineer a Premier League title-winning campaign despite recruiting just Federico Chiesa during last summer's window, and largely sticking with the talented squad inherited from Klopp.

However, Slot has been eager to make the side more of his own this summer. After renewing deals with Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk, but failing to retain Trent Alexander-Arnold who left for Real Madrid, Slot wasted no time in securing Jeremie Frimpong from Bayer Leverkusen by activating the star's £29.5m release clause.

Soon after, he smashed Liverpool's club-record transfer fee by signing attacking-midfielder Florian Wirtz from Leverkusen in a £116m deal, before adding Milos Kerkez to the ranks of Anfield in a £40m move from Bournemouth. With Frimpong arriving at the age of 24, Wirtz being 22 and Kerkez just 21, it's clear that Slot has reverted back to securing proven players who still have their best years ahead of them.

Should any of his new acquisitions fail to find their footing at Liverpool in the coming years for one reason or another, they are expected to hold their resale value given their young ages.

Slot will hope to hit the ground running in pre-season, with Liverpool now on their pre-season tour of Hong Kong and Japan, facing AC Milan today (Saturday, 12.30pm UK time) and then Yokohama FM before returning to Anfield to face Athletic Club ahead of the new campaign.

The Reds face Crystal Palace in the Community Shield come August 10, before turning their attention to Bournemouth for their first game of the Premier League season five days later.

Join our new WhatsApp communityand receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.