8 October will always be a special date in Liverpool history. That is because, this marks the 11 year anniversary of Jürgen Klopp first being unveiled as manager, one of the biggest days in the club's 134 year history.
In that first season, the German led the Reds to the League Cup and Europa League Finals, departing almost a decade later having won eight major trophies.
Thus we are looking back to Klopp's early years on Merseyside, specifically the first ten signings he made, and wondering where those players are now.
1) Marko Grujić - January 2016
When Liverpool signed Marko Grujić from Crvena zvezda for around £5 million in January 2016, he was being touted as one of the best young players around. However, he did not live up to the hype, appearing just 16 times during four years at Anfield, of which only five were starts. Still only 30 years old, he joined Bulgarian champions PFC Levski Sofia in the summer.
2) Steven Caulker - January 2016
Also in Klopp's first window, the Reds recruited Steven Caulker on loan from Queens Park Rangers. He made only four appearances for the club, thrown on as an emergency centre-forward against both Arsenal and Norwich. Now 34, following spells with Málaga City, Ankara Keçiörengücü and Stjarnan, Caulker retired last year, currently the assistant manager of Konyaspor.
3) Joël Matip - Summer 2016
Moving into Klopp's first summer window, Joël Matip on a free transfer from Schalke is one of Liverpool's best ever signings. The Cameroonian centre-back made over 200 appearances for the Reds, leaving in the summer of 2024. Three months later, having failed to find a new club, Matip retired at the age of just 33.
4) Loris Karius - Summer 2016
Loris Karius had a generally solid Liverpool career, albeit is only remembered for that night in Kyiv, never representing the club again after that. After bouncing around Beşiktaş, Union Berlin and Newcastle, Karius has rebuilt his career at Schalke. He was a key figure as they gained promotion last season, and is die Königsblauen's first-choice in the Bundesliga right now.
5) Sadio Mané - Summer 2016
When building a greatest Liverpool lineup of all-time, Sadio Mané more than deserves a spot in that conversation. He scored 120 goals in 269 appearances for the club, before being sold to Bayern Munich for £35 million. After being a total bust in Bavaria, he joined Al-Nassr a year later. Still only 34 years old, he is a regular for Ange Postecoglou's team, starting on the left of attack, alongside Cristiano Ronaldo and João Félix.
6) Ragnar Klavan - Summer 2016
When Ragnar Klavan arrived from Klopp's former side Augsburg, Liverpool fans hoped they'd found a bargain. Instead, it turned out that the Estonian was not up to the standard required. The centre-back finished his career in his homeland with Paide Linnameeskond and then Tallinna Kalev, before retiring at the age of 38 in 2024.
7) Alex Manninger - Summer 2016
Tragically, Alex Manninger was in the news in April after he died when his car was struck by train at a level crossing near Salzburg. He spent the final season of his career at Anfield, not making a single appearance for the club, but his passing at the age of just 48 was very sad news for the Liverpool family.
8) Georginio Wijnaldum - Summer 2016
One of the most under-appreciated key figures in Klopp's success remains Georginio Wijnaldum. Following Newcastle's relegation, the Dutchman arrived for a cut-price £23 million, going on to make 237 appearances in red.
Since those five years on Merseyside, his career has really gone off the rails. After turning down Barcelona, Wijnaldum's move to PSG was a total disaster. He ended up at Al-Ettifaq in Saudi Arabia, signed by Steven Gerrard, before, now 35 years old, moving to Al-Ittihad last month.
9) Mohamed Salah - Summer 2017
As we enter the summer of 2017, worth noting that neither Andy Robertson nor Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain quite make the top ten cut, arriving later in the window. Instead, we have the chance to talk about Liverpool's greatest player of modern times Mohamed Salah, who scored just the 257 goals in 442 appearances for the Reds, before emotionally departing in the summer.
He then made the shock move to Trabzonspor, scoring seven goals in his first Turkish Süper Lig games, including a hat-trick as they demolished champions Galatasaray 4-0 at Şenol Güneş Spor Kompleksi. At 34 years old, the Egyptian King has still got it.
10) Dominic Solanke - Summer 2017
Lastly, Dominic Solanke has had a weird career hasn't he? It was viewed as a serious coup when, as a teenager, he swapped Chelsea for Liverpool. However, he scored just one goal for the Reds, and fans could not believe it when Bournemouth paid £19 million to snap him up. However, the Cherries would then sell him to Spurs for £65 million five and a half years later, where he is now, the starting number nine for the Premier League's bottom side.
By the time Klopp handed over the reins in May 2024, he had restored Liverpool to the absolute summit of global football laying the foundation for Arne Slot and now Andoni Iraola to build upon in the current campaign.
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