Every single Liverpool supporter will forever be indebted to Jürgen Klopp for his efforts in transforming the club during his nine-year spell at the helm.
The German arrived back in October 2015, with the club in an awful position under former boss Brendan Rodgers, with the former Borussia Dortmund coach injecting new life into the squad.
His man management along with his dealings in the transfer market allowed for a huge transformation, taking the club to heights they hadn’t experienced in many years.
Klopp won a Champions League title, whilst also falling to two separate defeats against Real Madrid in the final. He also clinched the club’s first-ever Premier League title back in the 2019/20 campaign.
The 57-year-old managed to achieve all of the success without a club legend who departed Anfield just months before his appointment on Merseyside.
Steven Gerrard’s time at Liverpool
Midfielder Steven Gerrard broke through the Liverpool academy back in the 1998/99 season as a fresh-faced 18-year-old, with his achievements unimaginable at the time of his debut.
The box-to-box midfielder quickly captured the hearts of many on Merseyside with his talent and desire to succeed for his boyhood club shining through in his displays on the pitch.
He rapidly developed at Anfield, becoming the club’s captain in 2003 at just 23, making himself a regular in the first team.
Gerrard played an influential role in the club’s Champions League triumph back in 2005, coming back from 3-0 against AC Milan, to secure a victory on penalties thanks to the heroics of Jerzy Dudek.
Fast-forward to 2015, the then 35-year-old announced he would be leaving the club at the end of the season, after amassing 710 appearances for the Reds, achieving a tally of 186 goals and 155 assists.
The midfielder won 11 major titles during his time as a player for his boyhood club, arguably the best player of the club’s modern era, with his appearance tally making him the club’s third-highest appearance maker in their history.
His departure left a huge hole in the club’s midfield, but a couple of years after he moved on, they thought they had landed themselves a new version of the fan-favourite.
The player who could’ve been Liverpool’s new Gerrard
In the summer of 2017, Liverpool secured a £35m deal to sign midfielder Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain from Arsenal in an attempt to bolster the heart of Klopp’s side.
Many thought he could be the perfect player to finally replace Gerrard, with former Gunners boss Arsène Wenger previously claiming he possessed all the qualities of the former Reds talent:
“Alex’s future will be in central midfield – or even deeper. He has good quality to distribute and penetrate individually and has similar qualities to Steven Gerrard.”
During his first season at Anfield, Oxlade-Chamberlain showed glimpses of his talent, scoring five goals from midfield during his debut campaign at the club.
However, his time under Klopp was plagued with injuries preventing him from reaching his potential and emulating the fan-favourite – with his ACL injury in his first season setting the tone for his time with the Reds.
|
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain’s injury history at Liverpool (2017-2023) |
|||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Season |
Injury |
Days missed |
Games missed |
|
2017/18 |
ACL |
316 |
58 |
|
2018/19 |
Hamstring |
34 |
8 |
|
2018/19 |
Knock |
5 |
1 |
|
2019/20 |
Concussion |
4 |
1 |
|
2019/20 |
Ankle |
12 |
3 |
|
2020/21 |
Knee |
113 |
20 |
|
2022/23 |
Hamstring |
93 |
14 |
|
Total: |
7 injuries |
577 |
105 |
|
Stats via Transfermarkt |
|||
He never reached the same heights upon his return from his 12-month lay-off, constantly fighting fitness issues.
‘The Ox’ subsequently left Liverpool on a free transfer, joining Turkish side Besiktas at the end of the 2022/23 season after making 146 appearances for the club in all competitions.
It’s a real shame that the move never worked out for the talented Englishman, with the ace showing real glimpses during his early days at Anfield.
Despite leaving the club, there’s hope that he can put his injury issues behind him and hopefully kick on and regain the form that saw him thrive during his opening season on Merseyside.
