Loris Karius
Signed in a £4.7m transfer from Mainz
Loris Karius teased Liverpool supporters with four successive clean sheets in pre-season before the Germany Under-21 international broke his hand in a 1-0 loss to Chelsea in the International Champions Cup in California. So Karius remains something of an unknown quantity in a Liverpool shirt in competitive games. Following the removal of wires from his right hand on Wednesday, Karius is nearing a comeback. Jurgen Klopp will be hoping that Karius’ return can tighten up his leaky Liverpool defence.
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Sadio Mane
Signed in a £34m transfer from Southampton
Undoubtedly the pick of Klopp’s summer signings. Questions were raised about the size of Sadio Mane’s transfer fee – £34m – but that price now looks a snip in the context of his impact and over dealings in the Premier League (for example, Yannick Bolasie to Everton in a £30m deal). The Senegal international’s positive influence on the Liverpool side was best highlighted when he missed their 2-0 defeat at Burnley. Klopp’s side were limited to long-range shots in a one-dimensional performance. Tottenham defender Danny Rose described Mane as his trickiest opponent in recent seasons, which just about summarises the African’s fledgling Liverpool career so far.
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Ragnar Klavan
Signed in a £5m deal from Augsburg
Signed predominantly as cover following the departures of Martin Skrtel and Kolo Toure, Ragnar Klavan was thrown into the deep end at The Emirates. The Estonia skipper looked assured in pre-season and while Alberto Moreno’s horror show against Arsenal ensured Klopp’s other defenders largely escaped criticism, Klavan struggled at Burnley. It is still early in his Liverpool career but the 30-year-old doesn’t look like an upgrade on Skrtel or Toure.
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Alex Manninger
Signed on a free transfer from Augsburg
Eyebrows were raised upon the announcement of Alex Manninger’s transfer to Liverpool. The former Arsenal shot stopper will be expected to support (and educate) his younger adversaries – Karius and Simon Mignolet.
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Georginio Wijnaldum
Signed in a £25m deal from Newcastle United
The Netherlands international was Liverpool’s second-most expensive signing of the summer transfer window. Georginio Wijnaldum is a tidy operator in the heart of Klopp’s midfield and already looks to have formed a good understanding with Philippe Coutinho, Roberto Firmino and Mane on the evidence of his silky performances at Arsenal and Tottenham. However, Klopp and Liverpool supporters will be hoping that there is more to come from the Dutch playmaker.
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Marko Grujic
Signed for an undisclosed fee from Red Star Belgrade
The Serbian midfielder, like Karius, impressed during the domestic half of Liverpool’s pre-season but didn’t feature in the United States. Marko Grujic made his Premier League debut in the final 12 minutes of Liverpool’s 2-0 loss at Burnley. While it’s too early to judge the 20-year-old, his pre-season goals give cause for optimism.
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Joel Matip
Signed on a free transfer from Schalke
Klopp threw the Cameroon international into his starting line-up for Liverpool’s trip to White Hart Lane as Joel Matip made his Premier League debut against one of the division’s toughest sides. However, a nervy opening 15 minutes aside, Matip looked comfortable alongside Dejan Lovren. While it is tricky to judge the former Schalke defender on the basis of one Premier League game, Matip does look like he has the build and the necessary physicality to succeed in the English top flight.
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