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Where Jürgen Klopp's first Liverpool XI is now as transformation laid bare ahead of exit

(Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images)
Jürgen Klopp's first match as Liverpool boss ended in a draw with Tottenham -Credit:(Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images)


An awful lot has changed over Jürgen Klopp's nine years as Liverpool boss. The German will leave Anfield this weekend following the final day clash with Wolves, in what promises to be an emotional affair.

Klopp has enjoyed remarkable success, winning both the Premier League and Champions League, and will go down as one of the club's greatest ever managers. Few could have predicted how his tenure would turn out when he was appointed in October 2015.

The German took over from Brendan Rodgers with Liverpool in 10th in the table, having finished sixth in the campaign before. His first match in charge was a trip to White Hart Lane to face Tottenham.

Klopp made just two changes to Rodgers' last line-up but Liverpool turned in a much-improved performance to come away with a point. Here is the line-up from his opening match and what happened to those players, with the transition to his last XI clear.

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GK - Simon Mignolet

Mignolet left Liverpool in 2018 after Klopp decided to bring in Alisson as his new No.1. The Belgian returned to his homeland with Club Brugge in a $8m (£6.4m/€7.5m) deal and is still playing at 36.

He has won three Pro League titles with the club and could end this season with another, with Brugge battling it out in the Championship play-offs.

RB - Nathaniel Clyne

Ex-England international Clyne was on Liverpool's books until 2020 but found opportunities hard to come by after Trent Alexander-Arnold's emergence. He made just 10 appearances in three seasons with the club.

Clyne, now 33, rejoined Crystal Palace on a free transfer and has continued to perform well in the Premier League. He is out of contract this summer but has impressed under new boss Oliver Glasner.

CB - Martin Škrtel

Škrtel left Liverpool at the end of Klopp's first season and completed a move to Turkey to join Fenerbahçe. He later joined rivals İstanbul Başakşehir and helped the club win its first ever league title. The defender ended his playing career back in Slovakia with Spartak Trnava and has since returned to Anfield to play in the Legends match.

CB - Mamadou Sakho

The French defender's Anfield career ended on a sour note after he was sent home from a pre-season tour of the United States. He later joined Crystal Palace and spent four years at the club before moving to Montpellier.

Sakho left the Ligue 1 side in November last year after a training ground bust-up with manager Michel Der Zakarian and is yet to secure a new deal elsewhere.

LB - Alberto Moreno

Moreno is still with Villarreal, having joined the La Liga side when he left Liverpool in 2019. He had made just a handful of appearances in his final season at Anfield and was released.

He scored in Villarreal's penalty shootout success in the Europa League final in 2021 but is out of contract this summer and is yet to sign an extension.

CM - Lucas Leiva

Lucas was a regular in Klopp's first season at Anfield before departing for Lazio in 2017. During his time in Italy, he helped the Serie A side win the Coppa Italia before returning to boyhood club Gremio. The Brazilian midfielder retired in March 2023 after scans showed a scar on his heart.

CM - Emre Can

German midfielder Can is set to lead Borussia Dortmund out in the Champions League final against Real Madrid later this month. He left Anfield on a free transfer in 2018 to join Juventus but his time in Italy didn't work out.

He returned to his homeland with Dortmund in 2020 and has been in excellent form with the Bundesliga side. He should also be at the European Championships this summer.

RM - James Milner

Milner has just signed a new deal with Brighton, keeping him in the Premier League until after his 39th birthday. The former England midfielder was key to Liverpool's successes under Klopp, playing in a variety of different positions.

He left on a free transfer at the end of last season and signed for Brighton on a free. Milner looks set to beat Gareth Barry's all-time Premier League appearance record next term.

CAM - Philippe Coutinho

Remarkably, Coutinho is still only 31 but his career has not gone to plan since he left Liverpool in 2018. He joined Barcelona in a $177m (£140m/€163m) deal but after a bright start was loaned out to Bayern Munich.

The Brazilian also had a loan spell at Aston Villa before earning a permanent deal but he is not part of Unai Emery's plans. Coutinho has spent this season in Qatar with Al-Duhail and will likely be sold this summer.

LM - Adam Lallana

Lallana's time at Anfield was hampered by injuries and he left in 2020 to join Brighton on a free transfer. The 36-year-old has been a regular on the south coast, featuring in 29 matches this season.

But it was confirmed this week that he would be leaving when his contract expires this summer. Lallana plans to continue playing next season.

CF - Divock Origi

Origi would go on to etch his name into Liverpool folklore by scoring in the Champions League final in 2019. He was at Anfield until his contract expired in 2022, when he joined AC Milan.

The Belgian has been with Premier League side Nottingham Forest on loan this term but has managed just one goal in all competitions and will return to Milan in the summer.