Jurgen Klopp admits he wanted to punch himself after not signing current Liverpool star for Dortmund

Follow us on Google Discover

The Reds boss was furious with himself upon reflection after turning down the chance to sign the attacker.

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has admitted that he “wanted to punch” himself a few months after he turned down the opportunity to sign his current star Sadio Mane at Borussia Dortmund, report the Guardian.

The Reds paid £34m to bring the Senegalese international to Anfield from Southampton in the summer after the attacker had become a star of the Premier League.

However, two years ago he had a golden chance to sign the now-24-year-old for Dortmund for what would have been a far lower price, while Mane was playing for Red Bull Salzburg in Austria.

Klopp ultimately turned down the chance to sign the forward after meeting Mane face-to-face and holding talks over a potential move.

The German boss had now admitted that a few months later he was left furious at himself as Mane signed for and then shone for the Saints.

Klopp said, as reported by the Guardian: “It was a pretty simple decision with Sadio this summer because I made the mistake at Dortmund where I didn’t take him. We met each other, we talked but by the end I didn’t feel this [strikes hands together].

“About three months later I would have punched myself, so I already knew that the next chance I have, I would take it. So it was not a difficult decision. I don’t know why I didn’t sign him before. I like the player, it was more of a feeling.

“I have made more mistakes in my life like this but he would have been more expensive if we had taken him to Dortmund and then he had been sold to Liverpool, so all good for Liverpool. The more I think about it, that was my first Liverpool decision. Nice.”

Klopp is right to suggest that his mistake at Dortmund has proved to be for the gain of him and Liverpool.

Mane has started life on Merseyside brilliantly, racking up six goals and two assists in his first 10 Premier League appearances for the club, tallies to which he will be hoping to add when Klopp’s side take on the attacker’s old club at St. Mary’s this afternoon.