Klopp should steer clear of Werner after initial Liverpool transfer snub

Liverpool have been hailed for their recruitment during Jurgen Klopp's tenure, but they have also been inadvertently rewarded for some of their near misses too.

Back in 2020, Liverpool were frontrunners to sign Timo Werner, who had finished just behind Robert Lewandowski in the race for the Bundesliga golden boot. Instead, Chelsea swooped in and managed to sign Werner for £47.5million, before Liverpool then secured the services of Diogo Jota instead.

Sometimes things are meant to be, and whereas Werner has failed to live up to expectations, Jota has proved to be a fantastic signing for Liverpool. However, the Reds have been linked with a move for Werner once more, but they should resist the urge after already dodging a bullet.

There hasn't been much to complain about at Anfield over the past seven years, and under Klopp Liverpool have managed to win it all. And in doing so, they've been near-faultless in the transfer window, and have also had a slice of good fortune elsewhere.

The first big blow for Klopp was when Coutinho left, but they used the funds to sign Alisson and Virgil van Dijk, which ultimately led to all of their success. They've managed to secure most of their targets too, with only a few players opting against joining Klopp's side.

Werner was one of them, and not only did the German go on to be a disappointment at Chelsea, Liverpool also managed to sign Jota and it's been a masterstroke. It's been widely accepted now that Werner is better suited to Liverpool, and the German could still revive his career with a move to Anfield.

According to Football Insider, Liverpool remain interested in Werner, although no formal discussions have been made. Werner is reportedly open to a move away, and after Liverpool have announced the sales of Sadio Mane and Takumi Minamino, it has left the Reds with a gap to fill.

But they've been fortunate with both their completed deals, and also transfers that haven't gone through, and their earlier failure is a sign that they should forget about Werner. The German clearly wanted the Chelsea move then, and Liverpool shouldn't reward him with an escape route two years later.

Liverpool's recruitment is elite, although with transfer chief Michael Edwards departing, things will be a little different moving forward on Merseyside. But Klopp is very strict about players buying into his system, and Werner has already snubbed him once.

When Werner was linked with a move to Liverpool back in 2020, he said to ViaSport: "I know that Liverpool is the best team at the moment in the world. When you're linked with that team it makes me very proud.

"It's a pleasure but I know in Liverpool plays a lot of good players and I have to improve myself to learn many more things to get on that level, to play there." But Werner didn't choose to, he chose Chelsea instead, and that will be a red flag for Klopp.

Klopp has always admired Werner, and could easily mould him into a decent player at Liverpool. But integrity and loyalty is also something that Klopp strives for, which is why he should steer clear of the Chelsea forward.