How Jurgen Klopp’s massive 2022 decision led to Michael Edwards leaving Liverpool

Last Updated on 14 October 2025

Liverpool reached the highest of highs with Jurgen Klopp at the helm. The German manager made a name for himself in the city, helping deliver the Premier League and the Champions League after a long drought.

Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool era was one for the history books. It was packed with intense and exciting football and a lot of drama and entertainment off the pitch, too.

The 58-year-old stepped down in May 2024, leaving the club in fantastic shape as the Reds went on to win the Premier League title in the 2024/25 season.

Jurgen Klopp signed Darwin Nunez despite opposition from data team

During the 2021/22 Champions League campaign, Liverpool fell at the final hurdle to Real Madrid in Paris.

However, despite the heartbreak, Jurgen Klopp had spotted something that would subsquently change Liverpool’s transfer strategy.

In the quarter-finals, Liverpool faced Benfica, who were defeated 6-4 on aggregate. But the Portuguese side did not go down without a fight, coming back from 3-1 down at Anfield to draw 3-3 in the second leg.

Much of their second-half resurgence was ignited by their striker, Darwin Nunez, who had also scored against Liverpool in the first leg 3-1 loss.

Jurgen Klopp had seen enough.

He decided Nunez had to be the long-term replacement of Roberto Firmino. But, according to James Pearce of The Athletic, the German faced a lot of opposition in signing Nunez.

That’s because Liverpool’s data-driven approach, led by Michael Edwards, did not think that Nunez was as good as Klopp believed.

They suggested alternatives like Alexander Isak and Christopher Nkunku. But ultimately, Klopp got his way and Liverpool signed Nunez in the summer of 2022.

That was just one of the many decisions Edwards and Klopp disagreed on, and as a result, Edwards left the club in the summer.

Jurgen Klopp got many things right during his time at Anfield but his recruitment was not always great

With Darwin Nunez departing the club in 2025 as a flop, despite winning the Premier League, it’s clear to say that Klopp got that wrong.

In fact, the Reds had to dish out a league-record £125m to replace Nunez with Alexander Isak. A costly mistake put right after Michael Edwards returned in 2024 in a senior capacity, bringing along the highly-rated Richard Hughes as director of football.

Then again, it was not the only time Klopp got a transfer wrong during his time at Anfield. The German, infamously, also wanted Julian Brandt as his right winger instead of Mohamed Salah. Thankfully for the Kopites, Klopp did not get his way back then.