Liverpool have become known for their potent forward lines over the last few years, helping the club achieve their goal of winning a Premier League title.
Former boss Jürgen Klopp transformed the Reds after years of struggles on the pitch under Brendan Rodgers – leading them to European glory as well as domestic success.
The German built a formidable side that was undoubtedly up there with the very best in world football, giving the supporters memories to last a lifetime.
Undoubtedly, it’s given new boss Arne Slot a huge pair of boots to fill, but so far, he’s been able to do just that, winning 11 out of his 12 competitive games in charge of the Merseyside outfit.
He’s been able to do it without two-thirds of the attack that captured the hearts of the fanbase and helped the club reach the heights they did in years gone by.
Liverpool’s attacking trio under Klopp
At one stage, there’s little question that Liverpool possessed one of the most frightening forward lines in world football – in the form of Sadio Mané, Roberto Firmino and Mohamed Salah.
It was the perfect trio, with Mane and Salah able to play as inverted wingers, making central runs in behind Firmino, who loved to drop slightly deeper into a false nine to gain more touches of the ball.
The Brazilian scored 111 times during his eight-year spell at Anfield, with his highest season tally coming in 2017/18, where he netted 27 times in all competitions.
However, he would subsequently depart in 2023 at the end of his contract, wanting a new challenge and joining Saudi Arabian side Al Ahli – now featuring alongside former Manchester City ace Riyad Mahrez.
As for Mane, he emerged out of nowhere after his £36m move from fellow Premier League side Southampton – developing in such a short period of time under Klopp’s guidance.
The Senegalese international would amass a total of 120 goals – finishing as the Premier League’s joint-top scorer back in 2018/19 as the Reds narrowly missed out on a maiden Premier League triumph.
Like Firmino, the winger craved a new challenge, leaving for Bayern Munich back in 2022, before moving to Saudi after a disappointing spell in the Bundesliga.
Salah is the only one of the infamous trio who remains a Liverpool, starting the current season in tremendous fashion under new boss Slot, registering 14 goal contributions in his first 12 games in all competitions.
The Egyptian has been a consistent source of goals since his own move to Merseyside, undoubtedly going down as one of the very best talents to ever grace the Premier League given his tally of 160 goals in the competition.
However, he could’ve been starring alongside another talent had the Reds decided to keep hold of him back in 2015.
The player Liverpool made the right decision selling
Winger Raheem Sterling broke through the club’s academy at Melwood after arriving for just £600k from Queens Park Rangers as a teenager.
The forward would become a regular under Rodgers, cementing his place in the first team back during the 2012/13 season, registering a total of 129 appearances for the Reds.
Sterling scored some crucial goals, including one against Manchester City at Anfield, as the two sides exchanged a back-and-forth battle in their attempts to win the Premier League title.
However, the Englishman would move to City during the summer of 2015, for a staggering £49m – a then-record fee for an English player, highlighting the club’s excellent recruitment.
The subsequent transfer would see the club bank a huge profit on the £600k they paid for him, with the move to Manchester allowing for a sale 8100% more than what they forked out for his signature.
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Liverpool’s top five record departures |
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|---|---|
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Player |
Transfer fee |
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1) Philippe Coutinho |
£146m |
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2) Luis Suárez |
£75m |
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3) Fernando Torres |
£50m |
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4) Raheem Sterling |
£49m |
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5) Fabinho |
£39m |
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Stats via Transfermarkt |
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The “unbelievable” talent, as dubbed by current Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta, has since won four Premier League titles and five League Cup trophies, but he’s struggled for form over the last few years – netting just 20 goals over the last three seasons.
It was a phenomenal piece of business by the Liverpool hierarchy in offloading the winger, using his funds excellently over the years and allowing them to reinvest into the aforementioned attacking trio.
The trio will go down in the club’s history, with their levels of success potentially very different had Sterling remained at Anfield instead of departing for the Etihad.
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