Liverpool and Klopp Disagreed Over Darwin Nunez Signing

After his big-money move from Benfica to Liverpool, Darwin Nunez was heavily lambasted due to missing a host of chances in front of goal, and The Times reporter Paul Joyce once suggested that the club’s recruitment team preferred to sign an alternative to the Uruguayan.

That said, the report suggested that Jurgen Klopp, who experienced plenty of success in his 489-game stewardship of the Premier League juggernauts and is now working as Red Bull’s Global Sports Director, was adamant on securing the signature of the once-promising centre forward for £85 million.

Although Nunez had no shortage of strikes to his name – as evidenced by his haul of 40 in 143 appearances for the Reds – there was always the argument to suggest that he should have had more goals on his CV by virtue of the number of chances created for him.

Compare his attacking return to those of his Manchester City counterpart Erling Haaland or his former teammate Mohamed Salah, both of whom are considered to be two of the greatest players in world football, and it’s not unfair to say that he underperformed what he was perfectly capable of.

Liverpool’s Recruitment Team Wanted Alternative to Nunez

The Uruguayan was a Jurgen Klopp-inspired signing

Now that he’s left Liverpool, it’s safe to say that the 26-year-old, who looked to possess all the talent to become one of world football’s deadliest line-leaders, ultimately disappointed in England.

Most notably, as alluded to, his composure – or evident lack thereof – when handed gilt-edged opportunies to score tested the patience of the Anfield faithful, who, time and time again, showed full support of the misfiring talisman, but aren’t exactly devastated to see the back of him now.

But, according to The Times correspondent Joyce, Christopher Nkunku was also in the offing pre-Nunez arrival. Then on the books of RB Leipzig, the Frenchman was keenly admired by Reds higher-ups, but the signing of Nunez was led by Klopp. He wrote:

Nkunku, who is one of the highest-paid strikers in England’s top flight, hasn’t enjoyed the best of times since his high-profile move to west London after spending the majority of his inaugural season in England in line for the treatment table.

Under Enzo Maresca’s stewardship, he’s yet to find his groove in Chelsea’s expensively-assembled roster and was limited to 2,174 minutes of action in 2024/25. In that timeframe, the Paris Saint-Germain academy graduate notched plenty of goal involvements – 15 goals and five further assists.

Albeit shining predominantly in the Europa Conference League, it would have been interesting to see how he would have performed under Klopp instead of Nunez. The Uruguayan striker cost an initial £64m when he signed on the dotted line at Anfield, but he struggled to find any real consistency during his time with the Reds.

Nunez Was Moved on By Liverpool This Summer

The Uruguayan didn’t feature in Arne Slot’s plans

After three seasons in England, Nunez’s time at Liverpool has come to an end as he was sold to Al-Hilal this summer in a deal worth around £45m. The move was made as Arne Slot brought in Hugo Ekitike to lead his front line going forward and the club decided to cash in on Nunez.

The departure means the Reds lost a significant amount of money on Nunez, having signed him for around £64m in 2022. With just 25 Premier League goals in three seasons, though, something had to change. Considering Nkunku has scored just six league goals in two years at Stamford Bridge, though, it’s not as though Liverpool will regret the player they ultimately went with in the end. Nunez, though, has become one of the highest-paid players in Saudi Arabia following his move, so he won’t be complaining much either.

All statistics courtesy of the Premier League and WhoScored – correct as of 10/08/2025