Former Liverpool manager Jürgen Klopp has made a candid admission regarding the $115 million (£85 million) signing of striker Darwin Núñez in 2022, confirming that the transfer “didn’t work out as good as it could.”
Speaking on The Diary of a CEO podcast, Klopp detailed the complexity of his relationship with the Uruguayan, which was impacted by Núñez’s inconsistent scoring record and playing time.
He stressed that a fantastic relationship is difficult to maintain “when a striker is not scoring as often as he wants, as the people want, and as I think he could.”
Despite the acknowledged shortcomings, Klopp insisted they maintained an “absolutely good relationship” and defended Núñez’s muted farewell reception on his final day, stating:
“If he would be the number one who was jumping after me and crying his eyes out and hugging me for 10 minutes, I would have been asking ‘OK, what is going on here?'”
Klopp clarified that the decision to sign Núñez was a collective one, driven by the need for a different attacking profile alongside players like Roberto Firmino, who he called “the best false nine in the world.” He explained: “We decided to sign him all together… We wanted to have an extra option… we needed someone with more speed.”
While conceding the move was imperfect, the German highlighted Núñez’s importance in specific memorable moments: “But without Darwin, so many good things wouldn’t have happened.
The biggest comeback of all times against Newcastle. I loved that day.” He concluded by noting that in a competitive environment, “You cannot always have harmony and flowers.”