Liverpool’s successful period under Jurgen Klopp included excellent hiring and expanding their huge trophy collection. Nevertheless, he once acknowledged that his “biggest mistake” in his career was not signing a single Premier League player.
After winning the Premier League and Champions League in consecutive seasons between 2018 and 2020, Klopp’s 489-game reign at Anfield came to an end in the summer, and Arne Slot took his position.
Although things are going well under his successor, it’s difficult to think that Slot’s term would have been so successful in its early stages if not for the foundations laid by Klopp, who joined from Borussia Dortmund in the summer of 2015.
As one of the greatest man-managers in football history, Klopp, who was born in Stuttgart, had the luxury of having some of the Premier League’s most lethal strikers at his disposal, including Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah.
However, Klopp admitted in 2022, in an interview with KBS News, that one of his “biggest mistakes” in life was failing to recruit Son Heung-min, the current captain of Tottenham Hotspur, who has amassed 172 goals and 92 assists in 441 games for the north London team.
The Merseysiders defeated Tottenham 2-1 late in that year, but Son was unable to play because he was having surgery on a shattered eye socket. Klopp, who is now Red Bull’s Global Sports Director, and his team played against Tottenham.
Although Liverpool and their goals that day benefited from the powerful shooter’s absence, the German tactician expressed his optimism that Son would return for the World Cup and said that he had made a “mistake” by not signing the wide player.
Not signing him [Son] was one of my worst life decisions. He is a terrific striker who is among the best in the world. I’ve heard he’ll be fine. He might need to wear a mask, but he will be fine even if he does.
The South Korea international, who is widely regarded as one of the best wingers in world football, was signed by Tottenham, led by Mauricio Pochettino, from Bayer Leverkusen in the summer of 2015 for a mere £22 million.
Not only has Son contributed goals, but the city has also taken notice of his leadership abilities and off-the-ball play since he and Harry Kane formed a risky two-man combo right before the Englishman left for Bayern Munich.
The 32-year-old South Korea international, who has 131 caps and 51 goals since joining Tottenham, has faced Liverpool 19 times between 2015 and 2025. He has contributed four assists and three goals during that time.
