Last summer, Jürgen Klopp desired to keep James Milner and Roberto Firmino at Liverpool. After their contracts expired, the former Reds left Anfield on free transfers.
In 2015, Firmino and Milner joined Liverpool during the same summer transfer window, and Klopp joined the team a few months later. The former England international joined TSG Hoffenheim on a free transfer from Manchester City, while the Brazilian forward cost $44 million (£35 million/€41 million) to sign.
During their eight years on Merseyside, the two would go on to make over 650 appearances for the club in all competitions combined. In the end, they went their ways this past summer.
With Brighton and Hove Albion, where he recently inked a contract extension, Milner chose to stay in the Premier League. He’s getting close to breaking the record for most league appearances.
Firmino agreed to sign with Al-Ahli after receiving a sizable offer from the Saudi Pro League. While Milner has made 15 Premier League games for the Seagulls, he has eight goals in 29 outings in the Middle East.
It doesn’t matter anymore because Klopp left immediately and the season is ending before Sunday’s match against Wolverhampton Wanderers. Still, it was made clear last year that the Liverpool manager was keen to keep both players at Anfield.
The Times claims that Klopp was in disagreement with the club’s administration because he was pushing for new contracts to be extended to Firmino and Milner. In the end, Liverpool rejected the idea and, as was already mentioned, let both players depart on free transfers.
During a massive roster makeover in 2023, many other long-serving players also left the Reds, including Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Fabinho, and Jordan Henderson. In the upcoming months, a comparable circumstance will also transpire, since Joël Matip and Thiago Alcântara’s contracts are about to expire.