Now could be a good time for Liverpool to pursue a transfer for a player Jürgen Klopp once reportedly identified as Sadio Mane’s long-term successor.
There are some events in time that are turning points. Moments that determine the fate of the future. Moments that take you on a completely different trajectory than if you had taken a different path. What’s exciting and also terrifying is that you don’t know if you’ve made the right choice until later, and even then the answer is murky, filled with what-ifs and uncertainties that can never be clarified. When Sadio Mané left Liverpool to innovate, Jürgen Klopp would not have known if he had made the right choice. Even in the past six months, it’s unclear whether this decision has been in the best interests of either party.
But there is no point in dwelling on the past. And sometimes decisions made in the past can also have a positive effect on the future.
Jérémy Doku is a good example. When he broke through at Anderlecht as a teenager, the Belgian winger came to Liverpool and was close to signing for the club. The meeting took place in 2018 and Klopp is said to have told the teenager at the time that he saw him as the long-term heir to Mane’s throne at Anfield.
“Klopp explained how he saw in Jeremy a potential successor to Sadio Mane,” Doku’s father, David, told Het Nieuwsblad.
However, the move never materialized. Doku eventually stayed with Anderlecht before moving to Rennes and then turned heads at Euro 2020, where Liverpool watched perhaps with a little jealousy as the young Belgian stole the show with his exciting dribbling skills. Doku hasn’t lost that touch of quality, but the years since the peak of his fledgling career have so far not gone as he expected. He has been unable to continue the momentum of the European Championships and since his return to Rennes has been plagued with injuries which have hampered his development and progress.
As a result, his Transfermarkt valuation has dropped from $27m (£22.6m / €26m) in July 2021, after the European Championship, to just $19m (£15.9m / €18m) in this moment.
Of course it is only an estimate. But that $8m cut reflects the reality that Doku would almost certainly be a cheaper option for Liverpool now than he was nearly two years ago. Obviously, a lot of that comes down to his injuries, but he could still be worth a risk, especially at a lower price.
Doku is only 20 and enjoys playing on the right wing where Liverpool really don’t have anyone to cover behind Mohamed Salah at the moment.
His explosive speed and incredible skills in one-on-one situations are why he stood out in the first place and drew Mane’s comparisons. It’s a trait rarely found in football but hugely important for the way Klopp wants to play his forwards.
Over the past two seasons, he has missed 39 games due to injury. It’s a huge amount of games, but it’s also an unusual event. Even the most injury-prone players won’t be routinely sidelined for so many games. Doku is still young enough to recover and overcome his injury issues.
And if he can do that, then there is a phenomenal player in him who can cause problems for even the toughest opponents in world football. He’s shown it recently since returning to Rennes, even scoring an assist against Shakhtar Donetsk in the Europa League on Thursday night, showing the kind of form that has the whole continent excited about his potential in the summer of 2021. For that reason alone, it’s worth Liverpool betting $19m on the young Belgian star and something the club should consider this summer. Klopp could still land his heir Mané even if he takes over from Salah.