By-and-large, Liverpool have been remarkably precise in their transfer dealings since Jurgen Klopp assumed the managerial reins at the club in 2015, and have reaped the rewards of hitting the mark on so many occasions.
Indeed, since Klopp arrived at Anfield after his dismissal from Borussia Dortmund, the outfit have lifted a plethora of major honours including the Premier League and Champions League, and this is largely due to the manager’s philosophy and his comprehensive restructure of a formerly withered football club.
While much of the attention is fixed onto the incomings during this period, a lot has to be said for the sales for peripheral players that have since failed to prove Klopp and co wrong, with notable departures such as Jordan Ibe to Bournemouth for £15m and Dominic Solanke at £19m to the same side, while deals such as Danny Ings to Southampton for £20m also proved to be a successful deal for a Liverpool side who failed to find a place for the star within the starting line-up.
But one deal that stands out above all others is allowing Rhian Brewster to move to Sheffield United in 2020 in a deal that could rise to £23.5m.
Brewster held an abundance of promise within the Liverpool youth ranks after moving from Chelsea for free, and started to filter into the reckoning within the senior crop, making four appearances for the first team and enjoying an immensely promising loan spell with Swansea City, where he landed 11 goals from just 22 appearances in the Championship.
However, since joining United, who have since plummeted from the Premier League to the second tier, Brewster has scored only five goals and found one assist, and there are serious concerns over his pedigree as a striker at the top level.
This season, Brewster has scored just one goal and served one assist from 17 appearances for his second-tier outfit, entrusted with just five starts in the Championship before agonisingly picking up an injury from which he is yet to recover from.
With the Blades currently second in the league and ten points ahead of third-place Middlesbrough with a game in hand, promotion back to the first division appears a formality, barring a shocking late collapse, but Brewster’s argument for a starting berth back among the best crop of footballers England has to offer is rather tenuous following his recent travails.
The graphic above highlights just how subpar the Champions League winner has been since departing Liverpool, with Brewster costing the Blades roughly £3.91m per direct goal involvement since his pricey arrival, and his average career rating of 6.53, as per WhoScored, illuminates the failure to kickstart a promising career.
The former England U21 international was previously remarked to be “struggling” with his current outfit by Richard Sutcliffe, a term that can still be attached to his name today, and it might be that a move away from Bramall Lane in order to reignite his career is required upon the current campaign’s conclusion.
Brewster has been detrimentally hampered by several serious injuries, and while he has failed to channel the peak of his potential thus far with the Blades, at 22 years old he has plenty of time to harness his skills and forge a successful career for himself.
Regardless, Klopp and co played a blinder in the sale, one of the many direct hits on the transfer front since the distinguished German manager took the reins on Merseyside.
Source: footballfancast.com
