Kolo Toure on Sadio Mane Possible Return to Liverpool : Former Liverpool defender Kolo Toure has explained why Jurgen Klopp should avoid re-signing Sadio Mane for Liverpool, despite the Reds lacking his ‘big personality’.
Sadio Mané broke Liverpool’s hearts when he opted to join Bayern Munich last summer. The Anfield hero arrived at Bayern to help them overcome the loss of influential striker Robert Lewandowski, who was pushing for a move to Barcelona at the time and eventually joined the Spanish giants.
Bayern fans expected big things from Mané after scoring 120 goals in 269 appearances for Liverpool, helping Klopp’s side win the Champions League, Premier League and an FA Cup, along with several other trophies.
However, Mané’s first season in Germany did not go as planned.
While he has scored 12 goals in all competitions, his form has fluctuated. And he was recently fined a record amount by Bayern (50 000 Euros) after he allegedly punched team-mate Leroy Sané in the face.
Sky Sport Germany have reported that Mane is keen to stay at Bayern this summer in order to turn things around next season. But various other sources have hinted that Bayern are keen to sell him, thus creating the possibility of a return to Liverpool.
Klopp, as well as Liverpool fans, would love this after all the Senegal international has done in his first spell on Merseyside. But Kolo Toure, who made 71 appearances for the Reds between 2013 and 2016, doesn’t think such a transfer is the right way to go.
Instead, he told Klopp to focus on the new attacking talents at his disposal, such as Cody Gakpo and Darwin Nunez.
“Jurgen is a top manager. He won in Germany; he won here. Every club will go through a time of transition. I think losing [Sadio] Mané was important for them… Mané, for me, was special for them because he could score goals and provide goals, but he also had a great personality.
He is a player who when it was tough, he knew how to make the difference,” the former central defender said in an interview with the Daily Mirror.
“But I still believe they are looking for the new version [of Liverpool]. Jurgen is looking to freshen up his squad and look for players who will fit well into the team.
But I’m sure he will because he’s a guy with a lot of experience; big man management. I had a great time with him, and I think he will find a way again to get the team to fight for the title again,” continued the former Ivory Coast international.
Touré added :
“I think he will stay with them [Gakpo and Nunez]. He must give them time to show that they are able to adapt to the Liverpool team. As a player you have to do your best to show that you are capable of playing for them.
If you don’t, it will be the next [player]. Jurgen is an excellent manager; he does a great job. I think he is trying to find players who will have the chemistry necessary for the team to fight for the title.”
Discussion about this post