Liverpool moved to bolster the depth of their options at the top end of the pitch during the 2022/23 campaign by signing Darwin Nunez, Cody Gakpo and Fabio Carvalho.
Jurgen Klopp seemingly decided that he needed to improve that area of his squad and made the decision to part ways with Japan international Takumi Minamino last summer as part of the changes in the forward areas.
The Reds agreed a deal to sign the striker for a fee of £7.25m in December 2019, with the attacker officially joining one month later, and the gem was a decent option for the manager to call upon during his time on Merseyside – scoring 14 times in 55 matches.
However, they decided to cash in on the dynamo last summer, selling him to Ligue 1 side AS Monaco in a package worth up to €18m (£16m).
How has Takumi Minamino performed this season?
The 28-year-old’s performances in the French top-flight this season suggest that Klopp played a blinder with his decision to sell him, whilst making a healthy profit on the initial £7.25m they paid to sign him from Red Bull Salzburg in 2019/20.
These stats show that the forward has struggled to deliver consistent performances in Ligue 1 this term with the attacker having contributed very little at the top end of the pitch.
Was it the right call to sell Minamino?
Yes
No
Minamino, who has created just 0.5 chances per game in the league, has not produced goals or assists on a regular basis for his side and his staggering failure in individual duels shows that he is being dominated by opposition defenders week-in-week-out.
With that in mind, it’s hardly a surprise to see that after making 12 starts come February, his average rating courtesy of French newspaper L’Equipe was a harrowingly bad 3/10.
Alongside his disappointing displays in the French top division, the flop has also failed to score or assist a single goal in seven cup appearances for Monaco – domestically and in Europe – with that meaning the attacker has one goal in 19 matches for them in total.
He lost 59% of his physical contests and failed to register a single effort on target, despite taking five shots, in four Europa League outings for the French side, as they were knocked out of the competition by Bayer Leverkusen.
The marksman, who was once described as “undervalued” by journalist Josh Bunting, has not been able to kick on since departing from Anfield and his poor form for Monaco indicates that the 5 foot 8 atacking midfielder would not have been a valuable player for the Reds to keep hold of.
Therefore, Klopp cashed in at precisely the right time, with Minamino’s value potentially only set to have plummeted if the flop put in these performances during the 2022/23 campaign for Liverpool.