Edouard Mendy has cautioned Liverpool that they might regret allowing Sadio Mane to join Bayern Munich this summer.
Earlier in this transfer window, Mane completed his move to the German champions for an estimated cost of £35 million.
The Senegal international’s contract at Anfield had just 12 months left when the club decided to let him go rather than risk losing him for free in 2023.
Targeting Mane made sense because Bayern anticipated that Robert Lewandowski would leave the team for Barcelona and the player was up for a new challenge in the Bundesliga.
Mane’s international teammate and Chelsea goalkeeper Mendy thinks the Reds might regret the transfer and that it was a mistake on the part of the Premier League club.
“I think it is a big loss for the premier league in terms of quality and terms of the person,” the Senegalese shot-stopper said. “We’ve lost something great and I hope for him he will enjoy the Bundesliga”.
“He’s a big loss because of his quality, the impact he makes and also because, for the young players, he’s an example.”
“When you lose someone like this it can have a huge impact.”
Edouard Mendy on Sadio Mane:
— Anfield Watch (@AnfieldWatch) July 16, 2022
“I think it is a big loss for the Premier League in terms of quality and in terms of the person. We’ve lost someone great and I hope for him he will enjoy the Bundesliga." #lfc [liverpool echo] pic.twitter.com/YcMWAcbpP6
Darwin Nunez, a forward from Uruguay, was acquired by Liverpool from Benfica in a transaction that could have cost up to £85 million as soon as Mane was replaced.
Nunez scored 34 goals in 41 games for the Portuguese powerhouses previous season, earning the title as one of Europe’s hottest young strikers.
The 23-year-old’s contract was signed at the same time that Manchester City, the Merseyside club’s main title opponent, signed Erling Haaland.
When asked about the former Dortmund player, Mendy oddly made a comparison between him and Christian Benteke, a failed Liverpool deal.
“I study. I study a lot. it’s not about one striker or one team- we just have to focus on every striker, every team we play to win,” he said about his preparations. “It’s not because it’s Haaland.“
“I look at haaland like i look at, say, benteke at palace- it’s not that different between crystal palace and city. you have to be focused because he is a striker and he can score.“
“So i study. i study. we have our methods and i don’t need to say what they are. but i study a lot. a lot.”
Why did Liverpool sell Sadio Mane?
According to Trevor Sinclair, Sadio Mane departed Liverpool because he didn’t feel “lauded or valued” by the squad as his other teammates.
The forward was permitted to join Bayern Munich after admitting he was looking for a fresh challenge. A £35 million agreement was eventually reached after numerous offers were turned down.
As per rumors, Sadio Mane’s departure from Liverpool was mostly caused by an impasse over the Senegal forward’s new salary. The talented forward’s six-year stint at Liverpool ended after Liverpool finally accepted Bayern’s €32million offer.
According to transfer expert Fabrizio Romano, Bayern will pay Liverpool £27.5 million upfront and up to £7.6 million in add-ons based on Mane’s specific accomplishments for Bayern and performance levels.
