Paul Merson, 54, has blasted Liverpool for a reckless decision to part ways with their former striker Sadio Mane. The former Arsenal player, turned pundit, says Liverpool decision to sell Mane to Bayern Munich was the worst business ever.
Sadio Mane left Liverpool for Bayern Munich after six years with the club since joining form Southampton in 2016.
It was a shocking decision, but the handwriting was on the wall when the Senegal international refused to disclose his decision on his Liverpool future.
Then, Sadio Mane stated that he would reveal his decision on his Liverpool future after the Champions League final clash against Real Madrid.
As it was expected, the former Southampton player and African Best Player of the Year dropped the bombshell that he want to leave Anfield.
Bayern Munich were ready suitors, and Liverpool sold Mane to the Bundesliga giants for £35m and sought for the services of Benfica forward Darwin Nunez.
Meanwhile, the Reds have struggled since the beginning of this season throwing away points against less fancied teams.
The Jurgen Klopp-led team opened their Premier League campaign on a disappointing note with a 2-2 draw with Fulham at Craven Cottage.
They also settled for a 1-1 draw with Crystal Palace at Anfield, a game which saw their highly-rated new signing Darwin Nunez sent off.
Their next match was against a struggling Manchester United at Old Trafford. They suffered a shock defeat to the Red Devils, losing 2-1.
Liverpool recorded their first win against a struggling Bournemouth, defeating the newly promoted side 9-0 at Anfield.
Their next stop was against Newcastle, where they managed a controversial and scrappy 2-1 win at Anfield.
The next two matches – the Merseyside derby and the game against the Seagulls ended in a draw.
After seven Premier League matches, the Reds currently sit on the 9th position, winning 2 matches, drawing four and losing one.
They are 11 points behind league leaders Arsenal and 10 points behind defending champions Manchester City, who are second on the table.
After parting ways with Sadio Mane and spending a record £85m to sign Darwin Nunez from Benfica, it is evident that the team is not in good shape.
Former England international, Walsall manager, and Arsenal midfielder, turned pundit, Paul Emerson has described Liverpool’s decision to sell Sadio Mane as the “worst business ever.”
Via Sky Sports Column, Paul Merson blamed Liverpool’s woes this season on Mane’s exit, while arguing that Darwin Nunez cannot step in the Mane’s shoe.
“I’ve said it from day one, in my opinion selling Sadio Mane was the worst business ever”, Merson said. “The bloke scores big, big goals. Go through them, first goals, equalisers, winning goals in last minutes, big goals
“He led from the front with his closing down, and for me, what they sold him for, I just didn’t get it.
“Darwin Nunez isn’t in the same league at the moment. Not in the same league at all.
“Their problems at the back start from the front. They’re not closing down as a unit – you can go on about how talented that front three was, but they closed down from the front. It only took one more pass, and they’d score.”
According to Merson, Mane was a big player, missing him has dealt the Red’s a big blow. He also added that selling for such a meager amount is also outrageous.
”I’m not a stats person, so I’m just going off the top of my head – but for me, Mane was a big, big player for Liverpool”, Merson added.
“To sell him for £30m-odd, which in the world of the Premier League is a cup of tea, wouldn’t they have been better off keeping him and letting him go for free?”
Liverpool faces Arsenal in a match that has been deemed as a perfect test to weigh Liverpool’s readiness for a top-four and title challenge. The match will kick off at the Emirates Stadium at 16:30 on Sunday, October 9, 2022.
