Klopp’s Conundrum: What Does The New Season Mean To This £32.5m Liverpool Star?

At the start of the season most Liverpool fans expected a Belgian striker to do well. What they never expected was the striker to hog all the limelight would be Divock Origi and not the big money signing of Christian Benteke.

The striker form Aston Villa joined Liverpool for a record £32.5m and there were a lot of eyebrows raised when he did make the switch. Brendan Rodgers had always spoken about signing a player who would fit his ethos of pass and play, one reason why Mario Balotelli struggled so much in his first season for the Reds, and the signing of Benteke did not really make sense.

The Belgian is known for his heading ability but he isn’t the worst with the ball either. Benteke though never really fit into the Liverpool system, though he does have goals to his name that has not been enough for Jurgen Klopp to trust him with the goal scoring duties.

Daniel Sturridge and Roberto Firmino have actually played a lot of games up front for the Reds and even Divock Origi got the nod to start in front of Benteke now. The other Belgian in the striking department has certainly gotten better as the season has progressed for the Reds and if he is fit, he could be the one who starts in the Europa League final on Wednesday.

The reality for Benteke is that he was brought into a club which did not suit his playing style. You pump crosses into the box and Benteke will get onto them more often than not but what happens with Liverpool is that they play a more intricate game which is based on movement and passing. Benteke is a sore thumb in the side and the faster Liverpool get rid of him the better it would be for the side.

It isn’t that the Belgian striker is a bad player, far from it, anyone who can score a goal every other game for a side like Aston Villa deserves to play in the Premier League simply because he has performed for the now relegated side for nearly three years.

Christian Benteke would still fetch a pretty decent amount from his sale. Liverpool also have the likes of Danny Ings to look at next season after the English striker made a recovery and even played a few minutes in the last Premier League game of the season. Benteke’s time at the club is more or less at an end and the striker has been linked with few moves within the Premier League as well.

This was yet another example of money being wasted on a player who didn’t fit the system, an issue which has plagued Liverpool for many years. The Reds might be looking at a few new players next season and hopefully Jurgen Klopp gets most of his transfers right than wrong.