Where Liverpool wonderkid Jurgen Klopp needed two transfer windows to sign is now

It’s not very often that Jurgen Klopp gets it wrong in the transfer market for Liverpool.

Alisson Becker, Mo Salah and Virgil van Dijk stand out as some of his most successful acquisitions during his time at Anfield. Even those deals that haven’t quite worked out on the pitch - one example being Takumi Minamino - have still managed to fetch the Reds a tidy profit.

The same cannot quite be said of former wonderkid Joe Hardy. The young striker arrived during the same window as the Japanese international from Brentford but now finds himself in non-league with Bootle FC.

A product of the Manchester City academy, Hardy scored 40 goals in 80 games for the Bees’ B team. That kind of prolificacy got him noticed by Liverpool.

The Reds at first tried to sign him during the 2019 summer transfer window, only to see their efforts rebuffed. They were more successful second time around as the striker penned a deal until the end of the 2019/20 campaign.

Hardy was originally signed as an addition for the Reds’ under-23 side but he did enough to earn an appearance for the senior team after being introduced as a substitute in an FA Cup fourth round replay win against Shrewsbury Town. His showings convinced Liverpool to offer him a contract for a further season.

Hardy’s second season on Merseyside was marred by injury and he eventually left on a free transfer. He does not hold regrets over his decision to sign for Liverpool.

Speaking to DaveOCKOP, he said: “It’s done me really good [working with Klopp], from the couple of seasons I spent there I learnt so much. Some of the experiences I had were unbelievable and I’ll take them onboard for my whole career. He [Klopp] made me a better player, even in the short period I was there, I came back a much