Liverpool Legend Slams Jurgen Klopp for Selling 'Best Defender' During Summer

Liverpool legend Phil Thompson has berated Reds boss Jurgen Klopp's decision to allow Mamadou Sakho to join Crystal Palace this summer, stating the German manager offloaded the club's "best defender."

The north west side have come under fire from a number of critics so far this term surrounding their defensive capabilities, which has seen them ship 11 goals so far this season in six Premier League games - a record only worsened by three other teams. 

The television pundit, who captained the five-times European Champions to their third success of the competition in 1981, believes a significant contribution to their struggles at the back rest on the absence of the France international. 

“Our best defender at the start of this season has been allowed to leave”, Thompson told Sky Sports.

“Mamadou Sakho was our best defender. He was a warrior, a fighter, a battler - all those things and you saw it at Crystal Palace last season.

“He was like that at Liverpool. I know there’s fallouts in football all the time but somewhere along the line you can’t cut off your nose to spite your face. He should have made up with the boy, ban him for three or four months and then bring him back in.

“And now you lose out to Van Dijk for whatever reason that happened so surely you would be keeping Sakho. Lovren is a good player, Matip’s a good player, Klavan too, but they’re not battlers.”