A lot was expected of Takumi Minamino following his arrival at Liverpool but he was never able to truly force his way into the first team plans of Jurgen Klopp at Anfield

When Takumi Minamino was announced as a Liverpool player in December 2019, there were few people that didn’t think the Reds had bagged a steal.

The Japanese international arrived at Anfield in a £7.25million deal after activating the release clause in his RB Salzburg contract.

The transfer added to a month when Jurgen Klopp signed a new contract, Liverpool won the Club World Cup and were clear at the top of the Premier League, ensuring plenty of excitement and anticipation for the following January.

Minamino’s ability was entrenched in the minds of Liverpool supporters after the midfielder produced a goal and an assist in a Champions League meeting weeks before the Reds completed the deal. The Izumisano-born ace earned plenty of admirers, including in the Liverpool dressing room.

The Salzburg star caught Klopp’s eye but is also said to have inspired several squad members to mention the possibility of landing the Japan star. Liverpool were then able to utilise returning transfer guru Michael Edwards’ relationship with Salzburg sporting director Christoph Freund to discover a modest release clause and move quickly to beat Manchester United to his signature.

Klopp credited Edwards for playing a key role in landing the ace and highlighted his Champions League performance and explained that such European experience was a big boost. The German coach more obscurely did welcome the new fans the club may have gained with Minamino adding ‘to our numbers of the LFC family in Japan specifically’.

Upon his arrival, Minamino stated his ambition to win both the Premier League and Champions League. While he didn’t have to wait too long for the former as Liverpool lifted the top-flight title for the first time in 30 years, his impact may not have quite been what he hoped.

Trent Alexander-Arnold noted that he had never seen a player learn a new language so quickly, but Minamino arrived with limited English and sat between Naby Keita and Sadio Mane where he could speak German with the former Salzburg stars and he could of course converse with Klopp in the Reds boss’ native tongue. However, there were more difficult circumstances in the aftermath of his arrival.

Takumi Minamino celebrates winning the Premier League title (
Image:
Getty Images)
The midseason break saw an extended period where Minamino was not able to challenge for a first-team place and after being in the country for little more than two months, the COVID-19 pandemic arrived, football was stopped and lockdown ensued. In addition to any personal difficulties in a new country, it also offered Minamino no time to adjust to Klopp’s style of football or training with the Premier League paused.

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That saw pre-season truncated and the 2020/21 term start in September as the attacking midfielder looked to make his presence felt after 14 appearances for the Reds in his opening half-season. Minamino had nevertheless impressed his coaching staff, with Pep Lijnders even making comparisons with Anfield legend Roberto Firmino.

“Wow – what a desire!” said Liverpool assistant Lijnders. “He is somebody who turns our game collective as well, the same as what Roberto [Firmino] does. His development has been outstanding – he always gives everything, each day.”

However, that did not prove enough to break into Liverpool’s first XI. Even when Mane and Firmino were out injured, Divock Origi and Xherdan Shaqiri were preferred and ultimately Minamino went on loan to Southampton for the remainder of the 20/21 season.

“We didn’t give him enough chances, that is the truth,” admitted Klopp at the time. “Sometimes for different reasons. Sometimes it was just the size when defending set-pieces because we were not tall enough. These kind of things make the difference why one player plays and another does not.”

While he started more games, the former Cerezo Osaka player was still in and out of the Saints’ side. He scored twice in 10 Premier League outings and was afforded another chance at Anfield upon his return.

Minamino managed to make his presence felt as he top-scored for Liverpool in each the FA Cup and Carabao Cup as the Reds lifted both trophies. He could only make one Premier League start and 10 appearances overall in the competition, however, and did not feature in either domestic cup final. He did not even make the matchday squad at Wembley in the FA Cup showpiece.

Minamino is now back to his best this season, having benefitted from a full pre-season, a new manager and a positional switch (
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VALERY HACHE/AFP via Getty Images)
That left the writing on the wall and Minamino was able to secure a move to Monaco that summer. The Reds still earned a profit as they raked in £12.9m for their charge’s services.

After signing a four-year deal, Minamino enjoyed another slow start in his debut season in Ligue 1. Monaco sporting director Paul Mitchel was not afraid to air his frustrations.

“Takumi Minamino is the one who is having the most difficulty integrating at the moment,” he said. “You have to be patient. I hope his goal against Reims will lead to many others.

“It’s paradoxical because he is the oldest player on this list. He must acclimatize mentally and physically. He needs rhythm. We know that he is a good player. He shone in Salzburg, has a lot of experience in the Champions League, and comes from Liverpool where he scored important goals and Jürgen Klopp has always had very complimentary words about him. We are working to give him back that relaxation that is missing currently at his game.”

The arrival of Adi Hutter in the summer of 2023 appears to have revitalised his form. Hutter was Minamino’s first coach in Salzburg in 2015 and six goals and five assists in 23 appearances this term has seen the Japan star begin to exert his influence.