Klopp regrets missing chance to sign Son Heung-min for Dortmund

"I could have signed Son Heung-min... that stupid guy!"

More than 10 years have passed, but the regret still lingers. 'Master tactician' Jürgen Klopp reflected on not signing Son Heung-min (33, Tottenham Hotspur).

British 'TBR Football' reported on the 8th (Korean time) that "Klopp said he really regrets not signing Son Heung-min, who joined Tottenham for £22 million (about 41.2 billion won)."

The outlet stated, "Klopp has missed a few blockbuster transfers over the years. Liverpool agreed to sign Moisés Caicedo under his guidance, but he joined Chelsea. Jude Bellingham was a key target for Liverpool before moving to Real Madrid," adding, "Several signings Klopp could have made were discussed. Interestingly, he mentioned that he could have signed Son Heung-min during his time at Dortmund."

In a recent interview, Klopp listed three transfer failures that still haunt him. The protagonists were none other than Son Heung-min, Sadio Mané, and Kevin De Bruyne— all legends who left a significant mark in the Premier League (PL). Just being mentioned alongside Mané and De Bruyne shows how high Son's status is.

According to the media, Klopp recently stated in an interview, "There are a few Dortmund fans here. I have to apologize for not signing Mané." He was the manager of Dortmund from 2008 to 2015.

Instead, Klopp signed Mané in 2016 while managing Liverpool. He added, "I could say I was young and naive. But I wasn't that young, and I wasn't naive. When I signed Mané at Liverpool, I realized, 'Oh my, I could have signed him years ago for much cheaper, and now it’s an exorbitant amount.'"

Next was Son Heung-min. Klopp said, "I could have signed Son Heung-min from Tottenham. I think he was at Hamburg at the time. I don't even remember why I didn't do it. But when I faced him in the PL, I thought, 'Oh God, that stupid guy!' It's insane."

De Bruyne's name was also brought up. Klopp said, "Once again, I want to say this for the Dortmund fans. I was very close to signing De Bruyne. Later, he knocked us out in the cup final with Wolfsburg. It was a double hit."

TBR Football noted, "Klopp regrets not signing Son Heung-min during his time at Dortmund. The reason is easy to understand" and pointed out, "Son Heung-min is a world-class player. He would have transformed Dortmund significantly and has been a thorn in Klopp's side during his time in the PL."

In fact, Son Heung-min has always been strong against Klopp. He scored 7 goals and provided 1 assist in 16 matches against Klopp's Liverpool. Additionally, he scored 9 goals in 12 matches against Dortmund, earning him the nickname 'the beekeeper.' Since their first encounter at Hamburg, he left a deep impression on Klopp by scoring multiple goals.

Klopp has repeatedly praised Son Heung-min. In an interview with 'KBS' in 2021, he laughed and said, "One of my biggest mistakes in life was not signing Son Heung-min when he was younger."

When Klopp left Liverpool last year, he also shared an anecdote involving Son Heung-min. Reflecting on the 2019 Champions League final against Tottenham, he said, "Before it was 2-0, I really wanted to close my eyes every time Son touched the ball. Only after Divock Origi's second goal could I finally enjoy the match."

Meanwhile, it has been reported that Son Heung-min was also likely to transfer to Liverpool. TBR Football stated, "Son Heung-min always knew how to shake the Liverpool net under Klopp. He scored in all of Klopp's last five matches against Liverpool," and added, "Interestingly, Son Heung-min once wanted to sign with Liverpool. Experts often said he would be a perfect signing for Liverpool."

Earlier, British 'The Telegraph' reported that if Tottenham had not qualified for the Champions League in 2022, the likelihood of Son Heung-min leaving the team would have been strong.

At that time, Tottenham dramatically finished 4th in the PL under the guidance of manager Antonio Conte, who was brought in as a firefighter, securing the last spot for UCL qualification. Son Heung-min also scored 23 goals in the league, becoming the first Asian player to win the PL top scorer award.

However, if Tottenham had slipped up, there was much speculation that Son Heung-min would seek a transfer. Unsurprisingly, Liverpool was preparing to sell Mané and was keeping an eye on Son's situation. Ultimately, Son Heung-min's move to Liverpool did not materialize, and Klopp brought Darwin Núñez from Benfica.

However, Núñez has faced much criticism for his lack of decisiveness. Consequently, it's impossible not to think about what it would have been like if Liverpool had signed Son Heung-min.

TBR Football stated, "Son Heung-min could have perfectly filled the roles of left winger or central forward under Klopp. If he had joined, Liverpool may not have struggled in the 2022-2023 season." Unfortunately, Klopp did not get the opportunity to manage Son Heung-min. If it had happened, it would have been a 'match made in heaven' in many ways," it added.

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