Jurgen Klopp saw many players come and go at Liverpool during his nine-year stint as manager, but very few are likely to remember his first-ever signing for the Reds.
The German boss waspraised for his ability to bring in lesser-known players and develop them into some of the best stars on the planet during his time at Anfield as well as Borussia Dortmund previously. Players such as Andy Robertson, Georginio Wijnaldum and Robert Lewandowski are all examples of this ability with each player going on to become some of the best in their specific positions when no one had thought it to be possible.
Unfortunately for Klopp’s first acquisition at the English club however, this was not the path he was destined to follow as he is no longer with the Merseyside outfit. The man in question is Serbian midfielder Marko Grujic, who was signed from Red Star Belgrade in January 2016. The fee required to secure his signature was a nominal £5.1 million that many Reds’ fans had expected to be looking back on as a bargain in the future with Klopp’s impressive track record of finding young talent and growing them into world beaters.
Now approaching a decade since the transfer was made, it is interesting to take a look at where Grujic is now.
Marko Grujic’s Time at Liverpool Was Poor
The midfielder played just 16 times for the Reds
There was an initial delay in the signing of the Serbian in 2016 as he was weighing up his options with many top clubs across Europe said to be in the mix to sign him up. His father was apparently not overly sold on the move to Liverpool, to begin with, but a personal phone call from Klopp and even a visit from Zeljko Buvac – Klopp’s assistant at the time – convinced the young player to pick Anfield.
As it was a January signing, the player was immediately sent back to Red Star Belgrade to see out the remainder of the 2015/16 campaign. During this loan back, he was part of the squad that won the Super Liga which he would have thought was only the beginning of a trophy-heavy career.
He immediately hit the ground running in his first pre-season with his new club with multiple goals in friendly matches, including a sensational header in an emphatic 4-0 win over Barcelona at Wembley Stadium. These performances had Liverpool fans very excited at the season ahead with Grujic expected to play his part.
This did not end up being the case as he was largely limited to domestic cup appearances and rarely got near a Premier League pitch. His league debut did come in a 2-0 defeat at Turf Moor against Burnley. A hamstring injury then kept the Serbian out of action for the majority of the season as he worked to get back to full fitness with the Under-23 squad.
The following season was not much better for the midfielder as he struggled to even threaten to take a starting place from Wijnaldum, James Milner or Jordan Henderson. Again, he was very limited to cup appearances, which led to a loan move to Cardiff City in the winter transfer window. His spell in Wales saw him bag one goal while helping the team to gain promotion to the Premier League.
Marko Grujic’s Liverpool statistics
Appearances
16
Goals
1
Assists
1
Despite his lack of game time, he was the subject of praise from Klopp as the German boss spoke to Liverpool.com, per Wales Online.
“We miss him already in the training group because he developed really in a fantastic way. But because of the quality we have in the squad, it happened really often that he was not even in the squad. That’s not nice, and he needs these 20 games in the Championship. I’m really happy for him.”
It was not enough to help the youngster break into Klopp’s plans however, as a further loan spell, this time to Hertha Berlin in Germany was sanctioned. Some strong performances in the Bundesliga made Grujic a fan favourite and was enough to earn an extension to his loan move, meaning he spent two years in Berlin. Showing his capabilities of getting into the box and contributing goals, he found the back of the net on nine occasions in just over 50 appearances for the club.
He’s Now a AEK Athens Player
He left Liverpool for Porto after five years before heading to Greece in 2025
Initially embarking on a further loan spell with Porto, the deal was made permanent this time after 12 months in Portugal. Liverpool received a fee of £10.5 million in 2021 with a 10% sell-on clause inserted into the deal, meaning the Reds more than doubled their money despite the player never really featuring in Klopp’s plans during his five years at Anfield.
He had a successful stint in Portugal, as he helped the team to a league success in the 2020/21 season during his loan spell at the club. There were also multiple cup wins at Porto, with Grujic being an important part of the first-team squad. Upon his return on a permanent deal, Grujic told the official club website just how determined he was to return to Porto and how happy he was to have got a deal over the line.
“I did everything I could to return to FC Porto, and I am very happy that this day has arrived. The clubs reached an agreement and returning to FC Porto was the most important thing for me, as I felt very good here last season. From the first day I left FC Porto, I received messages from fans asking me to come back. They showed me a lot of affection and gave me a lot of support, something I couldn’t ignore.”
An Instagram post from the former Liverpool man said: “[It] was a great honour to be part of this massive club!” He signed off the mentioned message by addressing his former fans: “[I] made some lifelong friends, learned many things on and off the pitch and will bring them with me in the new challenges. Thank you, Liverpool FC!”
The now 29-year-old played 140 games for Porto over the course of five years. Sadly, though, a nasty heel injury kept him sidelined for the bulk of 2024/25, and he played just two league games in his final season. In the summer of 2025, he then completed a free transfer to Super League Greece club AEK Athens.
Marko Grujic’s statistics
FC Porto
Appearances
140
Goals
4
Assists
4
AEK Athens
Appearances
9
Goals
0
Assists
0
Now in Greece, he’s got himself fit again and has played nine times in total so far across 2025/26. That said, he’s failed to deliver a goal or an assist for his new team, and has started just once in the league (in a 2-0 loss to rivals PAOK).
Grujic wasn’t the best signing to kick off Klopp’s reign at Liverpool, but the German certainly made up for it in the years that have passed since. It seems as though the miss was an anomaly in an otherwise stellar record in the transfer market.