“We Sold Him for Pennies… Now He’s Worth More Than Wirtz” – John Henry Admits Klopp-Era Sale Still Haunts Liverpool
Liverpool owner John Henry rarely opens up to the media — but this time, he’s revealed one of the biggest regrets of the Klopp era.
“We sold him for a cheap fee back then,” Henry confessed. “Now, he’d be worth more than Florian Wirtz and Hugo Ékitiké. We still regret letting him go.”
The Sale That Aged Terribly
In 2021, Liverpool parted with 20-year-old attacking midfielder Mateo Castillo for just £12m. At the time, Jürgen Klopp opted for proven first-team options over raw potential. Castillo was allowed to leave, heading to the Bundesliga with little fanfare.
Today, Castillo is a superstar — valued between €160–180m, eclipsing Wirtz’s rumoured £116m fee and Ékitiké’s €80m valuation. Inside Anfield, it’s considered one of the club’s worst misjudgements in recent memory.
A senior executive admitted:
“That decision still ranks as one of our worst. We failed to see the long-term value, and that’s rare for us.”
A Policy Shift Born from Regret
At the time, £12m seemed sensible. But the missed upside forced a rethink. Henry says Liverpool’s transfer model has since evolved:
“From now on, we price in upside. Good players today are fine. Great ones today and tomorrow are far more valuable.”
Liverpool’s recruitment philosophy now places greater weight on future potential, ensuring another Castillo scenario doesn’t repeat.
The Warning for the Future
With market inflation pushing young talent valuations to record highs, Henry’s admission stands as a cautionary tale: short-term squad fit can’t outweigh the potential of generational talent.
For Liverpool fans, the sting is real — Castillo could have been lighting up Anfield, not the Bundesliga.
