Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp accused of making inexcusable transfer mistake

Liverpool sold their ‘best defender’ when Mamadou Sakho was allowed to join Crystal Palace in the summer, according to Phil Thompson.

France international Sakho joined the Reds in 2013 from Paris Saint-Germain but fell out of favour with Jurgen Klopp last year.

The 27-year-old was sent out on loan to Palace for the second-half of last season and impressed as the Eagles avoided relegation, eventually finishing 14th.

But Sakho failed to win over Klopp and the defender was sold to Palace on deadline day for a fee believed to be worth around £30million.

‘Our best defender at the start of this season has been allowed to leave,’ Thompson, who made over 400 appearances for Liverpool, told Sky Sports.

Mamadou Sakho spent three seasons at Anfield before joining Crystal Palace (Picture: Getty)

‘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.’