When Liverpool and Red Bull Salzburg played out a modern Champions League classic at Anfield six years ago, the dominant force of Austrian football appeared to herald their arrival as a dark horse in European competition.

Their three goalscorers in that eventual 4-3 defeat on Merseyside, by the way, were the now-Wolves attacker Hwang Hee-Chan, future Liverpool forward Takumi Minamino, and a certain blonde bombshell by the name of Erling Haaland.

Those three included, no fewer than seven members of Salzburg’s starting XI would end up playing in the Premier League.



Salzburg look likely to miss out on the title for successive campaigns for the first time since their decade-and-a-half of domination began back in 2006.

Liverpool sent warning over £10m Caoimhin Kelleher replacement; He could be another Simon Mignolet	Bobby Clark made “a lot of offers” with Liverpool in line for extra payout	Liverpool player is mystery man that's sold his shirts for £100,000

And the struggles of Bobby Clark – the third most expensive signing in their history at £10 million – rather sums up the sudden difficulties encountered by a club who are not quite getting it right these days off the pitch, never mind on it.

Photo by Rene Nijhuis/MB Media/Getty Images

Bobby Clark’s Liverpool departure certainly didn’t go down well with the Anfield faithful last summer.

As Clark’s difficult debut campaign in Austria comes trundling to a very underwhelming conclusion, however, Liverpool need not yet fear a Haaland or Szoboszlai-esque rise to prominence for the England Under-20 international.

Lee Clark, Bobby’s father and a midfielder in his own playing days with Newcastle, Fulham and Sunderland, has been speaking to The Chronicle this week.

He claims that Clark was the subject of a number of approaches from ‘various British clubs’ during the January transfer window.

Clark followed Jurgen Klopp’s old assistant, Pep Lijnders, to Austria.

Lijnders was sacked by Red Bull Salzburg in December after just 27 games in charge.

He went to RB Salzburg because he had a lot of respect for Pep Lijnders,” Lee Clark adds.

The manager he went and signed for in Pepijn Lijnders lost his job so it was the first time Bobby experienced that.”

While gaining European exposure against the likes of Bayer Leverkusen, Atletico Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain, Clark has started only seven Austrian Bundesliga matches while scoring just once for Salzburg.


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