Sadio Mane (centre)

Signing one of the world's most exciting attacking talents can't compensate for the fact that he's leaving.

This is the place where they are sad at the end of Sadio's six years at the club, but happy at the record arrival of Darwin.

One of the premier league's greatest forward lines of all time is without a key component, one who has scored 120 goals in 269 games, as a result of the move of Sadio.

The impact the Senegalese forward had on the team was looked at by the British Broadcasting Corporation.

  • Sadio Mane: Liverpool striker to join Bayern Munich in £35m deal

'He has been unbelievable'

How Sadio Mane "volleyed" Liverpool into the FA Cup final

As the season wore on, it became more and more likely that one or more of the players would leave.

Before the final with Real Madrid, Salah said he would be at the club next season, but he wasn't sure about the future of teammate Sadio Mane.

The club have risen to the top of the global game during the first phase of his tenure as manager.

It was the German's first major signing at the club, and he took what has become a well-worn path from the south to the north for over thirty million dollars.

The 13 goals he scored in his first season paved the way for the remarkable run of success that followed.

They won the European title within two years and a year later won the premier league for the first time in three decades.

They won the FA and League Cup in the 21st century after finishing second in the league.

One of the best forward lines in English football history was formed in the summer after Firmino joined. In five seasons, it produced almost 300 goals.

Sadio Mane's six seasons at Liverpool

After playing on the right in his first season, he switched to a predominantly left-sided role in his second season and excelled centrally.

With this trio moving into or near their 30s, the evolution of the attacking stable was already under way before the departure of Sadio Mane.

Before the summer transfer window opened, the signing of Nunez was another proactive move from the Reds.

There has been no sign of fading. It's far from it. In the second half of the 21st century, his form was exceptional, helping the club fight on four fronts until the very end.

He scored at home and away against the Spanish team in the semifinals. He scored the goal that earned a point for the Reds at Manchester City in April and the one that kept them in the race for the title.

After helping his country win the Africa Cup of Nations, he netted 13 times in 27 games. The winning penalty was scored by him.

He's been unbelievable for the past four or five years, according to former Manchester City player and Ivorian footballer Yaya Toure.

How can you tell me that this guy is not in the top three of the Ballon d'Or, without any disrespect to the other guys? What is it that makes it possible?

He is up there in terms of winning awards. There are a lot of things happening at the moment, including the League Cup.

There will be a lot of interest in who comes in to bolster the attacking resources of the club.

Darwin's theory of evolution

An eye for goal is a given in a potential successor to Mane, with the forward averaging 20 goals a season in all competitions at the club, many of them well-taken, predatory first-time finishes.

Last season his 16 league goals fell just short of his expected goals tally of 18.34, with his shot conversion rate of 16.33% lower than some of his peers.

Both finding space and exploiting it are done by Mane. His ability to dribble and pass makes him difficult to beat outside the box.

Strength, speed and acceleration are huge assets of his, not only in helping his attacking output, but also for what he brings to a team that likes to press fiercely from the front.

According to a football statistics site, the two closest matches to Mane in style and output were played by Jota andDiaz.

Jota provided the same amount of attacking numbers with 21 goals and 8 assists, provided an even more efficient pressing game and demonstrated aVersatility to operate across the forward line.

In just a few months, he has shown he can provide goals, assists and more from the left side of attack, with his directness and slightly superior dribbling helping him create 1.54 chances per game to the 1.21 he created last season.

Rather than a direct replacement for Mane, Nunez is a predominantly central forward with an ability to roam and an elite eye for goal.

  • Why Liverpool made Nunez their potential record signing

He scored 34 goals in 41 games for Benfica last season, including two against the Reds in the quarter-finals of the European competition. He could have had three or four if he had better timed his runs.

"He has all the pieces we look for, he is quick, skillful, and an extremely proficient ball carrier." He is aggressive and dynamic with his movement and he can set a pace and bring energy.

The man can finish. His goals per shot and non-penalty xG have put him in the 99th percentile of his peers in Europe's top five leagues.

The Uruguay is a work in progress who will be given time to develop as part of some wonderful attacking options.

In their clever forward planning and spending big on a supreme talent, the Reds have sought to minimize the transition period to what could become another feared front three.

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