It’s an exciting time to be a Liverpool fan.
The above statement, when coupled with the departure of the club’s most technically gifted player to Barcelona, may seem a little incongruous. However, look beyond the sale of Philippe Coutinho to Barcelona and you will see the exciting project unfolding at Anfield under the watchful eye of Jurgen Klopp.
After a summer transfer window in which Liverpool somehow failed to sign a top-quality centre-half to address the glaring defensive issues in the first-team, Klopp has rectified that mistake emphatically with the capture of Virgil van Dijk.
But they’re not stopping there. With their transfer kitty boosted to the sum of €160million, Klopp is continuing to target players who will shore up things at the back. The next item on the transfer agenda is a first-class goalkeeper. With Manchester City showing how significant the arrival of a safe pair of hands between the posts can be with Ederson, Liverpool have taken heed by reportedly pursuing a deal for Roma stopper Alisson.
Coincidentally, Alisson is the man expected to deny Ederson a starting place with Brazil at the World Cup. Anyone who has watched him for the Giallorossi this season will telly you why: he’s been outstanding and is right now is considered the finest goalkeeper in Serie A. With Gianluigi Buffon at Juventus, that’s considerably high praise.
Liverpool have entered negotiations with Roma goalkeeper Alisson Becker. [@pitacodoguffo] pic.twitter.com/k7ZtLW7dkT
— Anfield Edition (@AnfieldEdition) January 7, 2018
The stats paint a convincing picture of Alisson’s credentials. The 25-year-old averages around 2.56 saves per 90 minutes, 3.83 saves per goal and 0.67 goals conceded, comfortably eclipsing Simon Mignolet’s 1.53, 1.21 and 1.21 in the same categories. Much emphasis is placed on the quality of a goalkeeper’s distribution in the modern game but Alisson excels in that department, too, with 85% accuracy to Mignolet’s 75%.
Alisson seems to tick all the boxes but, more than anything, it’s about time Klopp thought about improving on Mignolet. The German has given Mignolet and Loris Karius ample opportunities to prove their worth. They have both failed, with semi-regular high-profile errors illustrating the increasingly urgent need for an upgrade.
Just like how Pep Guardiola prioritised signing a replacement for Claudio Bravo after an error-strewn debut season in the Premier League (Ederson was announced as a City player on June 1st, the first day of the transfer window), Klopp has clearly accelerated plans to address his own goalkeeping situation.
https://twitter.com/BrazilStat/status/950130963497078784
Liverpool have also been heavily linked with a move for Atletico Madrid’s highly-rated keeper Jan Oblak, but a deal for him seems less likely considering that his buyout clause is a hefty €100m. Even still, the fact that Klopp is targeting a couple of the finest keepers in Europe should be hugely encouraging news for those Liverpool supporters who have demanded a more reliable option in goal.
It’s been said that the Coutinho transfer is so significant that Klopp’s legacy will be largely shaped by how he spends the money. While that’s far from hyperbole, fans should take comfort in how the post-Coutinho landscape is looking.
Van Dijk has the potential to be one of the club’s finest defenders in the Premier League era, while the acquisition of Naby Keita from RB Leipzig has been hailed as a game-changing signing, capturing one of Europe’s most exciting midfield prospects, a roving box-to-box presence dynamo who can do just about everything (insert lazy N’Golo Kante comparison here).
With van Dijk already signed and Keita on the way, luring a world-class goalkeeper like Alisson to Anfield would significantly enhance Liverpool’s defence and encourage a sense of balance. With such eye-catching signings, it’s not incomprehensible to envisage the Reds emerging as the main rival to Manchester City’s dominance next season.
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