Smash & Nab
Klopp reckons he’s got man to pinch cup back from Real
FOR Jurgen Klopp good things really do come to those who wait.
The Liverpool boss believes remaining patient for his No.1 transfer targets will finally pay dividends this season.
Not only did he decline to hit the panic button when he couldn’t get Virgil van Dijk last summer he also remained calm enough to agree a deal that made him pause for a whole year for Naby Keita.
Already, after just three games, it seems worth it.
Now they hope he can provide the platform for the team to go one step better than they managed in last season’s Champions League when suffering the heartbreaking final defeat by Real Madrid.
Liverpool could get an early reunion with Madrid and bogeyman Sergio Ramos when the draw takes place this evening. If that happens the Spanish giants will discover Liverpool have a new dimension with Keita’s ability to provide the missing link between defence and attack Capturing the Guinea star for £52.75million is looking a coup for Klopp, not least because Keita allows his forwards more freedom within Liverpool’s system. The Liverpool boss said: “We are very happy to have him here finally. Naby comes from a similar football philosophy and he’s very sharp in the challenges and very quick counter-pressing.
“I have contact with a lot of people in the Bundesliga and I’ve never had so many congratulations messages as I had after signing Naby! He’s the player of the league.
Keita’s former Leipzig coach Ralph Hasenhuttl is a fan. He said: “If there’s one player I don’t have any fear that he can make it at every club in the world then that’s Naby.
“Barcelona wanted him as a replacement for Iniesta but Liverpool wanted him more.”
“Last year, together with Thiago Alcantara for Bayern, he was the flier. He’s been doing this for two or three years, with different clubs in different leagues, but he’s still a young boy.”