Jürgen Klopp got $80m transfer call right as Liverpool rival fails with copycat attempt

Jürgen Klopp immediately handed an $80m transfer fee as rival Liverpool botched an imitation attempt

Jürgen Klopp knows he absolutely nailed a move to Liverpool, with no one coming close to being a certified world batsman in recent years.

Liverpool had a high-profile encounter against Newcastle United on Saturday afternoon, but the match was decided after just 22 minutes of play. The Reds led 2-0 at the time, but it wasn’t the goals that actually ended the game.

Newcastle United had a chance from a free-kick, but the ensuing shot into the penalty area was easily handled by Alisson Becker, keen to mount a counter-attack. The Brazilian spotted Mohamed Salah midway and struck a long kick to find him. Sensing danger in the Toon net, Nick Pope fired quickly from his own penalty area in an attempt to clear the ball before Salah could reach it, but failed miserably. In an isolated moment of madness, the Magpies goalkeeper tried to head in, but the ball missed and landed well before his own goal.

Referee Anthony Taylor had no choice but to give Pope a straight red card, leaving Liverpool down to 10 men for the rest of the game, while also benefiting from the comfort of being 2–0 up.

Indeed, over the years Pope has added sweeping goalie elements to his game, quietly establishing himself as a goalkeeper willing to leave his six-yard box despite his reputation as a no-nonsense shooter.

So far this season, the Englishman is second in the Premier League among his peer goalkeepers in average distance from goal of his defensive plays, behind none other than Alisson. He also ranks first in defense outside the box every 90 minutes, ahead of Illan Meslier in second and Alisson in third.

Since becoming a huge talent under traditionalist Sean Dyche at Burnley, Pope seems to have added new elements to his profile. The 30-year-old has become accustomed to clearing his penalty area when sweeping away dangerous opposition passes.

However, his disastrous blunder against the Reds arguably reflects his fabricated sweeper nature, with Alisson coming across as more of a natural when it comes to modern goalkeeping.

The Brazilian is one of the best with the ball at his feet, having even provided multiple assists under Jürgen Klopp in the red shirt. He’s also comfortable and decisive when catching up and also boasts good pace given his goalkeeping role. In addition to these contemporary advantages, Alisson denounced himself as the best shooting stop in the company after saving around 9.3 goals as planned in the Premier League this season. This level of over-performance against the expected goals (XG) puts it above the division, the Pope being occupied in sixth place.

The eyebrows were withdrawn when Liverpool broke the transfer record for a goalkeeper, Klopp and FSG sanctioned an agreement of up to 80 million dollars (67 million pounds sterling / 75 million). But it seems long before Alisson exchanges the team several times in the right times and in bad times.

Although Alisson competitors regularly challenge his throne, Klopp may be sure he has the real deal in Anged.