Former Liverpool midfielder Steve McManaman has predicted big things for new signing Allison, admitting that he is the ‘key piece of the puzzle’ for Jurgen Klopp’s side.
The Reds recently welcomed goalkeeper Allison for £65 million from Roma, a world-record fee for a goalkeeper, after fighting off interest from league rivals Chelsea.
McManaman was quoted by the Daily Mail as saying: “They seem to have done really good business and they’ve done it early so there is no last-minute panic towards deadline day which we know is very early this year.
“Signing Alisson smashed the record for a goalkeeper but players are worth what they are worth now, that’s just the value of good players, if you want the best you pay good money.”
Following keeper Loris Karius’ costly mistakes in the Champions League Final in Kiev, Klopp undoubtedly went on the look-out for a new shot-stopper to ease the woes in between the sticks.
He joins the likes of Naby Keita, Fabinho and Xherdan Shaqiri at Anfield, but the Kop legend now believes that the club have completed ‘the puzzle’ with the mega-money signing of the Brazil number one.
“Alisson is considered one of the best, so he’s worth it. Was Virgil van Dijk worth £75m? If you ask Liverpool fans the answer is yes and you just hope the goalkeeper is the same.
“You’re hoping this cloud over Liverpool about the goalkeepers will disappear now, he could save the team 10-15 points a season because of how good he is – I think it was the key piece of the puzzle for Liverpool.”
OPINION
Steve McManaman is spot on about what Allison can bring to the club – Liverpool have been crying out fot a world-class goalkeeper, even before the Karius incident in Kiev. There is a reason why he was worth £65 million, and McManaman is right – you have to pay that sort of money in order to land a top player. Hopefully now they have him, he can be the difference between winning the title and finishing second, and they can forget about their previous keeper woes. Klopp has completed some excellent transfer business this summer, and as McManaman says – Allison is ‘one of the best’. The Brazilian keeper may not have had the best of runs in this summer’s World Cup as they crashed out to Belgium in the quarter-finals, but he could find himself being one of the best stoppers in the Premier League come the 2018/2019 Premier League season – it will be exciting to see whether he lives up to McManaman’s prediction.
