Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp rejected the chance to sign RB Leipzig striker Timo Werner in 2018, according to the Liverpool Echo.
The newspaper claims that the German was given the opportunity to sign his compatriot in the previous calendar year, but declined due to his high hopes for youngster Rhian Brewster.
The 19-year-old has thus far been unable to capitalise on his undoubted potential because of injuries, in fact he has never made a senior appearance for the Reds.
Despite that, though, Klopp has clearly seen enough from him to determine that it would be a mistake for him to sign a prolific top flight frontman in Werner.
OPINION
Well, this is quite the compliment for Brewster, isn’t it? We’ve all been aware of the youngster for a few years now and the excitement on Merseyside and in the country at large about his eventual emergence is huge. We haven’t had a young forward emerge from Anfield with such fanfare since Michael Owen in the 1990’s. It’s going to be hard for Brewster to ever live up to what Owen achieved at a young age, but he is clearly tremendously highly rated by those at Liverpool. So much so that Klopp rejected the chance to sign a striker as talented as Werner. The German is a proven Bundesliga centre forward who has been consistently scoring goals at a high level for years. So you could look at this decision from the Reds boss as a big gamble. It’s not every day you get the opportunity to sign a frontman as good as Werner. However, Klopp clearly has a phenomenal amount of faith in Brewster and believes he will go on to become a big player for his team in the years to come.
