Jurgen Klopp says spending big on Alisson and Virgil van Dijk was an ‘easy decision’, because of their ability.
Liverpool signed the pair in the space of six months back in 2018, with Van Dijk joining from Southampton for £75 million in January and Alisson arriving from Roma for £65 million in the summer.
Klopp isn’t one to spend money for the sake of it, but he saw the superstar pair as a necessity.
Speaking to former Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger in an interview with beIN SPORTS, the Liverpool boss spoke about why signing Alisson and Van Dijk was a no-brainer:
It was expensive of course.
For the right player, you have to pay it and it was an easy decision to say to the club ‘can we have him or not?’ We just have to be convinced and with these players (Alisson and Van Dijk) it was clear. They had that level already.
For Virgil, he played at Southampton and before that Celtic, but all the individual skills he had already.
He had to adapt to our style but other players came in like Mo Salah and play slightly different to how he played at Roma, Mane made steps from how he played at Southampton. They all had to make steps.
Read Liverpool Verdict
I believe Alisson and Van Dijk are the Reds’ two most important signing of the Klopp era.
While likes of Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah have been magnificent in their own right, the difference those two have made to the defence has been game-changing.
Liverpool now have an aura at the back, conceding just 22 Premier League goals last season and only 14 this time around, due mainly to their influence.
All of a sudden, Liverpool have gone from having goalkeepers and centre-backs who weren’t good enough, such as Simon Mignolet and Dejan Lovren, to having the best in the world in their respective positions, in my opinion.
When we look back on this great team in years to come, I think Alisson and Van Dijk will be seen as the catalyst behind its success.
