Jurgen Klopp would have already made it his mission to come back strong next year. Liverpool hearts were broken after their Champions League collapse against Real Madrid in Kiev. Real Madrid won the game 3-1 on the night, with all of Liverpool’s frailties being exposed.
Mohammed Salah was taken off after 30 minutes after the Egyptian collided with Sergio Ramos and dislocated his shoulder. Adam Lallana was brought on and it still looked as though Real Madrid were one up in number. Loris Karius was then to blame after the goalkeeper’s errors led to two of Madrid’s goals, either side of a stunning Gareth Bale bicycle.
Liverpool had an otherwise exciting season with loads to look forward to next season. When Jurgen Klopp first moved to Anfield, he said, that the club must turn doubters into believers and that’s exactly what he’s turned this club into. Liverpool are now capable of punishing any side in the world.
Klopp has already completed the signing of Monaco midfielder Fabinho for a transfer fee of around £43.7million. The German is also eagerly awaiting the arrival of RB Leipzig midfielder Naby Keita, who is set to join the club on the 1st of July.
Klopp now seems to have turned his interest towards his goalkeeping problems. Liverpool were strongly linked with Brazil goalkeeper Alisson Becker but recent reports suggest that the Champions League runners-up could be going for Atletico Madrid No.1 Jan Oblak.
The Slovenian joined the club in 2014, going on to make a total of 116 appearances for the Spanish club. He is widely regarded as one of the best goalkeepers in the world after David De Gea and Manuel Neuer. The Slovenian is an excellent shot-stopper and has cat-like reflex abilities.
The goalkeeper made 34 appearances in the La Liga this season, keeping a league-high 21 clean sheets. That’s right; it’s more than Marc-Andre Ter Stegen and Keylor Navas. That’s how good he is in goal. He also made 106 saves in the league, averaging 2.41 saves per game.
Oblak has come to Atletico’s rescue on a countless number of occasions, making crucial and match-winning saves. That is the kind of goalkeeper Jurgen Klopp is going to need to win if he aspires to win the title. Alisson is already away with the Brazilian national team to compete in Russia for the World Cup, so any kind of deal will have to wait until Brazil are done with their campaign.
Striking a deal for Jan Oblak certainly seems like a better option at this point, considering the fact that Slovenia have not qualified for the World Cup. It makes it easier to negotiate. Liverpool have conceded very few goals since the turn of 2018 and if they do snap up Jan Oblak, they can probably concede the least number of goals in the league next season. However, he has a £88m release clause and it remains to be seen of Liverpool decide to spend big.
