Search icon

Football

16th Feb 2018

Liverpool fans are gutted by latest news on their world-class goalkeeper hunt

Ah well. It was fun while it lasted.

JOE

In many ways he seems like the answer to their prayers

Alisson Becker is a rare talent. The 25-year-old AS Roma number one is widely acknowledged as one of the best goalkeepers in Europe. Not only is he a wonderfully talented shot-stopper and a dominant presence in the box, but he is a reassuringly consistent and calming influence between his defence. Brazil hasn’t always been renowned for producing stellar talent between the posts, but Alisson is one of the best they’ve produced.

Liverpool want/need just such a player. Someone who can sew up their problem position for the next decade. There have been plenty of pretenders over the years, but no one has totally convinced. Certainly Jurgen Klopp is a fan, and has been linked to the Brazilian for the best part of the last 12 months. An added bonus is that Alisson happens to be very good with the ball at his feet, with excellent distribution. Perfect then.

This week it has been reported that it would take a bid between £60m and £80m to prise him from Rome. That’s a lot of money, but worth it for a world-class player. Liverpool have been rumoured to be preparing such a bid in the summer, but now James Pearce, well-respected journalist at the Liverpool Echo, has pissed on more than a few chips by reporting that FSG won’t break the bank to secure the stopper’s services.

Apparently a ‘resurgent’ Loris Karius has ‘strengthened his grip’ on the number one spot, meaning that the club don’t need to splash out a fortune on a replacement.

As you can imagine, fans everywhere are less than pleased…