Liverpool could finally swoop for a forward that former manager Jurgen Klopp was reportedly a big admirer of
Liverpool’s decision to sign Mohamed Salah instead of Julian Brandt is arguably the most pivotal sliding doors moment in the club’s modern history. During the summer of 2017, former boss Jurgen Klopp was searching for a clinical winger who would eventually form one part of a devastating three-man attack alongside Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mane.
It’s understood that Klopp was keen to bring German talent Brandt, then 21, to Anfield. On the face of it, he appeared an ideal match for Liverpool, having registered 12 goal contributions across 40 outings for Bayer Leverkusen.
However, Klopp was reportedly persuaded to pursue Salah, who arrived at the club for £36million from Roma. Two Premier League crowns, a Champions League trophy and 257 goals later, the Reds’ choice appears thoroughly justified after Salah departed the club this summer.
Brandt ultimately left Leverkusen and signed for Klopp’s former employers, Borussia Dortmund, in 2019. The German, now 30, is poised to exit the Black and Yellows following seven campaigns, during which he found the net 57 times in 307 matches and is available on a free transfer.
Is there an argument for Liverpool to finally pursue Brandt, a full nine years after the club were initially linked? There is.
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Brandt can operate across the frontline, primarily filling in at an advanced midfield role but he can also feature on both wings – a quality Liverpool are reportedly seeking this season as Andoni Iraola looks to reconstruct his team’s attack.
He also provides a significant goal threat. He has netted 48 times and registered 45 assists from the left throughout his career to date, while contributing 19 goals and 14 assists from the right.
He has recorded 37 goals and an impressive 66 assists operating in the No. 10 position. As we’re aware, availability is equally crucial given Liverpool’s demanding fixture list.
Brandt’s injury record is encouraging, with the adaptable attacker having missed merely three matches for Dortmund last season and only five the campaign before that.
He’s also accustomed to pressure situations. A former Germany international, Brandt emerged onto the scene as a teenager, making his Leverkusen debut before turning 18 and was instantly linked with Manchester United, Chelsea and Bayern Munich, whom he reportedly rejected on two occasions.
Brandt also appears to possess genuine integrity. Speaking in 2017, during Klopp’s rumoured interest, he told Kicker: “My gut feeling and my head are telling me the time to move has not arrived yet. I have to straighten things out in Leverkusen.”
He remained faithful to his pledge and continued for another two seasons at the Bayer Arena. There is also the question of Brandt being available on a ‘free’ and in an environment where the Reds are prepared to spend upwards of £80m for the likes of RB Leipzig’s Yan Diomande and PSG’s Bradley Barcola, this could be categorised as a ‘no-brainer’.
Klopp has downplayed suggestions that he championed Brandt over Salah in recent years, but did acknowledge speaking to the forward.
“There is always a story that I wanted to sign Julian Brandt or someone like that,” Klopp told The Anfield Wrap. “The situation with that is if you go for a winger, you talk to seven or eight. Yes, we spoke to him, but we spoke to Salah.”
There’s little question Liverpool made the correct decision in securing the man who’ll eternally be regarded as the Egyptian King on the Kop. Yet the very notion of Brandt potentially replacing Salah after all these years feels so improbable that it just might succeed.
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