Liverpool are in Alisson Wonderland after finally completing the signing of the Brazil international, with the much-coveted goalkeeper moving from Roma for a whopping €70million (£63million) – a world record fee for a goalkeeper.
The 25-year-old, full name Alisson Ramses Becker, moved to Serie A from Internacional two years ago and, after failing to make a single league appearance in his first season at the Giallorossi, has since blossomed into the most expensive ‘keeper of all time.
With Loris Karius failing to impress last season, with his disastrous (albeit concussion-impaired) Champions League final performance not doing him any favours, Jurgen Klopp was always on the look out for a world class number one.
On getting his man, Klopp said:
At one point in the last few weeks it came up, the opportunity to sign one of the world’s best goalkeepers – then it’s not a long thought, to be honest, it’s only that you need to have a little talk with the owners! They were quite excited, so we did it.
I think it’s something we have to do. He has nothing to do with the price, we have nothing to do with the price, it’s the market, that’s how it is and we will not think a lot about it.
It shows the value of goalkeepers, of course, in this moment. It will happen a lot in the next few weeks I guess and that’s it, so we are really happy to have him here now.
Alisson is certainly that and joins fellow countryman Fabinho and Guinea international Naby Keita in moving to Anfield this summer.
The €70million fee coughed up by the Reds makes Alisson the most expensive goalkeeper of all time, beating the €53million Juventus paid Parma for Gigi Buffon in 2001.
With the Liverpool board splashing the cash this summer, the pressure will be on Klopp to finally deliver a trophy with his star-studded squad.