For the second time in two seasons, Liverpool will be hoping to strike gold with a signing from Italian side Roma. Mo Salah worked out fairly well for them last season, now they dive into the goalie position as Alisson Becker, it has been announced, signed for Liverpool for a world record fee for goalkeepers. This marks the second window in a row that Liverpool break a world record (in January 2017, Virgil van Dijk became the most expensive defender in football history) and fills a position in which fans have been crying out for the club to splash some cash. Now that they have, who is Alisson, and is he going to be worth the money? Let's dive in.
A Brief Introduction:
Alisson is a 25-year-old Brazilian keeper, who will turn 26 just two-and-a-half months into the season (October 2nd). Alisson spent his entire youth career as well as the early stages of his professional career with Brazilian side Internacional. Alisson was only the full-time starter for one full year until Roma came calling in 2016 signing him on a free. He served as the back-up to Wojciech Szczesny, who was on loan from Arsenal at the time, and was used solely during the club's Europa League campaign, where he aided them in advancing to the Round of 16 before ultimately losing to Lyon, as well as in one Champions League qualifier, along with the domestic cup. 2017-18's season brought about a different situation however.
As Szczesny left to Juventus, and currently seems set to start in net for the Italian super-club as heir to Gigi Buffon's throne, Alisson was given his opportunity to break out, and he did not mishandle this shot. The Brazilian would claim the goalie slot in WhoScored.com's European Team of the Season, yes, that's for the entirety of Europe. The keeper ranked best in Serie A in save success rate at a shade above 80% on the season and was the highest average rated goalie in the entire league throughout the season. Roma finished third in Serie A, the top team outside the two horse race of Juventus and Napoli, and was defeated by Liverpool in the Champions League semi-finals -- a run highlighted by their unbelievable comeback victory over Barcelona in the second leg of their quarter-finals match-up. For good reason, Alisson was hailed as a brilliant keeper and earned the number one keeper's job for Brazil in the World Cup. Despite their disappointing elimination to Belgium in the quarter-finals, and Alisson's somewhat lackluster showing, there is still much more to him and the entire situation at Liverpool goalie that makes this money well-spent.
Mind the Netminders:
Before I go any farther, I cannot address Alisson without discussing the already in place keepers at Liverpool. More specifically, Loris Karius. Two years ago, Liverpool signed Karius away from Mainz 05 after what was, by any metric, a top season from the young keeper. He was voted second-best keeper in the Bundesliga that season, only behind Manuel Neuer, helped guide Mainz to a sixth-place finish and European football, and, thus, was signed by Liverpool for under five million pounds. He was just 23 at the time. Now, at 25, Karius never truly got his feet underneath him with a fractured hand in his first preseason, shoddy play to start his career, and of course, the incidents in the Champions League final.
There is a new number one keeper in town, and questions flutter inevitably now of what will happen with Karius. Karius had a sound season last year in spite of the Champions League final, but that game will follow him around the rest of his career. Will Karius be happy to back Alisson up? It seems that way. Simon Mignolet was set to leave and now this seems near certain. Danny Ward was pulled from a start on Tuesday against Blackburn to prevent any potential injury (more on him in just a minute). This leaves Karius remaining. Certainly he will fight to remain the starter, and he will have all preseason to try and hold on as Alisson returns to holiday from the World Cup following his signing. Still, you cannot help but wonder what sort of story will be written with the remainder of Karius' career. It is one that we can do nothing but watch for development.
There is another keeper who will be affected by this, and that is Danny Ward. The Welshman who helped Huddersfield to promotion just two seasons ago is on his way out to Leicester City for a sum of reportedly £12.5 million. Ironically, he could serve as a replacement to Kasper Schmeichel, whose name has been discussed as Alisson's replacement at Roma (though Chelsea has been discussed as a landing spot for him as well), or he could be a valuable number two keeper for a side who could be wishing to upgrade from Eldin Jakupovic. Many Liverpool fans may find frustration in the fact that Danny Ward was never truly given a crack at being keeper for Liverpool. When viewing Ward, with Aberdeen or Huddersfield, as well as limited game time with Liverpool, I agree that it is clear that he has talent and his shot-stopping ability is exceptionally strong. He was consistently confident and a strong back-line presence, but it's hard to say why exactly a player doesn't work, especially a third-choice keeper whom you do not get to see in competitive action. Ward will get an opportunity to push for a starter spot, and I believe he is better for it, and ultimately Liverpool are the better team with Alisson in net.
Alisson's Ability:
Let's talk about why Alisson was worthy of the cash splash. With inconsistent play in net for Liverpool from a while, this big signing will hope to provide Liverpool with the consistent presence and play they will demand in net. Alisson is excellent as a shot-stopper, as his stats will indicate, and has a specialty in denying from close range. Now, Simon Mignolet was a solid shot-stopper for Liverpool, but what makes Alisson different is that he is less prone to the mistakes that Liverpool fans may be used to from their keepers. When Liverpool fans were most likely to see Alisson in action, against Liverpool in the Champions League semis and this summer at the World Cup, he was not exactly the most convincing keeper. With that said, it is unfair to judge him on those two events when he has a strong body of work as a whole at Roma. This is a reason he is Brazil's number one keeper over a player like Ederson, his ability is top quality and Reds fans will soon find out exactly why a world-record fee was paid for him.
Another key reason to signing Alisson is his distribution. The modern game has evolved to the point that it is not enough to have a goalie who "only" makes saves. They need to be good with their feet and accurate in their passing. Alisson has the ability to start a counter with a long throw or deep booming kick off an opposing corner kick, and that's an outlet that Jurgen Klopp would love to have. With Sadio Mane and Mo Salah running down the wing and Alisson finding them, that could open up many windows of opportunity for Liverpool to strike at a time when they have proven most dangerous, on the counter attack. Liverpool has never truly had this sort of keeper under Klopp and bringing one in is in itself a whole other dimension of attacking football. It is a clever way to improve your attack while also adding a crucial piece to your defensive abilities.
Final Thoughts:
The massive takeaway from this is that yet again are Liverpool spending a huge amount of money in strengthening an area in which it is decided by Klopp that they need an upgrade. This is two records broken in two straight windows and it is a massive statement of intent. This has been Liverpool's transfer window much as last summer talk was dominated by Manchester City. Liverpool will certainly hope to have something more to show for it than just a finalist medal like last season. The pressure is started to be applied to the side to raise a trophy, how soon can the job get done?
Follow me on Twitter @RMAB_Ryan for more transfer discussion, as well as plenty of other Liverpool talk as well as AFC Ann Arbor and Michigan basketball discussion.
A Brief Introduction:
Alisson is a 25-year-old Brazilian keeper, who will turn 26 just two-and-a-half months into the season (October 2nd). Alisson spent his entire youth career as well as the early stages of his professional career with Brazilian side Internacional. Alisson was only the full-time starter for one full year until Roma came calling in 2016 signing him on a free. He served as the back-up to Wojciech Szczesny, who was on loan from Arsenal at the time, and was used solely during the club's Europa League campaign, where he aided them in advancing to the Round of 16 before ultimately losing to Lyon, as well as in one Champions League qualifier, along with the domestic cup. 2017-18's season brought about a different situation however.
As Szczesny left to Juventus, and currently seems set to start in net for the Italian super-club as heir to Gigi Buffon's throne, Alisson was given his opportunity to break out, and he did not mishandle this shot. The Brazilian would claim the goalie slot in WhoScored.com's European Team of the Season, yes, that's for the entirety of Europe. The keeper ranked best in Serie A in save success rate at a shade above 80% on the season and was the highest average rated goalie in the entire league throughout the season. Roma finished third in Serie A, the top team outside the two horse race of Juventus and Napoli, and was defeated by Liverpool in the Champions League semi-finals -- a run highlighted by their unbelievable comeback victory over Barcelona in the second leg of their quarter-finals match-up. For good reason, Alisson was hailed as a brilliant keeper and earned the number one keeper's job for Brazil in the World Cup. Despite their disappointing elimination to Belgium in the quarter-finals, and Alisson's somewhat lackluster showing, there is still much more to him and the entire situation at Liverpool goalie that makes this money well-spent.
Mind the Netminders:
Before I go any farther, I cannot address Alisson without discussing the already in place keepers at Liverpool. More specifically, Loris Karius. Two years ago, Liverpool signed Karius away from Mainz 05 after what was, by any metric, a top season from the young keeper. He was voted second-best keeper in the Bundesliga that season, only behind Manuel Neuer, helped guide Mainz to a sixth-place finish and European football, and, thus, was signed by Liverpool for under five million pounds. He was just 23 at the time. Now, at 25, Karius never truly got his feet underneath him with a fractured hand in his first preseason, shoddy play to start his career, and of course, the incidents in the Champions League final.
There is a new number one keeper in town, and questions flutter inevitably now of what will happen with Karius. Karius had a sound season last year in spite of the Champions League final, but that game will follow him around the rest of his career. Will Karius be happy to back Alisson up? It seems that way. Simon Mignolet was set to leave and now this seems near certain. Danny Ward was pulled from a start on Tuesday against Blackburn to prevent any potential injury (more on him in just a minute). This leaves Karius remaining. Certainly he will fight to remain the starter, and he will have all preseason to try and hold on as Alisson returns to holiday from the World Cup following his signing. Still, you cannot help but wonder what sort of story will be written with the remainder of Karius' career. It is one that we can do nothing but watch for development.
There is another keeper who will be affected by this, and that is Danny Ward. The Welshman who helped Huddersfield to promotion just two seasons ago is on his way out to Leicester City for a sum of reportedly £12.5 million. Ironically, he could serve as a replacement to Kasper Schmeichel, whose name has been discussed as Alisson's replacement at Roma (though Chelsea has been discussed as a landing spot for him as well), or he could be a valuable number two keeper for a side who could be wishing to upgrade from Eldin Jakupovic. Many Liverpool fans may find frustration in the fact that Danny Ward was never truly given a crack at being keeper for Liverpool. When viewing Ward, with Aberdeen or Huddersfield, as well as limited game time with Liverpool, I agree that it is clear that he has talent and his shot-stopping ability is exceptionally strong. He was consistently confident and a strong back-line presence, but it's hard to say why exactly a player doesn't work, especially a third-choice keeper whom you do not get to see in competitive action. Ward will get an opportunity to push for a starter spot, and I believe he is better for it, and ultimately Liverpool are the better team with Alisson in net.
Alisson's Ability:
Let's talk about why Alisson was worthy of the cash splash. With inconsistent play in net for Liverpool from a while, this big signing will hope to provide Liverpool with the consistent presence and play they will demand in net. Alisson is excellent as a shot-stopper, as his stats will indicate, and has a specialty in denying from close range. Now, Simon Mignolet was a solid shot-stopper for Liverpool, but what makes Alisson different is that he is less prone to the mistakes that Liverpool fans may be used to from their keepers. When Liverpool fans were most likely to see Alisson in action, against Liverpool in the Champions League semis and this summer at the World Cup, he was not exactly the most convincing keeper. With that said, it is unfair to judge him on those two events when he has a strong body of work as a whole at Roma. This is a reason he is Brazil's number one keeper over a player like Ederson, his ability is top quality and Reds fans will soon find out exactly why a world-record fee was paid for him.
Another key reason to signing Alisson is his distribution. The modern game has evolved to the point that it is not enough to have a goalie who "only" makes saves. They need to be good with their feet and accurate in their passing. Alisson has the ability to start a counter with a long throw or deep booming kick off an opposing corner kick, and that's an outlet that Jurgen Klopp would love to have. With Sadio Mane and Mo Salah running down the wing and Alisson finding them, that could open up many windows of opportunity for Liverpool to strike at a time when they have proven most dangerous, on the counter attack. Liverpool has never truly had this sort of keeper under Klopp and bringing one in is in itself a whole other dimension of attacking football. It is a clever way to improve your attack while also adding a crucial piece to your defensive abilities.
Final Thoughts:
The massive takeaway from this is that yet again are Liverpool spending a huge amount of money in strengthening an area in which it is decided by Klopp that they need an upgrade. This is two records broken in two straight windows and it is a massive statement of intent. This has been Liverpool's transfer window much as last summer talk was dominated by Manchester City. Liverpool will certainly hope to have something more to show for it than just a finalist medal like last season. The pressure is started to be applied to the side to raise a trophy, how soon can the job get done?
Follow me on Twitter @RMAB_Ryan for more transfer discussion, as well as plenty of other Liverpool talk as well as AFC Ann Arbor and Michigan basketball discussion.
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