If Liverpool are in the market for a new number one goalkeeper, then they should move now to secure AS Roma stopper Alisson.

Reports suggest that the Reds are unsure about the potential £79m fee but they only need to look back at their unsuccessful Champions League final performance to see what a difference it has to have a top class keeper in between the sticks.

Lloris Karius is a very decent goalie but the German has too many flaws to be described as world class. He lacks the concentration levels and the authority needed to be a truly great number one, in my view.

Jurgen Klopp and the Liverpool board have to look at the goalkeeping spot as their new priority and treat it like they did with the Virgil van Dijk transfer.

They identified that they needed a new centre-back and noted that Van Dijk was the best out there that they could get. One lesson they need to learn from that pursuit is not to drag a deal on and try and iron out a move quickly.

Just as they’ve done by bringing in midfielders Naby Keita and Fabinho. Both stars will instantly improve the Reds squad when they arrive for pre-season training.

They now need to do the same with the goalkeeping position. Delay and you could allow Chelsea or Real Madrid to steal a march on you!

Alisson shone for the Giallorossi last season, helping them to a third place finish in Serie A and to a semi-final place in the Champions League (which they lost to Liverpool). Only champions Juventus (with Gianluigi Buffon) conceded fewer than Roma’s twenty-eight goals in the league campaign.

The twenty-five year old managed to keep seventeen clean-sheets in thirty-seven Italian top flight games, he also averaged 1.1 clearances per fixture and had a healthy 79% passing success rate.

The goalkeeper also made forty-seven saves in twelve Champions League outings and kept five clean-sheets.

It’s also worth noting that Alisson is Brazil’s starting goalie, keeping the impressive Ederson out of the team.

Ederson was a terrific performer and one of the main reasons why Manchester City went from challengers to Premier League winners last term!

Alisson would offer more consistency and give the backline more confidence too. He’s very good in one-on-one situations and his better distribution methods could see the ball getting to the creative players in a quicker time. He’s very smart at reading the game and snuffing out trouble by being quick off his line.

Importantly it seems that the Brazilian possess far better concentration levels when compared to current Reds keeper Karius.

Legendary keeper Buffon heaped praise on the Roma shot-stopper earlier in the year:

“Alisson is a surprise only for those who haven’t seen him before,”  

“What really strikes me is how he deals with dangerous situations so efficiently.

“That gives his team a lot of confidence.”

Coincidently, Brazil are preparing for this summer’s World Cup by playing a build up game at Anfield this weekend.

If I were Liverpool I’d be doing my upmost to make sure Alisson doesn’t fly out without doing a deal with Roma for his services first!

Posted on June 1st, 2018 by scott
Filed under: Article