JURGEN KLOPP ADMITS that he “ignored” Mohamed Salah’s time at Chelsea when putting a record-breaking Liverpool deal in place.
The Reds have made the Egyptian forward the most expensive signing in the club’s history, with a £36 million deal required to secure his signature.
He has arrived at Anfield with his reputation enhanced on the back of productive spells at Fiorentina and Roma, with the 25-year-old having flourished in Italy after stagnating at Stamford Bridge.
Salah managed just two goals in 19 appearances for Chelsea, but Klopp insists that spell counts for little as the talented frontman returns to the Premier League, with plenty of players having struggled to make an impact in west London down the years.
He told reporters about a player he has monitored for a number of years: “A lot of players have shown it is quite easy to struggle at Chelsea. [Kevin[ De Bruyne is one.
"The only thing that we really ignored was what he did at Chelsea. When he was at Basel, we [Borussia Dortmund] played them and we didn’t know him. It was unbelievable. The moment I said ‘let’s go for him’ he was already at Chelsea. Then he struggled at Chelsea because it was too early.
“The question is ‘what did you not see in him?’ because he played all inclusive football. He was quick, he played a lot of games, he created goals and chances and he scored by himself.”
Klopp believes that Salah will add another dimension to his Liverpool side, despite the squad already being well stocked for forward-thinking talent.
The German coach added: “He is a left-footed [player] and we don’t have too many of them in the team. It all makes him really valuable for us. I’m happy for the moment but he needs to learn a lot. We have to start working on the physical part and the technical part.”
Salah has already been among the goals in a Liverpool shirt, with his account opened in a friendly against Wigan Athletic.
