‘Klopp texted him…’ – Agent’s revelation shows how much Liverpool boss wanted 21y/o at Anfield

Liam Togher — Thu, 05 Oct 2023 16:17:59 +0000

The agent of a player who was close to signing for Liverpool in the summer has revealed that Jurgen Klopp personally texted his client to try and bring him to Anfield.

In August, the Reds had agreed a £111m fee to sign Moises Caicedo from Brighton (BBC Sport), but the 21-year-old instead preferred a move to Chelsea, who he swiftly joined for £115m (The Telegraph).

The Ecuador midfielder’s representative Manuel Sierra was speaking to Futbol sin Cassette about the chain of events which ultimately led to the player signing for the Stamford Bridge club, but not before the LFC manager tried to take matters in his own hands.

VOTE for Empire of the Kop as Best Club Content Creator (Premier League) here: Football Content Awards OR on X with Empire’s one-click X link with: I am voting in @The_FCAs for @empireofthekop in Best Club Content Creator (Premier League)

The agent said: “Liverpool were always interested in Moisés. Even Klopp wrote to Moisés with Brighton’s permission but we were clear at all times, as long as Chelsea equalled what Liverpool could do with Brighton and, as I say, they surpassed it.

“Liverpool was always interested in Moises. In fact, Klopp texted him with the permission of Brighton but we had it clear at all times, as long as Chelsea matched Liverpool’s offer with Brighton — and they did.

“It was a tough situation. We gave our word to Chelsea but Liverpool came out of nowhere with a more stable project than Chelsea’s, long-term project, and at that time, both Moises and myself, we were dizzy.”

In words which seemed to express regret at snubbing the Reds, Sierra added: “It is very complicated. Imagine that Jurgen Klopp is writing to you, that Liverpool is calling you.

“We are talking about something very big, that is, one of the best teams in the world, just like Chelsea, and with a more established and more stabilised project than what Chelsea have today, which is a very ambitious project with a view to two, three years ahead.”

Only Caicedo can answer for sure as to which club he preferred deep down to join, but Sierra’s startling revelations may suggest that the midfielder’s head could well have been turned by the approach from Klopp.

Whereas the German is closing in on eight years as Liverpool manager, a period which has yielded plenty of tangible success, Chelsea have lurched through four permanent bosses since the beginning of 2021, with the bulk of the Champions League-winning squad from that year having now left the Blues.

However, it’d appear that the Ecuadorian and his agent had already given their word to the west Londoners before the Reds came calling, and once Mauricio Pochettino’s side sent through a superior bid, the matter was settled.

Caicedo hasn’t had the most ideal of starts to his Chelsea career, conceding a penalty on his debut for the club, who find themselves in the bottom half of the Premier League, whereas the Merseysiders are still just two points off the summit despite their controversial defeat to Tottenham last weekend.

Having made four midfield signings of the own during the summer transfer window, Liverpool certainly didn’t wallow in regret to any great degree over the unsuccessful pursuit of the 21-year-old.

#Ep93 of The Empire of the Kop Podcast: EOTK Insider with Steve Kay

The post ‘Klopp texted him…’ – Agent’s revelation shows how much Liverpool boss wanted 21y/o at Anfield appeared first on The Empire of The Kop.

‘That was the comedy’ – Caicedo’s agent makes startling claim about failed Liverpool pursuit

Liam Togher — Thu, 05 Oct 2023 09:42:44 +0000

Moises Caicedo’s agent has shared an astounding insight into one particular chain of events involving Liverpool’s futile pursuit of the player during the summer transfer window.

The Reds were hotly linked with the Ecuador midfielder and had even agreed a £111m fee to sign him on the eve of the 2023/24 season (BBC Sport), only for the 21-year-old to opt for a £115m move to Chelsea instead (The Telegraph).

His agent Manuel Sierra has now given an extraordinary interview to Futbol sin Cassette in which he told of how he and the player were instructed by his former club Brighton to go to Merseyside for a medical, even though no agreement has been struck at that point.

Caicedo’s representative outlined: “Liverpool was always interested in Moi. The truth is, we had meetings during those months from January to May. But after May, we never heard anything more.

“The first thing we were told is ‘Tomorrow, you have to go to Liverpool for a medical’. Of course, what’s our reaction going to be if we haven’t negotiated, haven’t talked, haven’t seen anything at all?

“We knew where things could happen because we were talking with them until May. In the end, our side and the player’s side were not a problem, but the problem was Brighton.

“When they told us ‘You can go to Liverpool tomorrow’, our reaction was ‘Okay, but do you understand why?’ That was the comedy. In other words, they told us to go for a medical examination with Liverpool without having an agreement, without giving the green light.

“Even [Jurgen] Klopp wrote to Moises with Brighton’s permission and all, but Moises was clear all along, and we were clear all along that if Chelsea matched or offered the same conditions that Liverpool could with Brighton, as I said, they surpassed it. So there were no complaints.”

The transfer saga surrounding Caicedo was one of the most dramatic of the summer. Think back to that Friday when the Premier League started, when Liverpool thought they had him, only for the 21-year-old to opt for Chelsea instead after they came in with a slightly higher offer.

It felt like a hammer blow for the Reds at the time, as we were still trying to bring in a specialist holding midfielder following Fabinho’s exit to Saudi Arabia, but the subsequent signings of Wataru Endo and Ryan Gravenberch helped to fill that void.

The Ecuadorian hasn’t had the most ideal beginning to life at Stamford Bridge, conceding a penalty in his first game (a 3-1 loss to West Ham) and being involved in two home defeats amid the Blues’ slow start to the campaign.

For just over half the price that Chelsea paid for Caicedo, Liverpool snared Dominik Szoboszlai from RB Leipzig, and the 22-year-old has been a revelation at Anfield, wowing the Kop with wonder goals against Aston Villa and Leicester and evoking comparisons to Steven Gerrard with his performances.

While it might sound hugely revisionist, we’d safely assume that Klopp isn’t losing too much sleep over the Ecuador international snubbing the Reds when they’d already landed the Hungarian genius.

#Ep93 of The Empire of the Kop Podcast: EOTK Insider with Steve Kay

The post ‘That was the comedy’ – Caicedo’s agent makes startling claim about failed Liverpool pursuit appeared first on The Empire of The Kop.

Manuel Sierra – The Empire of The Kop

‘Klopp texted him…’ – Agent’s revelation shows how much Liverpool boss wanted 21y/o at Anfield

‘That was the comedy’ – Caicedo’s agent makes startling claim about failed Liverpool pursuit