James Pearce – The Empire of The Kop

‘Best display of the season’ – Pearce says ‘exceptional’ Liverpool player ‘looked the part’ against LASK

Max Rudd — Fri, 01 Dec 2023 12:45:03 +0000

Liverpool cruised to a 4-0 victory over LASK at Anfield last night to book their place in the knockout stages of the Europa League with a game to spare.

Nine changes were made to the side that drew with Manchester City on Saturday with only Kostas Tsimikas and Mo Salah retaining their spot in the starting XI.

One of the many changes came between the sticks with Caoimhin Kelleher once again deputising for Alisson Becker.

The latter sustained a hamstring injury during our clash with City at the weekend and is set for a spell on the sidelines meaning our No. 62 is set for an extended run in the side and last night was his ‘best display of the season’ according to The Athletic’s James Pearce on X:

Comfortably Kelleher's best display of the season so far. Has really looked the part tonight. Timely boost for him as he prepares to fill in for Alisson in the upcoming PL matches.

— James Pearce (@JamesPearceLFC) November 30, 2023

The Ireland international is a brilliant player. It’s just unfortunate for him that he’s up against one of the best ‘keepers in the world for a spot in Jurgen Klopp’s starting XI.

At 25 years of age you would perhaps forgive Kelleher, who our German tactician has previously labelled as ‘exceptional’, for seeking a move away to a club where he’d be first choice but he’s continuing to work hard and let’s hope he can make the most of the run he’s about to get in the team.

He made a number of quality saves last night to ensure we kept a clean sheet and he’ll be eager to do exactly the same again when Fulham visit Anfield on Sunday.

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James Pearce responds to reports suggesting Liverpool ace could face FA punishment following City clash

Max Rudd — Mon, 27 Nov 2023 19:03:47 +0000

James Pearce has responded to rumours suggesting Trent Alexander-Arnold could face punishment from the FA following Liverpool’s clash with Manchester City on Saturday.

The Scouser dragged the Reds level with a superb finish 10 minutes from time and celebrated in front of the home supporters by making a shushing gesture.

The 25-year-old, who was named man of the match at the Etihad, admitted after the game that he took great delight in celebrating the goal the way he did – explaining his actions as ‘funny’.

The Athletic’s Pearce, via his page on X, has now rubbished claims that our No. 66 could face ‘disciplinary action’ from the governing body – revealing they ‘aren’t even looking into it’.

Reports suggesting Trent Alexander-Arnold could face FA disciplinary action for shushing the Man City fans after scoring on Saturday are wrong.
The FA aren’t even looking into it.
#LFC

— James Pearce (@JamesPearceLFC) November 27, 2023

It would’ve been pathetic had Alexander-Arnold faced any sort of punishment for literally celebrating a goal. It was a huge game for both sides and a massive strike for the Academy graduate which earned us a well deserved point against the Premier League champions.

The full-back actually remained on the pitch while celebrating so can’t really be accused of provoking the City supporters.

It’s the least that some of the home fans deserved after chants of ‘Feed the Scousers’ rang around the stadium (as reported by Daily Mail) during the game.

Good on you, Trent!

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Luis Diaz’s father hostage update as Colombian awaits release – Pearce

Peter Kenny Jones — Mon, 06 Nov 2023 13:49:33 +0000

Football fans were amazed to see the courage of Luis Diaz as he came onto the pitch against Luton Town to make a goal-scoring impact, despite all the events that are happening to him off the pitch.

There has now been an update on our player’s father, via James Pearce: ‘The group holding Luis Diaz’s father hostage demand “security guarantees” from the Colombian government before they release him.

‘The ELN claim that the amount of police/military in the area is delaying their plan to let him go’.

It’s impossible to imagine what our No.7 is going through at the moment and the strength of character he showed is an inspiration to so many people.

It seems that there is at least communication with those that are holding Luis Manuel Diaz Jimenez hostage and we are all praying for a positive conclusion soon.

The ELN, being the National Liberation Army in Colombia, are claiming that the 58-year-old will be released soon but the wait still goes on.

It’s going to continue to be a heart-wrenching time for all the family and an agonising wait for the nation’s police and military to complete the negotiation.

We can only pass on our well wishes at this terrible time.

You can view the Diaz update via @JamesPearceLFC on X:

The group holding Luis Diaz's father hostage demand “security guarantees” from the Colombian government before they release him. The ELN claim that the amount of police/military in the area is delaying their plan to let him go. #LFC https://t.co/TzSpurWOo9

— James Pearce (@JamesPearceLFC) November 6, 2023

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‘Absolutely outstanding’: James Pearce can barely believe how good Liverpool player is at 20 years old

Farrell Keeling — Wed, 01 Nov 2023 23:38:00 +0000

The Liverpool machine keeps on rolling after a 2-1 win over Bournemouth in the Carabao Cup and that’s due in no small part to the efforts of Jarell Quansah.

James Pearce described the 20-year-old’s performance as ‘absolutely outstanding’ on X (formerly Twitter) as the Merseysiders secured passage through to the quarter-finals.

Quannavaro’a stock continues to rise https://t.co/KEnFpFLu9N

— Matt Henno (@MattyHenno) November 1, 2023

The Academy graduate put in a stellar display against the Cherries, registering seven clearances, two interceptions, a tackle and winning four out of six ground duels, according to stats gathered by Sofascore.

It’s rather remarkable how suddenly our No.78 has risen through the ranks on Merseyside.

We certainly can’t fault Quansah’s consistency this term, with the player proving a more than reliable operator when called upon – no matter the conditions.

We couldn’t be more excited to witness his development over the coming months as part of this increasingly exciting Liverpool outfit.

Liverpool 2.0 indeed – and the Warrington-born defender is very much part of the future of the club.

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‘Excellent’: James Pearce reacts to 20-y/o Liverpool player’s phenomenal start vs Bournemouth

Farrell Keeling — Wed, 01 Nov 2023 20:33:04 +0000

James Pearce was full of praise for Jarell Quansah on X (formerly Twitter) after yet another assured start from the young Englishman in the backline.

The 20-year-old was brought back into the fray for Liverpool’s Carabao Cup fourth round encounter with Bournemouth.

The stats certainly supported The Athletic journalist’s comments, with Sofascore stats detailing the centre-back’s three clearances, 100% ground duels success rate, one interception and one tackle made ahead of the half-time whistle.

There’s still a way to go before fans can rest easy and enjoy the draw for the quarter-finals, especially with the hosts enjoying their fair share of chances already at the time of writing.

Nonetheless, it’s so reassuring to see Quansah looking so comfortable in the back four despite having last made an appearance for the senior side back in the tail-end of September in the 3-1 win over Leicester City.

Fingers-crossed we can secure passage to the next round and keep the extra minutes coming for our exciting second string of talent.

You can catch the reaction from James Pearce below:

Hes really good tbh https://t.co/YbxZVYXFnz

— Jordan Harris (@harrishour) November 1, 2023

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Liverpool reporter shares why FSG put the brakes on Schmadtke’s pursuit of summer transfer target

Liam Togher — Mon, 16 Oct 2023 11:21:31 +0000

A reliable reporter has explained why Liverpool pulled out of the race for one of their primary summer transfer targets, despite Jorg Schmadtke’s work in trying to get the player in question.

The Reds made three separate bids for Romeo Lavia but each was turned down by his then-employers Southampton, who eventually sold him to Chelsea in a £58m deal (BBC Sport).

In a report for The Athletic on Monday, James Pearce has outlined that the Anfield sporting director was thwarted in his efforts by FSG’s wish not to pay over the odds for the 19-year-old.

The journalist wrote: “Schmadtke came in for criticism externally in August when Liverpool missed out on the signings of Moises Caicedo and Romeo Lavia, who both joined Chelsea instead.

“That was not the case internally given that Liverpool were late entrants into the race for Caicedo and the fee was agreed with Brighton before the player turned them down.

“As for the failed Lavia bids, Schmadtke was restricted by the owners’ reluctance to go beyond their valuation of the young Belgium midfielder.”

While many Liverpool fans frequently criticise FSG for being overly parsimonious in the transfer market, in this instance they may be thankful for the owners’ refusal to budge on their stance.

For Southampton to demand more than £50m for a player who only had one season of regular senior football to his name was ludicrous, and the Anfield hierarchy were quite right to feel that the club could get better value elsewhere.

The Reds duly did just that in signing Ryan Gravenberch from Bayern Munich for £34m (BBC Sport) two weeks later, obtaining a 21-year-old midfielder who’d accrued almost a century of league appearances and played 20 times in the Champions League (Transfermarkt).

Albeit that he’s been nursing an injury, Lavia has yet to make his debut for Chelsea two months on from joining them. By contrast, Liverpool’s latest recruit either scored or set up a goal in each of his first three starts for the club, becoming the first man to do so in 21 years.

Missing out on the Belgian felt like a hammer blow at the time considering how much effort Schmadtke had put into trying to land him, but had FSG wavered in their stance and bankrolled a £58m transfer, we almost certainly wouldn’t have signed Gravenberch.

It’s still early days in both midfielders’ time at their respective clubs, but the initial signs are that Liverpool were right to hold out for what’s looking like much the better deal.

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‘Very solid…’ – James Pearce names £100k-p/w tank as Liverpool’s unsung hero of the season so far

Liam Togher — Wed, 11 Oct 2023 15:42:54 +0000

James Pearce has heralded Joel Matip’s ‘very solid’ contribution to Liverpool in the first two months of the 2023/24 season.

The Athletic reporter and three of his colleagues were reviewing the Reds’ campaign so far when they addressed a number of categories, including who has been the ‘unsung hero’ of Jurgen Klopp’s squad.

Pearce put forward the £100,000-per-week defender (Capology) as his pick, saying: “I expected Ibrahima Konate to nail down the centre-back spot next to Virgil van Dijk, but the former Cameroon international had other ideas.

“Matip has started six of Liverpool’s eight games and he’s repaid Klopp’s faith with his contribution defensively. He’s been very solid.”

While the likes of Dominik Szoboszlai, Mo Salah and Darwin Nunez have taken much of the glory among the Liverpool squad so far this season, Matip’s contribution to the team also deserves plenty of recognition.

There was a justifiable sense among many Reds supporters during and after the transfer window that a centre-back addition was needed, but the 32-year-old certainly hasn’t let anyone down with his displays since the start of the campaign.

As per FBref, he’s won the second-most aerial duels (16) and made the fourth-most interceptions (eight) and ball recoveries (38) at Anfield so far in 2023/24, while WhoScored figures show that he ranks second for clearances per match (4.7).

The only real blemish on Matip’s season up to this point is one for which he can’t be blamed, being the unfortunate man to unwittingly divert the ball into his own net for Tottenham’s last-gasp winner at the end of September in what was a moment of sheer bad luck.

Such has been his form that Konate has had to settle for a place on the bench and piecemeal substitute appearances even since his return from injury (Transfermarkt). Through no fault of the Frenchman’s, don’t expect that to change soon unless fate intervenes.

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Liverpool journalist calls for Jurgen Klopp to ‘put more faith’ in £50k-p/w ‘genius’

Liam Togher — Wed, 11 Oct 2023 15:16:21 +0000

James Pearce has called for Jurgen Klopp to ‘put more faith’ in Wataru Endo, who’s been a largely peripheral presence at Liverpool since his move from Stuttgart in August.

The 30-year-old’s only Premier League start so far came in his second match for the club late that month, with a mere 22 minutes played in the top flight since then (WhoScored).

The journalist and his colleagues at The Athletic were reflecting on the Reds’ season so far when they were asked to name the biggest problem for the manager to solve.

Pearce was one of three who cited the defensive midfield berth, saying: “I wrote about it after the Brighton game because playing Alexis Mac Allister there isn’t working. He’s not a specialist holding midfielder and it shows.

“I’d like to see Klopp put more faith in Wataru Endo, who has only started one league game so far. Getting Thiago and Stefan Bajcetic fit would also give him more options there. Mac Allister needs to be playing in one of the more advanced midfield roles.”

There’s logic to what Pearce is saying. With Fabinho and Jordan Henderson both still at Liverpool when Mac Allister was signed in June, the Argentine surely wasn’t brought to Anfield to be the team’s midfield anchor.

The sales of the former two to the Saudi Pro League clearly shifted the landscape, but if the Reds didn’t urgently need a bespoke number 6 option to come in, would they have signed Endo and Ryan Gravenberch in the final two weeks of the transfer window?

The £50,000-per-week destroyer (Capology) mightn’t have captured the fans’ imagination in the same way as fellow newcomer Dominik Szoboszlai, for instance, but as a natural defensive midfielder, he must be a more suitable option for that role than the former Brighton star.

He was also dubbed a ‘midfield genius’ by Yahoo Japan following a resounding 4-1 triumph over Germany last month, so it’s not as if he won his place in the LFC squad in a raffle.

Even if Endo is likely to be a squad player for much of the season, and probably wasn’t on Liverpool’s priority list at the start of the summer, it’s only by giving him a fair crack in the line-up that Klopp will be able to determine how well-suited he is to the team.

The manager has stuck with largely the same starting XI since the outset of the campaign depending on who’s available, so he’s not likely to deviate too greatly from that, but Pearce might have a point in calling for the 30-year-old to be given more of a chance to prove his worth at Anfield.

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What LFC coaches are doing with ‘frankly ridiculous’ 22-year-old behind the scenes will delight fans

Farrell Keeling — Mon, 25 Sep 2023 14:20:12 +0000

The spotlight will have been on Liverpool’s summer signings, Dominik Szoboszlai and Alexis Mac Allister, after yet another impressive display in the English top-flight.

Curtis Jones’ progress since the tail-end of the prior campaign, however, shouldn’t be forgotten or overlooked.

The Reds’ coaching staff certainly haven’t, with James Pearce highlighting the important work going on behind the scenes to further develop the 22-year-old’s use of the ball.

“He’s also had some major hurdles thrown in his path since he was handed his debut at the age of 17 away to Wolves in the FA Cup in January 2019 and then truly burst onto the scene with a stunning winner against Everton in the same competition a year later,” the reporter wrote for The Athletic.

“A freak eye injury sustained in training derailed his progress in 2021-22 and then last season a stress response in his shinbone wrecked his hopes of making up for lost time.

Thankfully, that misfortune is now behind him. He’s fit and healthy and playing with both rhythm and belief. Klopp and his staff have worked with him on moving the ball quicker. His decision-making is much better.”

The Scouser’s stats during the 3-1 win over West Ham most certainly reflect this, as he registered a 96% pass success rate at Anfield.

Curtis Jones one of the first names on the teamsheet?

To say that the ‘frankly ridiculous’ (as once described by Ian Doyle) Jones is only reliable in possession, of course, would just be scratching at the surface of what he offers alongside our summer arrivals, with the aforementioned report nodding to his ‘tireless pressing’ and four tackles won against the Hammers.

Jurgen Klopp’s repeated faith in his ability has been met with derision and rolled eyes in some quarters, though it would surely be impossible for even the most ardent of the Englishman’s critics to claim that the manager’s belief is unfounded.

The shirt’s his, as far as we’re concerned here at Empire of the Kop – and long may it continue to be so!

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98% pass accuracy; 3 key passes: 22-y/o Liverpool man dominated the first-half vs West Ham

Farrell Keeling — Sun, 24 Sep 2023 14:30:46 +0000

Dominik Szoboszlai picked up where he left off in Austria, delivering a composed outing in the first-half of action at Anfield.

The Hungarian finished the first 45 with a pass accuracy of 98% and was heavily involved elsewhere on the pitch, as demonstrated by James Pearce’s tweet on the matter online.

Szoboszlai in the first half: completed 47 of his 48 passes (98%), including three key passes. Gained possession on six occasions, more than anyone else on the pitch. #LFC

— James Pearce (@JamesPearceLFC) September 24, 2023

The former RB Leipzig joined the Reds this summer in a £60m deal, with Jurgen Klopp’s men taking advantage of a timely release clause.

Despite flattering to deceive during pre-season, the 22-year-old has proven to be worth absolutely every penny since the start of the campaign.

Alongside Premier League purchase Alexis Mac Allister, the pair have transformed a dreary, lifeless Liverpool midfield back into the engine that powered us through to cup final after cup final.

Add technical brilliance in abundance and you’ve got yourself a midfield combination that could take a team with frightening potential anywhere over the next five years or so.

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‘I’m excited’ – James Pearce blown away by ‘special’ LFC ace with only six senior appearances under Klopp

Farrell Keeling — Thu, 21 Sep 2023 11:45:04 +0000

James Pearce summed up how most Liverpool fans must be feeling about Ben Doak ahead of the upcoming clash with LASK this evening.

The Merseysiders are set to take on the Austrian Bundesliga-based outfit at the Raiffeisen Arena and the ‘special’ 17-year-old is, one might reasonably imagine, almost certain to play a major part in that fixture.

“Doak is special. He lit up the UEFA Youth League last season and showed flashes of his brilliance when Klopp elevated him to the first-team setup,” the reporter wrote for The Athletic.

“He already has six senior appearances under his belt but expect that number to grow during the Europa League group stage.

“Doak has the perfect mentor in Mohamed Salah and I’m excited about watching the teenager flying down that right flank on Thursday nights over the next few months. He’s fearless and more than holds his own physically. I love how he keeps demanding the ball and is so positive and direct when he gets in.”

The Scot has only featured once for Jurgen Klopp this season – in a brief cameo at Stamford Bridge right at the start of the campaign – having amassed five prior senior appearances spread across the Premier League, Carabao Cup and FA Cup in 2022/23

What better opportunity to clinch his seventh outing for Liverpool, and perhaps a first start, than in our opening Europa League clash?

Those less well-versed in matters beyond our general first-XI may wonder what all the fuss is about when it comes to our exciting young prodigy, but the truth is that the hype building up around Doak is well-deserved.

At 17 years of age, of course, this will be a talent we’ll need to carefully nurture, lest we wish to repeat the mistakes that were made with Stefan Bajcetic last term.

Nonetheless, we’d be mightily surprised if the teenager didn’t manage to at least double his current appearances by the season’s halfway point.

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Potential Trent Alexander-Arnold return date mooted as journalist shares Liverpool injury news

Liam Togher — Wed, 20 Sep 2023 13:12:07 +0000

Liverpool could potentially have Trent Alexander-Arnold back for their next Premier League clash, although he’s set to miss out on Thursday’s Europa League opener against LASK.

The 24-year-old was forced off during the 3-0 win over Aston Villa at the start of this month after incurring a hamstring injury which ruled him out of the subsequent international break (talkSPORT).

He also missed last weekend’s victory over Wolves and won’t be involved in Austria tomorrow, although it’s hoped that his enforced absence won’t stretch beyond then.

Speaking on The Athletic’s Walk On podcast, James Pearce said: “Hopefully Trent will be back for West Ham on Sunday, he won’t feature against LASK on Thursday.”

Even if Trent were fit and available for the match against LASK, there’d be a strong chance that Jurgen Klopp would’ve omitted him from the starting line-up anyway in order to give him a breather.

The England international will be needed for as many Premier League games as possible, having played excellently against Villa before he suffered that hamstring problem.

With Conor Bradley also injured and Calvin Ramsay (another injury victim) on loan at Preston, Liverpool don’t have another natural senior right-back to call upon, with Joe Gomez moving to that flank for Saturday’s win at Wolves.

The 26-year-old didn’t have his best game that day, especially in the first half, but we can fully expect to see him in the starting line-up tomorrow evening.

All going well, Trent could be able to return to the fold against West Ham on Sunday, and he could be very much needed at the weekend considering the positive start to the campaign that David Moyes’ side have enjoyed and the fright they gave Manchester City four days ago.

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James Pearce reacts to exciting news coming out of Liverpool this evening

Farrell Keeling — Tue, 19 Sep 2023 18:34:13 +0000

Liverpool have decided to reward Ben Doak’s ‘outstanding development’ with a new long-term contract.

James Pearce shared on Tuesday evening, noting the Scot’s progress in pre-season and, in particular, his ‘attitude and work ethic’ in training since being promoted to the first-team setup.

“This new contract on improved terms is reward for Doak’s outstanding development since he arrived from Celtic just over a year ago,” the reporter wrote for The Athletic.

“The fearless teenage winger has impressed staff and senior players alike with his attitude and work ethic as well as his talent since he was promoted to the first-team squad last season having initially made the leap from the under-18s to the under-21s.

“Doak really caught the eye for Jurgen Klopp’s side in pre-season and the Europa League campaign is set to provide him with further opportunities to really showcase his ability.

“He’s learning from the best around in Mohamed Salah and he believes he’s in the best possible environment to fulfill his rich potential.”

Though the former Celtic prodigy has limited opportunities to prove his worth so far this season (barring a brief cameo in the 1-1 draw at Chelsea), the future remains very bright for the 17-year-old.

Liverpool won’t want to put too much pressure on Doak

Pearce is most certainly on the money when pointing out the rich experience available in the current squad from which to learn, with the likes of Diogo Jota, Darwin Nunez, Luis Diaz, Cody Gakpo and, especially, Mo Salah all examples to look up to.

With speculation rife over the latter’s future in the summer amid an onslaught of links to the Saudi Pro League (not to mention an actual bid around the £100m mark), there has been some curiosity within the fanbase as to whether Doak’s potential could earmark him as a possible long-term successor to the Egyptian King.

The teenager is quite a while away from being granted any such responsibility, of course, even should he shine in this year’s Europa League campaign and our talismanic No.11 depart the club next summer.

Nonetheless, you can be sure this is a talent Jurgen Klopp and his coaching team will be keeping a very close eye on over the coming months – and rightly so.

EOTK Insider with Neil Jones: Liverpool’s challenge before January transfer window, mentality monsters back? Reds player ‘hung out to dry’ and much more!

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(Video) Klopp’s savage put-down on James Pearce as pair clash in press conference again

Peter Kenny Jones — Fri, 15 Sep 2023 13:19:20 +0000

Jurgen Klopp and James Pearce don’t get on and that seems to become clear with each passing press conference, as the pair again clashed ahead of our match with Wolves on Saturday.

Our manager was wound up with the line of questioning regarding the 12:30pm kick-offs from The Athletic journalist, with this topic changing the whole tone of the chat with the media.

The German finished the exchange by telling the former Liverpool ECHO employee: “Make your own opinion about it, maybe this time without a source”.

It’s obvious that the 56-year-old doesn’t enjoy answering questions from the journalist and it’s becoming an almost weekly occurrence that he makes it clear.

You can watch Klopp’s interaction with Pearce via @ThisIsMS2 on X (originating on Liverpool’s YouTube channel):

Klopp hates James Pearce pic.twitter.com/LEfQp7q1pD

— MSZ (@ThisIsMS2) September 15, 2023

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James Pearce praises Liverpool for ‘smart move’ which could’ve helped to keep hold of one player

Liam Togher — Thu, 14 Sep 2023 07:58:46 +0000

James Pearce has praised Liverpool for a ‘smart move’ which may well have played a part in keeping one sought-after player at Anfield this summer.

The transfer window was dominated by the Saudi Pro League luring numerous high-profile footballers to the Middle East, with Jordan Henderson and Fabinho among the influx.

Al-Ittihad also submitted a lucrative bid for Mo Salah, but the Reds rejected it out of hand and were unflinching in their ‘not for sale’ standpoint.

As revealed by Pearce for The Athletic, Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson Becker was also wanted by Saudi Arabia, but a timely pay increase ultimately came in very useful in making the player feel ‘fully appreciated’ at Anfield.

The journalist wrote: “Alisson was also the subject of serious interest from Saudi, but Liverpool’s owners made it clear no offers would be entertained. Their stance was unequivocal – just as it was over Al Ittihad’s pursuit of Salah.

“The Brazilian goalkeeper is happy and settled at the club. Before the interest from Saudi, he received a considerable pay rise this summer after a clause was triggered in his existing contract which runs until 2027. He’s understood to be the squad’s third-highest earner behind Salah and [Virgil] Van Dijk.

“It proved a smart move, given that Alisson, who has been in outstanding form, felt fully appreciated at a time when eye-watering sums of cash were being offered in an attempt to attract players to the Saudi Pro League.”

Just as resisting Saudi overtures for Salah was imperative for Liverpool, so was their equally uncompromising stance on Alisson, who’s every bit as important to Jurgen Klopp’s team as the Egyptian forward.

Time and again, the Brazil goalkeeper has come up with the goods when the Reds needed him, his value to the team exemplified by his incredible save from Miguel Almiron in the recent win over Newcastle at a time in the first half when we were 1-0 down and reduced to 10 men.

Such heroics aren’t in isolation, either. As noted by The Athletic‘s Gregg Evans this week, the 30-year-old outperformed the number of ‘expected goals on target’ against him last season by 10.52, a return exceeded by only one Premier League goalkeeper.

It won’t have surprised any Liverpool fan to see former Red Adam Bogdan label Alisson ‘supernatural’ and ‘a perfect goalie’ when speaking on The Kopite Podcast in recent days.

He’s repeatedly proven his importance to the team ever since he arrived at Anfield five years ago, and his pay rise was more than deserved.

As Pearce pointed out, it could’ve been a crucial decision by the club’s hierarchy to bump up the Brazilian’s wages just before the transfer interest arrived from Saudi Arabia. The thought of losing him to the Middle East during the summer would’ve been incomprehensible.

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