For much of this year, Liverpool were heavily linked with a move for Polish international Piotr Zielinski, but for whatever reason, the deal - which seems nailed-on for months - fell through in August, and he signed for Napoli. There is ample evidence to prove Jurgen Klopp's interest in Zielinski, and with the transfer window now closed, the allegedly 'amazing' midfielder has confirmed yet again that he couldn've ended up at Anfield.
When asked yesterday about the Liverpool transfer saga, Zielinski told Sportowefakty:
“With Liverpool, there were talks but it didn’t happen, but I’m happy to be at Napoli. [My €65m release clause] is impressive. This means that Napoli expect good games from me and wants to protect themselves".
In July, Zielinksi's agent, confirmed that Liverpool had tracked the Pole 'for months', and Napoli Chief Aurelio De Laurentis further confirmed that the Zielinski wanted 'to join Liverpool'.
Soon after, Udinese President Fabrizio Corsi told revealed that Jurgen Klopp had been 'talking to Zielinski since January".
In transfer terms, this is the perfect storm, so why did the deal fail? For me, the answer is obvious: Klopp simply failed to persuade Zielinski to sign for Liverpool, and Napoli - with the carrot of Champions League football - is a far more attractive option.
Some will argue that money may be a factor, but based on historical wage trends, and current wage bills, Premier League salaries dwarf those on offer in Serie A. Indeed, Liverpool's current wage bill (Last published accounts) is £152m, which is significantly higher than Napoli's comparatively meager £61m salary spend. As such, it's highly unlikely that Napoli are able to offer higher salaries than Liverpool.
That said, I'm not fussed either way. Zielinski is not (IMO) an upgrade on the club's current attacking players, and if he'd signed, he'd probably be wasted in central midfield, just like Giorgino Wijnaldum.
If Liverpool had signed Zielinski, I doubt the club would've gone in for Wijnaldum. Of the two, who is a better fit for the club?
When asked yesterday about the Liverpool transfer saga, Zielinski told Sportowefakty:
“With Liverpool, there were talks but it didn’t happen, but I’m happy to be at Napoli. [My €65m release clause] is impressive. This means that Napoli expect good games from me and wants to protect themselves".
In July, Zielinksi's agent, confirmed that Liverpool had tracked the Pole 'for months', and Napoli Chief Aurelio De Laurentis further confirmed that the Zielinski wanted 'to join Liverpool'.
Soon after, Udinese President Fabrizio Corsi told revealed that Jurgen Klopp had been 'talking to Zielinski since January".
In transfer terms, this is the perfect storm, so why did the deal fail? For me, the answer is obvious: Klopp simply failed to persuade Zielinski to sign for Liverpool, and Napoli - with the carrot of Champions League football - is a far more attractive option.
Some will argue that money may be a factor, but based on historical wage trends, and current wage bills, Premier League salaries dwarf those on offer in Serie A. Indeed, Liverpool's current wage bill (Last published accounts) is £152m, which is significantly higher than Napoli's comparatively meager £61m salary spend. As such, it's highly unlikely that Napoli are able to offer higher salaries than Liverpool.
That said, I'm not fussed either way. Zielinski is not (IMO) an upgrade on the club's current attacking players, and if he'd signed, he'd probably be wasted in central midfield, just like Giorgino Wijnaldum.
If Liverpool had signed Zielinski, I doubt the club would've gone in for Wijnaldum. Of the two, who is a better fit for the club?
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