Prior to his Premier League move, Liverpool attacker Sadio Mane spent several years with Red Bull Salzburg, and he's now confirmed that he met with Jurgen Klopp during his time in the Bundesliga.
Speaking to the BBC this week, Mane revealed:
"I had the chance to meet Klopp when he was at Borussia Dortmund. He tried to sign me, but it didn't happen, and that's football".
Mane also outlined how his move to Liverpool happened:
"At the end of last season, he [Klopp] called me and told me he wanted me to come to Liverpool. I said straightaway that I want to come. It was the right time and right coach for me".
Hmmm. If Klopp called Mane in a bid to entice him to Anfield, that surely constitutes tapping-up? At that stage, I doubt Klopp had permission from Southampton to contact Mane, but I digress...
Mane is a good signing so far, but the acid test will come in the second half of the season.
* Last year, Mane also started well, and grabbed 9 goals/assists in his first 11 games.
* His form then tailed off badly, and from December 5th and April 9th (4 months) he contributed just 2 goals and 1 assist in 20 games.
* Additionally, during that period he went 17 games without a goal.
Mane suffered similar inconsistency in his first year at Southampton, and at Salzburg, so you'll forgive me if I refrain from jumping on the 'Mane is the messiah' bandwagon. When he proves his consistency over a season, then I'll get excited.
* €49m-rated (CIES Football Observatory). Described by Danny Murphy as a superstar'
Speaking to the BBC this week, Mane revealed:
"I had the chance to meet Klopp when he was at Borussia Dortmund. He tried to sign me, but it didn't happen, and that's football".
Mane also outlined how his move to Liverpool happened:
"At the end of last season, he [Klopp] called me and told me he wanted me to come to Liverpool. I said straightaway that I want to come. It was the right time and right coach for me".
Hmmm. If Klopp called Mane in a bid to entice him to Anfield, that surely constitutes tapping-up? At that stage, I doubt Klopp had permission from Southampton to contact Mane, but I digress...
Mane is a good signing so far, but the acid test will come in the second half of the season.
* Last year, Mane also started well, and grabbed 9 goals/assists in his first 11 games.
* His form then tailed off badly, and from December 5th and April 9th (4 months) he contributed just 2 goals and 1 assist in 20 games.
* Additionally, during that period he went 17 games without a goal.
Mane suffered similar inconsistency in his first year at Southampton, and at Salzburg, so you'll forgive me if I refrain from jumping on the 'Mane is the messiah' bandwagon. When he proves his consistency over a season, then I'll get excited.
* €49m-rated (CIES Football Observatory). Described by Danny Murphy as a superstar'
0 Comments:
Post a Comment