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Alla Zakarian

14-04-2020 | 16:56 Football
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Liverpool boss Klopp ‘wanted German winger’ ahead of Salah

Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp wanted to sign Julian Draxler before settling on a move for Mohamed Salah three years ago, according to a journalist. The Reds signed Egypt forward from AS Roma in 2017 for a bargain £36.9m, rising to £43.9m. Salah going on to become one of the club’s deadliest-ever attackers having hit a staggering 91 goals in 144 appearances so far. However, Liverpool chief executive Peter Moore revealed back in February that the German had to be persuaded to sign the Egyptian by the club’s analytics team, who report into sporting director Michael Edwards. “Mo is a great story. He came in from Roma and that was the sports analytics team that spotted him,” Moore said. “Obviously, people see him from Chelsea – remember, he was a Chelsea player – and [Jose] Mourinho didn’t rate him and they let him go,” Moore told Soccer Laduma in a Q&A at Cape Town Official Liverpool Supporters Club. “He went on to Fiorentina and ended up at Roma, but there was something, analytically, that our sports science team saw in him and kept popping his name to the top of the list.” The Times’ Paul Joyce explained the Egyptian was only Klopp’s fourth-choice target with Christian Pulisic, Julian Draxler and Julian Brandt all wanted ahead of Salah. Joyce wrote: “Liverpool scouted about 15 wide players between missing out on Salah and signing him. Klopp has conceded that it was Dave Fallows, head of scouting and recruitment, Barry Hunter, the chief scout, and Michael Edwards, the sporting director, whose background checks extended to spying missions at training camps as well as matches, who constantly pushed his case.” Evening Standard journalist David Lynch has revealed it was actually Draxler, whom Klopp moved for as a first priority. Source: Football365

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