Football Digest: Liverpool start the season strong
Jesper Lindstrom has revealed that he turned down a move to Liverpool despite being a Reds supporter before joining Napoli from Eintracht Frankfurt last week. The Merseyside giants were in the market for a midfielder and ended up signing Ryan Gravenberch from Bayern Munich in the final hours of the summer window.
The 21-year-old has penned a five-year deal at Liverpool and will be expected to play a crucial role in midfield following the summer exits of Jordan Henderson, Fabinho and James Milner. However, things could have ended up differently if the Reds had managed to land Lindstrom before succeeding in their efforts to sign Gravenberch.
Lindstrom joined Napoli from Frankfurt prior to last week’s deadline but turned down a move to Anfield before making the switch to Italy. He explained that although it would have fulfilled a lifelong dream of his, he snubbed the Reds after realising that he would have more opportunities to play at Napoli.
“It was Liverpool, and I am a Liverpool supporter, so it would’ve been a madly fascinating experience,” said Lindstrom. “But would it have been an intelligent move? If I don’t play, then I may as well sit in front of the TV and watch them play there while I am at a different club. I am at an age now where I have to play football.
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“This is why I think Napoli represents a good change. It is one of the best clubs in the world, and they said I will have many opportunities to play.”
Liverpool completely revamped their midfield over the summer despite missing out on Lindstrom and several other targets, including the likes of Moises Caicedo and Romeo Lavia. They managed to sign four new players in the position, with Gravenberch being joined by Alexis Mac Allister, Dominik Szoboszlai and Wataru Endo.
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Mac Allister and Szoboszlai in particular have settled quickly into life at Anfield, while Endo helps to fill a necessary role in the engine room. Gravenberch, meanwhile, is yet to make his Liverpool debut after failing to be registered in time for last weekend’s win over Aston Villa.
The new-look Reds have enjoyed an impressive start to the Premier League campaign with three wins and a draw from their opening four matches. However, it remains to be seen how they will fare over the course of the season as they aim for an immediate return to the division’s top four.
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