Liverpool do seem a completely different unit whenever they have Adam Lallana in their midfield. The Reds did sweep away Crystal Palace in their last game, even though a lot of the plaudits went to Philippe Coutinho, the former Southampton man was at the heart of most good things in attack.
The Merseyside club scored four goals but it could have been more than that, had the Reds been a little more clinical. Even though Lallana did not get on the scoresheet, one of his former managers rued the missed opportunity to sign him.
Alan Pardew was the manager at Southampton during Lallana’s stint in League One and the current Crystal Palace manager stated that one of the scouts at Newcastle did not want the Englishman in the side.
As quoted by Yahoo News, the Palace manager said:
“I had him at Southampton and he is a terrific athlete. He is player who has great ability.
“Once he got introduced in the game against Manchester United, I think you could see the difference in their pressing. I think he’s key to that.
“He was a player who I was desperate to bring to Newcastle but the Chief Scout there at the time told me he wasn’t good enough.”
One of the most important players for the Reds
Pardew has often been critical of the transfer policy at Newcastle but he did state that Lallana was one of the most important players for the Merseyside club. Lallana’s performances have been great this season and he seems to be thriving under Jurgen Klopp.
The 28-year-old has scored three goals in the Premier League this season and even has provided three assists in the 10 games he has featured in. Lallana might be thankful to Klopp for turning his career around at Liverpool but he did state that his time under Pardew was special to him.
Early in December, the former Southampton attacker said, “My first season in League One under Alan Pardew was a big year for me. It was a good thing for me to have two seasons in League One and grow.”
Liverpool would be extremely happy that Newcastle did not sign Lallana as he was able to turn in great performances for the Saints and eventually moved to Liverpool in the 2014-15 season. The Englishman did have a tough time initially under Brendan Rodgers but has found his feet under the German manager.
The 28-year-old had only scored four Premier League goals in the entire season last time around but he seems well on his way at breaking that record this season. Lallana is the midfield ticker for Liverpool and keeping him fit will be extremely important for the Reds and Klopp as they look for that first ever Premier League title.
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