‘At the age of 15 or 16, they were very interested in me’ – German Goalkeeper Reveals How Close He Was To Joining Liverpool

Bundesliga side FC Koln goalkeeper Timo Horn has revealed that he rejected a chance to move to Liverpool as a youngster, as he feels Germany offers ‘better education for goalkeepers’.

The 24-year-old is currently preparing to face Premier League side Arsenal in the Europa League and has told The Independent that he had snubbed a chance to move to Anfield when he was young. He said:

“At the age of 15 or 16, Liverpool were very interested in me. But I didn’t go there because I felt the goalkeeping schooling in Germany was much better and I had enough examples, for instance Ron-Robert Zieler who came back after a year [at Leicester], and that’s why I stayed in Koln. It definitely wasn’t the wrong decision!”

Horn went on to take the example of Ron-Robert Zieler who moved to Leicester City and was regarded as a great purchase, only to move back to Bundesliga within a year. Having stayed in the Bundesliga, Horn has validated his claim by becoming a top-class goalkeeper in his own right. In fact, he is the latest in a long line of world-class keepers that Germany is blessed with.

Manuel Neuer of Bayern Munich continues to be the undisputed number one for the Germans while Marc-Andre ter Stegen of Barcelona is his close second. Bernd Leno of Leverkusen and Horn are considered to be very close too.

It is going to be an interesting European season for the youngster because if he handles himself well and performs admirably on the Europa League stage, some of the big names could come knocking for his signature.

Horn knows the same too and is intrigued by the idea of playing in the Premier League although he has ruled out any immediate thoughts. He believes that he is a more matured keeper now and could hold his own if he moves to England.

Will that be to Liverpool? There is no doubt that Jurgen Klopp could go shopping for a world-class keeper next season. Doubts persist over the consistency of Simon Mignolet while Loris Karius is yet to convince the critics of his ability.

There were reports that the Reds could be moving for Inter Milan keeper Samir Handanovic which indicates that Klopp could swing into action next summer.

And if Liverpool come knocking this time, Horn may not be able to snub the interest for a second time because he knows he has all the attributes to be a success this time around.