Jurgen Klopp revealed why he signed Darwin Nunez for Liverpool
While speaking in a press conference during the Bangkok tour as quoted by Daily Mail, Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp revealed how he fell in love with Darwin Nunez while watching Benfica play the Reds in the Champions League.
Last month, the Uruguayan international completed a £64 million move to Anfield. With Sadio Mane leaving for Bayern Munich, Nunez is seen by many as the man to replace the sensational Senegalese superstar.
Nunez and Liverpool already had a history of conflict in the Champions League, with the latter’s Benfica team losing to the Merseyside giants in the previous season’s quarterfinals.
Nunez scored against Klopp’s team in both of the legs, and he also had a few goals at Anfield ruled out, thus Liverpool advanced 6-4 overall before falling to Real Madrid in the championship game.
Jurgen Klopp revealed he was immediately impressed after watching Darwin Nunez play against the Reds in the Champions League last season.
“It was massively impressive when he played in front of us. When you prepare Benfica, you know up to the size of shoes – we know absolutely everything about an opponent, so we know exactly about the quality of Darwin.”
The German manager also suggested Liverpool went aggressive in order to sign the Uruguayan international after he was stunned by his performance.
“It was really a joy to watch him and so when we realised we had a good chance to sign him, we were all-in and we’re really happy he’s here now.”
Nunez departed Benfica after scoring 47 goals and dishing out 16 assists in 84 games across all competitions since joining the team in the summer of 2020.
The 23-year-old scored an astounding 34 goals in 41 appearances last season, cementing his status as one of the best players in the league during the course of the campaign. His performance against Barcelona in the UEFA Champions League was also one to remember.
Liverpool has acquired forwards over the years who have outperformed the expectations of the supporters. People would not have predicted Mohamed Salah and Mane would perform as brilliantly as they have when they originally joined the club.
Particularly when it comes to our attack, the Reds have had recent success with their transfer approach. Diogo Jota and Luis Diaz are the other newcomers to the team who have had an immediate impact under Klopp.
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A player usually needs some time to adapt while moving to the Premier League from a different league. It will be interesting to observe how Nunez conducts himself in the Premier League. Fans will be overly joyed if he follows the path of fellow countrymen Luis Suarez to become a top striker.
