Jurgen Klopp has now told Liverpool to sign Aberdeen right-back Calvin Ramsay in this summer’s transfer window.
That’s according to The Athletic, who claim that the boss ‘very quickly’ approved plans to bring the player to Anfield as Liverpool’s new signing.
Klopp was presented with the idea of pursuing Ramsay and was reportedly almost instantly on-board.
It’s also reported that an influence in the deal being sought is likely to have been Liverpool scout Russ Richardson. Richardson was head of recruitment at Aberdeen for eight years before moving to Merseyside in last July.
Ramsay is of course not a Liverpool player just yet. The Reds will reportedly have to stave off competition from the likes of Leeds United, Norwich City and Italian club Sassuolo to get their man.
Klopp’s influence on Liverpool’s transfer business
Liverpool’s recruitment model is the source of much envy across the football world. At times though, it’s unclear exactly how much influence Klopp has throughout the process of signing a new player.
At other clubs the manager or head coach will work alongside scouting departments in order to identify potentially interesting players. That doesn’t always seem to be the case at Liverpool.
It’s clear from this report that the German does still have some a say in whether or not Liverpool pursue potential targets.
Of course Klopp is a huge pull for any player looking to move to Anfield. It’s also true that the manager has spoken to players of interest in order to convince them to join the club. It could also be that the boss has the last word on who is signed and who isn’t.
Striking the perfect balance
That doesn’t mean that he can’t be overruled though. As reported in The Daily Express, Klopp was determined to pursue a deal for Bayer Leverkusen winger Julian Brandt in 2017.
Instead, Liverpool scouts were adamant that the club should go for Mohamed Salah. Sporting director Michael Edwards is even reported to have ‘pleaded’ with Klopp to go for the Egyptian over Brandt.
They were absolutely right. Mo has been one of the most important signings in Liverpool history and could very well be the best player in the world right now. Perhaps this has been a factor in why the trust between manager and department seems to run so deep.
The scouts certainly know how to spot a player – Ramsay has been described as ‘elite’ by Aberdeen chairman Don Cormack via Scottish Daily Express. In Klopp, there are very few managers who can better develop them. Nine times out of ten it works out to be an absolute perfect match.
