After 30 years of a long wait, leaving the defending champions Manchester City behind, Liverpool finally ended their league drought by winning Premier League title vigorously. In due course, the Reds won 32 games, drawing three and losing three. However, throughout the campaign, Liverpool needed many last-minute interventions and survived multiple close calls to get to the gold. The next campaign won’t be as kind. So, irrespective of the stars they already have at their disposal, the Reds must look to rebuild themselves. To accomplish the same, Jurgen Klopp has signed Kostas Tsimikas from the Greek outfit, Olympiacos.
According to Klopp, the new Liverpool signing of Kostas Tsimikas is precisely what the team needs, and he is excited by his potential. The 24-year-old joined the Merseyside club for a reported fee of £11.75 million. The youngster has signed a five-year contract at Anfield and will wear the number 21 shirt and start next season.
Why is Kostas Tsimikas important for Merseysiders?
Jurgen Klopp’s side has always created chances from the full-backs rather than their midfield. Most of the creativity and assists are from either Trent Alexander Arnold or Andy Robertson. The departure of Phillipe Coutinho to Barcelona had affected the Merseysiders creativity in the midfield. These things have resulted in the emergence of high work-rate full-backs at Anfield. Amongst the chances created, TAA stands ahead of the likes of Mohammad Salah and Sadio Mane. These things have made Liverpool buy a full-back who can rotate with TAA and Andy Robertson in the Premier League.
In the left-back position, Liverpool has no backup apart from James Milner. Milner is 34-year old and Klopp cannot expect him to put the shifts in that position. The team required a player who can rotate with Andy Robertson across different competitions. Kostas Tsimikas is just 24 and will be able to easily put the shifts on the left flank for the Liverpool side.
In order to win any title, the squad requires depth. It was the same in case of Manchester City’s two back to back PL titles. Signing the Greek international will offer the much-required flexibility to the side as he is versatile. Tsimikas can operate as left-back, left wing-back, and left midfielder too.
According to the reports, Liverpool were all set to sign Jamal Lewis from the relegated Norwich City. The side is believed to have submitted a £10m offer, which was turned down by the side. With slightly more experienced left-back available for a bit more money, Merseysiders signed Kostas Tsimikas from Olympiacos.
What Jurgen Klopp had to say about Kostas Tsimikas?
Jurgen Klopp told the club’s website,
“Kostas is a signing which just shows what we are looking for, what we need,”
“I think the left-back position was now not a position where the people out there would have thought: ‘We need another player’ and stuff like this.
“It worked out pretty well, Millie played there from time to time, but we cannot take any risk or we should take as less risk as possible.
“Our full-backs in the way we play are so important with the skills they have, the speed they have, the crosses they bring in and stuff like this.
“When I saw Kostas the first time, I thought: ‘Is it possible to get somebody like him?’
What needs to be kept in mind is that Tsimikas may not be a household name or a superstar, but he definitely has the potential to emerge as an important piece of the enigma the next season.
