Former Liverpool manager Roy Evans has praised the club for concluding so much of its transfer business early on in the window. The Reds have already signed five new players while a deal for a sixth – Southampton’s Nathaniel Clyne – looks set to be completed early next week (via The Telegraph).
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The full-back will join Manchester City midfielder James Milner, Burnley striker Danny Ings, Bolton Wanderers goalkeeper Adam Bogdan, Charlton Athletic youngster Joe Gomez and Brazilian international Roberto Firmino at Anfield next season, much to the pleasure of Evans.
The 66-year-old, who coached the Reds between 1994 and 1998, told our official website: “I’m delighted with all the signings being done very early. Otherwise, I think you can end up without the signings you wanted and you start to go and pick players who weren’t quite as good as the ones you wanted at the start.
“By around the end of March you’ve got to have an idea of who you want to buy, as a manager. You can’t say it’s going to happen but you’ve got to have an idea of who you want to buy.
“It makes life for a manager far easier if you’re getting the pick of the players at this moment in time rather than waiting for the end of the transfer window where it becomes very hectic and sometimes you make some poor decisions.”
Evans also reserved special praise for former Hoffenheim forward Firmino. The 23-year-old, who cost us £29m, sealed his switch to Merseyside earlier this week (via BBC Sport). The versatile attacking player, who has been one of the most impressive young players on the planet over the last couple of years, will be hoping to shine after becoming our second most expensive player of all time.
He added: “I’m quite excited, myself! He seems to have a really good record, scores goals and does a good job from midfield so I’m really pleased. You never know until they actually turn up at the club – that’s the hard part of the management side.
“You can go and watch them as many times as you like but, until they turn up and join in the sessions, you don’t know which way it’s going to go. But he seems to have all the qualities that are needed to make a good player for Liverpool.
“If you can score goals from midfield, that’s a massive bonus. Obviously last year we didn’t score enough. It looks as if he’s got a bit of steel about him so he can get the ball back and going forward he can create chances and score goals. That sounds like a good player to me.”