Former Liverpool captain and Sky Sports pundit Phil Thompson has lauded the signing of Naby Keita from Rb Leipzig.
The 23-year-old Guinean is officially joining on July 1, after Liverpool struck a deal with his German club last summer which meant we would pay a premium fee on top of his release-clause to secure him in 2018.
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Keita has perhaps not hit the heights he did in 2016/17 in the Bundesliga, but he’s still been one of Germany’s more impressive performers, raising his game in European competition especially.
Rb Leipzig face Marseille today in the Europa League quarterfinals, holding a 1-0 lead thanks largely to Keita’s performance in the first-leg.
“They’ve [Liverpool] already strengthened with the signing of [Naby] Keita from Leipzig. I think he is absolutely terrific,” Thompson told Sky Sports, cited by African Football.
“I was watching him against just last week in the Europa League and my goodness, this guy will probably give us what we’ve lacked.
“In that three behind the front three – he gives you goals, he gives you assists, he gives you energy and he’s a nasty little character.
“There is only James Milner who will really put his foot in and I think this guy could be a real sensation in the Premier League.”
Despite our monumentally impressive frontline, there have definitely been times this season where our midfield has gone missing.
Gini Wijnaldum and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain are top players, but they’re not the type who dominate matches and take control of proceedings.
Keita definitely is. He’ll demand the ball and actively look to make things happen.
We’ll need another body centrally with Emre Can departing, but having Keita already in the bank is a tremendous start to our summer business.