Stan Collymore has suggested he would have been capable of offering Jurgen Klopp’s men something had been available to the German at the height of his powers.
The former Liverpool star enjoyed a remarkable partnership with Robbie Fowler in the mid-1990s.
“I think so! At Nottingham Forest I was an out and out No.9. I scored 50 goals in 68 games, so the goals to games ratio at Forest was up there with Liverpool strikers at their very best,” the former striker exclusively told Empire of the Kop.
“The interesting thing I always think about in terms of my Liverpool career is when I came in I had to completely adapt my game. I often found myself over on the left-hand side.
“If you look at the statistics I think that between Robbie [Fowler] and I we got just over 100 goals and assists.”
🗣️"Robbie [Fowler], when asked about his favourite strike partner for Liverpool, he didn't say Ian Rush, he didn't say some of the other numerous stars he played with, he said me."@StanCollymore on whether he'd have made it into a best Klopp XI at his best ⚽️ #LFC pic.twitter.com/cavl4j2gY5
— Empire of the Kop (@empireofthekop) February 18, 2022
The 51-year-old did admit that he wouldn’t automatically place himself ahead of some of the club’s legends, including current left-sided wide man, Sadio Mane.
“I won’t be so bold and brazen as to put myself in front of the likes of John Barnes or Sadio Mane but if Jurgen called on me at my very best to play to the left of a three, I would have gone past people, stuck it in the box and could have weighed in with a goal,” Collymore added. “I would have loved to play for a Jurgen Klopp team.”
Looking back over the legendary figures to have graced the pitch in the famous red shirt, it’s quite something to think of how hard it would be to displace the likes of Mo Salah and Sadio Mane on talent alone.
One has to consider, of course, whether a prior star’s talents would have been a sound fit for Klopp’s high-octane brand of football, though the best in the game have historically always found a way to adapt where possible.
As things stand, we’re immensely fortunate to be able to enjoy the attackers we currently have at our disposal, and if early signs are any indication, we’ve made a superb addition in Luis Diaz too.
#Ep33 of The Red Nets Podcast: Diaz’s debut, Elliott’s return, Mane to La Liga?… and more!
Sorry Stanley, but I don’t think so. It’s even debatable whether you might even have usurped Divock for a place on the bench considering what Div has done for us.