Kostas Tsimikas has namechecked one man without whose intervention he believes he wouldn’t currently be a Liverpool player.
The Greek defender was giving an interview to Gazzetta in his homeland in which he spoke about the massive influence that Michael Edwards played in not only persuading him to join the Reds, but also in recruiting the bulk of a squad which won major trophies during Jurgen Klopp’s reign as manager.
The 27-year-old said of the former Anfield sporting director: “Usually these people do everything. He has made a lot of important changes in the team, very important transfers.
“He brought me here too and I’m very happy about it. Because if it wasn’t for that man and the entire scouting department of the team, I wouldn’t be here.
“I think that if it wasn’t for him, the team wouldn’t have reached where it is now, with all the trophies it has won. So I, in turn, and the team thank him very much for what he did for all of us.”
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Edwards’ transfer record in his time as Liverpool’s sporting director is adorned with a series of transfers – both into and out of the club – which history has judged as masterstrokes.
Along with Tsimikas, he oversaw the arrivals of Andy Robertson, Mo Salah, Alisson and Virgil van Dijk, among others; while also reaping substantial fees for the sales of Philippe Coutinho, Mamadou Sakho, Dominic Solanke and Rhian Brewster (Liverpool Echo).
It still needed a world-class manager in Klopp and a formidable group of players to deliver glory in the Premier League and Champions League, along with other competitions, but the 43-year-old’s diligent work behind the scenes also helped to pave the way for that successful era.
In recruiting the Greece defender for Liverpool, he not only brought in the man we’ve come to adore as the Greek Scouser, but also addressed a major void in the title-winning squad from 2019/20, namely a senior natural left-back alternative for Robertson.
Even though Tsimikas has made just 17 Premier League starts after nearly three years at Anfield (WhoScored), having him as a readymade and reliable option to allow the Scot an occasional breather is worth its weight in gold.
We can all be grateful to Edwards for facilitating his arrival on Merseyside in the summer of 2020.
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