Klopp opens up on ‘difficult’ Liverpool move for Solanke
Jurgen Klopp admits that he found it “difficult” to sign Dominic Solanke for Liverpool.
Solanke became the club’s first signing of the summer when he agreed to leave Chelsea at the end of his Stamford Bridge contract in June.
The Reds will have to pay a compensation fee for the striker, likely to be set at around £4million by a tribunal.
Klopp had seen scant footage of Solanke before the move however, and admits the Reds had to be “lucky” to sign him.
“The only thing I can say is the first time I heard that Dominic wants to come, I was really happy about that,” Klopp said.
“But it was difficult to find footage about him. It was a long time since he played so it was hard.
“The only thing we could get was a little bit of him playing in Holland (on loan for Vitesse Arnhem) and a bit of under-20s or under-19s. That’s not the best footage.
“Everyone in England knew him but I had no idea about him. I started to learn more and more and I trust the guys around us, the scouts, so I said: ‘Let’s do it.’
“I’ve seen a lot of skilled boys in my life and he looks like a nice project.
“Everything is really good, really clear. He’s extremely football smart and focused. You see the movement.
“He has to improve in a lot of ways but he’s a good boy.
“You know how difficult it is to get boys of this age. Usually you can’t even ask for them and you have to just have your own.
“They need to be lucky, to be at the right club, because if they are in the wrong club they are still really good, but nobody will be aware of it.
“It’s a little bit too much coincidence that things like this happen but it should be possible always.”