Liverpool seem to be filling up their problem areas with the right kind of players in the transfer window. First we had Joel Matip for the centre back spot, then we had Loris Karius for the goalkeeping role and now we have Sadio Mane, who joined the Reds from Southampton for a fee reported to be close to £34 million, which does make him one of the most expensive players to have joined the Merseyside club.
Mane was always going to move away from Southampton and was even linked with a move to Manchester United at one stage but Liverpool made a big enough bid to bring in another Southampton player to the club and the 24-year-old Senegalese winger will surely add a lot of quality to the wings of Liverpool.
While many would scoff at the exorbitant price tag paid for the winger, he has always been one of the best players at Southampton and without a proper speedy winger, Liverpool probably have filled up the largest hole they had in their squad.
Mane might not be a Gotze but Liverpool fans should be happy about the deal and here are three reasons why.
Regular goal scorer
You don’t normally get a winger who can score goals and create them regularly but Mane is known for his goal scoring ability and he had 10 in his first season with Southampton. Last season he scored 15 goals for the Saints and that could be a major bonus for Liverpool as they look to take the pressure off Philippe Coutinho and Daniel Sturridge.
The surprising stat is that the Senegalese isn’t the greatest at providing and only had six to his name last time around, though that could change at Liverpool, the most important fact is that he can and will score goals, something that Liverpool are in desperate need off.
A great passer of the ball
Liverpool don’t really need someone who is going to provide a great number of crosses into the box. What they need is someone who can link up well with the likes of Daniel Sturridge, Coutinho and Roberto Firmino and that player for sure is Sadio Mane.
The former Southampton star is known for his dribbling skills and his passing ability. Short range passes are the key for Liverpool and Mane would fit into this system like a sock fits the right foot. It just is a matter of time as to how well he fits into Jurgen Klopp’s plan and he should be a success.
Speed is his key strength
One thing that any club would love to have is fast players and also versatile players. Mane is a handy mixture of both, he is one of the fastest dribblers around and he can play almost anywhere in the top third of the team.
Liverpool need wingers who are not only creative but quick as well as Klopp employs a great brand of counter-attacking football and Mane would fit perfectly in this team. Liverpool fans should be happy with the signing and he could lead them to a top four position next season.