Liverpool are in need of more quality players, as Jurgen Klopp wants titles at the club and there is still a need to strengthen various areas in the current squad. A host of high quality players were linked with a move to Anfield so far and now it seems that the Reds might have finally got themselves a good deal. Recently, it was confirmed that the Merseyside outfit had signed Southampton’s Sadio Mane for a fee of £34m, with a move on the cards for quite some time.
The 24 year old Senegal international was keen on leaving the St. Marys’ Stadium in recent times and the former Borussia Dortmund manager took advantage of this situation and pushed through a deal for the winger. The move will surely boost Livepool’s attack, prior to the start of the upcoming campaign.
On the other hand, fierce rivals Manchester United are themselves looking to do something similar, with the arrival of ex Chelsea and Real Madrid boss Jose Mourinho. It seems that the Red Devils are looking to reinforce their front-line by adding Armenia international Henrikh Mkhitaryan to their squad, who is currently with Bundesliga giants Borussia Dortmund.
The deal has not been completed yet, though it is on the verge of going through now. There have been recent claims that the Manchester based side will have to pay a fee of £26m, to get the 27 year old superstar to the Premier League, with the German outfit planning to take a final decision by the end of the week.
Both players have looked impressive in the previous campaign and have already shown that they can perform at the top level, due to which they have caught the attention of a number of top clubs this summer.
Mane made 43 appearances for the Saints in the previous term in all competitions and has scored 15 goals with 6 assists to his name. Also, Mkhitaryan has totally played 48 times for Dortmund in the previous campaign, netting 18 goals with 20 assists, which is some amazing number.
Southampton finished at 6th place in the top flight of English football, while Dortmund finished 10 points behind champions Bayern Munich at 2nd place. However, one thing must be remembered that the Premier League is traditionally considered to be more competitive.
Further, both players now will have to play in England and though Mkhitaryan might cost less and have done way better than the new Kop signing, he still will have to prove himself at the Theater of Dreams. It might take him some time to adjust to the pace and style of football in the country and it will be interesting to see whether he can adapt or not.
Also, it will be tougher for him to play under a defence minded manager like Mourinho, who mainly likes to play counter-attacking football. Further, there a lot of underused players in the current United squad, who will want to fight for a place in the starting eleven in the upcoming campaign.
Meanwhile, Klopp’s aggressive and attacking style of play might suite Mane better and can help him flourish in the Reds’ squad, definitely making him a more effective buy.
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