Liverpool were dealt a blow when Mario Gotze suggested that he wanted to stay at Bayern Munich. Since then, the Reds have been looking for other attacking midfielders who would suit Klopp’s style of play. Recent reports suggest that Sadio Mane, Southampton’s prolific winger, is being scouted by Liverpool. Sadio Mane was in top form for Southampton this season, drawing attention from clubs like Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool. The Senegalese midfielder scored 11 goals and provided 6 assists making him a goal scorer as well as a creator.His best game of the season came against Manchester City, where he scored a hat-trick and wreaked havoc in City’s defence.
Mane is swift and has a direct style of play. He makes incisive runs through the wings and delivers in perfect crosses for the team’s strikers to score goals. This ability of Mane is suggested by the fact that over the season, he created 41 goal-scoring chances.
Sadio Mane started his career for French club Metz where he made 22 appearances and scored 2 goals. Mane’s skills and talent drew offers for him and he made a move to Austrian club Red Bull Salzburg at the beginning of the 2012-13 season. At Salzburg, Mane cemented his place in the starting eleven because of his goal scoring knack and his creative play. He made 63 appearances for the Austrian club, scoring 31 goals and averaging almost a goal every two games. He won the Austrian Bundesliga and Austian Cup with Salzburg during the 2013-14 season.
According to reports, Liverpool had rejected a move for Mane at the beginning of the 2014-15 season for a fee of 12 million pounds. Brendan Rodgers had under-rated the Senegalese midfielder, possibly making a big mistake. As a result, Mane joined Southampton for the same fee and since then has scored 27 goals in 61 appearances for the Saints in the Premier League. He also holds the record of scoring the fastest hat-trick in the Premier League, taking just 176 seconds.
Sadio Mane’s style of play includes cutting inside from the wings, making quick, short passes and doing layoffs. Liverpool’s attacking midfielders Coutinho, Firmino and Lallana also make quick one-touch passes and split open opposition defenses. Mane’s style of play is similar and he will not take long to adjust to Liverpool’s style of play. Also, he is very good at off-the-ball pressing, which is Klopp’s preferred tactic. Mane will also suit Klopp’s Gegenpressing tactic, making him a good signing for the club.
Reports suggest that Liverpool are lining up a bid for the 24-year-old, who is priced at around £25m. Southampton resisted an offer from Man United last summer and are keen to hang on to their prized asset. Jurgen Klopp has a chance to make amends for Rodgers’ mistake by signing the Senegalese midfielder. Sadio Mane will be perfect for Liverpool and Klopp should go for him.
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