As Liverpool’s pre-season kicks off in Germany and the Reds expect to make further changes in their midfield with some leaving and some fresh faces coming in, Liverpool have been linked with Senegalese midfielder Pape Diop.
Another fresh name tentatively indexed with a move to Anfield has been the 19-year-old Zulte Waregem starlet and to find out more about the Red’s interest in the midfielder, Dan Clubbe spoke to his agent Gerald Sagoe…
Sagoe began by reiterating that his camp held talks with a Liverpool representative in Paris: “What I can say is that we did have preliminary conversations with a member of the scouting team from Liverpool, and this was in Paris sometime in March this year. We had two days of conversations at a hotel and they were enquiring generally about Pape Demba, about his status, what he’s up to etcetera etcetera.
“We just exchanged information, we explained to them his contract length, we explained to him the project that we want, as well as the boy’s ambitions and his personal objectives in the game”
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To give more context on the player, Dan asked Sagoe if he could give a brief description of the player and what he could offer to Jurgen Klopp’s side.
Sagoe responded by saying he is an all-action midfielder, as well as likening him to Steven Gerrard in the way that he can move the ball in midfield:
“What I will say is that he is an all-action midfielder. I’m not saying they’re the same players, but he is very similar to Steven Gerrard in that he is all-action. Box-to-box midfielder can defend, can attack and score goals from midfield which is one of his best attributes. He always rises to the occasion when it matters, and he also has big shoulders. He takes responsibility for his teams, whether they’re needing a goal or a vital assist the boy takes responsibility. That’s in a nutshell what he is as a player.
“As a person, he is a hugely ambitious young boy, he wants to be one of the best players in European football and of course if you want to be one of the best you need to play for one of the biggest clubs. These are his ambitions, and he is working very hard.”
To finish off, Sagoe says that he thinks the midfielder needs to make a move this window: “We have had some conversations with some big clubs this summer, obviously Liverpool included, but for sure I think the best thing for him would be to move probably in this window. I think that, no disrespect to his current club but the boy can play at a higher level. Last year his club struggled, they were relegated, and we think that he is better than the second division in Belgium. He loves the club, obviously, but we are working on the best deal possible for him.”
Redmen Reacts
Pape Demba Diop – who has been capped twice by Senegal at the Under 23 level – is clearly a player whom the Liverpool scouting team view highly thanks to the way in which he can play in the centre of the park, however, his lack of experience in the big leagues could potentially act as a hurdle. He can play well at a young level or at a lower level of football, but the player the Reds desperately need at this stage of their rebuild is someone who can slot in and Klopp can be sure he will provide exactly what is promised.
If Liverpool signed Diop as a player who would play at a youth level and see what comes from there it would be a good signing, but if they signed him with the intention of going straight into the first team then I think most people would be rightfully disappointed with the lack of ambition shown by the club.
It’s obviously all speculation right now, but it will be interesting to see what happens next.
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