BEVERLY HILLS, May 28, (THEWILL) – Former English Premier League champions Liverpool have signed centre-back Ibrahima Konate from Bundesliga side RB Leipzig. The club announced that Konate, who joined Leipzig in 2017 from the Ligue 1 side Sochaux, will be joining the Red Army.
The 22-year-old has grown admirably into one of the best defenders in Germany and helped his side compete favourably against Bavarian giants Bayern Munich, ending the season in second place and qualifying for the UEFA Champions League for next season.
To make sure he was not poached by another club, given the interest his skills had generated, Liverpool moved swiftly to activate his £36 million release clause, tying him down for the foreseeable future.
Konate expressed his delight at joining the Reds when he spoke to the club’s website after the deal was announced: “I’m really happy to be joining such a massive club like Liverpool. It’s a really exciting moment for me and my family and I am really looking forward to meeting my new teammates, the staff and getting started on this new chapter.
“Right now, my focus is on the U21 European Championships with France, but after this competition I know I will be joining one of the best teams in the world and that gives me a great feeling.
He did not forget where he was coming from and showed his gratitude: “I have worked very hard for many years to get to this point, but I would like to say a big thank you to everyone at RB Leipzig and all the people I worked with there – the coaches, my teammates, the staff and especially the fans.
“Your support helped me grow up during my time there and become not only a better player, but a better man and I will always be grateful for it.”
His leaving will be a loss for the defensive formation at Leipzig, however. Last season, Konate formed a formidable partnership with Dayot Upamecano, and kept the Bundesliga challengers compact on defense. Now, as he leaves to Anfield and Upamecano joins Julian Nagelsmann at Bayern, Leipzig’s backline will require reinforcements.
For Liverpool fans, they will be looking for Konate to relive his greatest form with his mates in the Reds’ team and together with a rejuvenated Virgil van Dijk bring back a steeliness to the wall in front of their keeper.
One man with no doubts about that is Liverpool manager, Jurgen Klopp, who noted that it was a pleasure to have acquired the young and talented defender quickly. Klopp also spoke with the website and bared his mind about the centre-back:
“I’m really pleased we’ve been able to add a player of Ibrahima’s quality to our squad and he is someone I’ve admired for a long time, ever since I first became aware of his potential when he was at Sochaux.
“After the problems we had with injuries in the centre-half position last season, there’s no doubt it was clear it was an area of the team we needed to strengthen – but I first have to say that the job Nat, Rhys and Ozan did was incredible. Unbelievable really.
“In Ibrahima we are signing a player who will add to the quality we already have here. His physical attributes are very impressive; he is quick, he is very strong and he is dominant in the air.
“He comes to us after playing more than 90 times for Leipzig in the Bundesliga and European football. I’m sure that number would have been more but for some injury, but even so that means he already has experience of what it takes to compete in two outstandingly difficult competitions.
“He also played for a team in the Champions League in high-pressure matches, who have a similar football vision to ourselves.
“I am confident we are signing a player who can play for us right away, but he is a boy of 22 years of age who has room to improve because of his massive potential. I know that’s something he is eager to work on with us to become an even better player.
“For me, that’s really exciting because I have seen how good he is already and I’m looking forward to working with him when he joins up with us in pre-season.”
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
