Ahead of the new season, the Reds have been busy in the summer by signing new players or extending the contracts of existing players.
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Liverpool will be eager to bounce back from last season’s disappointment, as they prepare for the upcoming campaign. The Reds had a forgettable season in their own way, as they failed to finish in Champions League places and were eliminated in earlier rounds in the cup competitions. Jurgen Klopp and his boys will be eager to put the season behind and focus on the upcoming campaign, which is a little more than a month away.
Ahead of the new season, the Reds have been busy in the summer by signing new players or extending the contracts of existing players. One such player is their back-up goalkeeper Adrian, who has recently signed a contract extension with the club until the end of the 2023-24 season. Speaking about the extension, he told Liverpoolfc.com, “I’m delighted, to be honest, to stay here and continue being part of this great football club.”
“From the beginning, when I came in 2019, the club, the fans, the manager opened their arms like, ‘This is your new home.’ Yeah, this is my new home. At the end of the day, we need competition in the squad. As I always say, the competition makes us better and we have a great goalkeeper group with the goalkeeper coach, the youngsters – it’s a good mix. We are good friends as well. So that is the most important thing – to be close to each other, to support in those difficult moments. As soon as the club told me that option, I had nothing to think about and obviously just to put the pen on the paper and sign it.”
The 36-year-old might not be a first choice at Liverpool, however, his experience will come in handy for other goalkeepers. Talking about his new role at the club, he said, “In life as well, sometimes you have different work and you have to change your role. In a football career, you start doing a role like when you are younger, you are supporting, learning more stuff. Obviously there are many games, many competitions. The club needs competitive players on the pitch, and players ready to go – and I’m one of them.”
He added: “From the beginning, I tried to support in the dressing room, show obviously the level when I can and show my experience with the youngsters, try to speak with them in training or when we are travelling. At the end of the day, I’m always learning. I’m 36 now but I’m still learning. I’m feeling fresh and ready as always. I’m looking forward to working with the same group again with John [Achterberg], Jack [Robinson] and Taffa [Claudio Taffarel]. We have a great group of goalies and we support each other.”
Despite Liverpool not having the best of season, Alisson Becker was one of the few players who stood out last term. “That is the most difficult part in football because modern football has no memories, for sure, and you just remember the last game. Now we are starting again. Obviously Ali made a great impact on the team last season – but the previous as well. He’s improving, he’s always feeling confident, he’s training so good,” he explained.
“He’s one of the top five goalies in the world, I would say. The goalie position is so difficult because you have to keep that level. It’s not just good because you had a good game or made some good saves; the next game you can make a mistake and obviously everyone will remember that. At the end of the day, Ali is a top goalie and is doing well. Obviously we hope he keeps that level for sure. We will push hard from the back – me, Caoimhin [Kelleher], the youngsters – to keep him at the top of his level.”
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