Alexis Mac Allister has explained how Jurgen Klopp used Ilkay Gundogan as a comparison for where he would fit in at Liverpool, convincing him to join.
Mac Allister has been one of Liverpool’s most important players ever since his £35 million move from Brighton in 2023, making the step up seem effortless.
That should perhaps come as no surprise given he had already won the World Cup with Argentina and established himself as a key player for Brighton.
But there is never any guarantee that a player will transition to a new club, with higher expectations, and a different system – particularly one as demanding as Klopp’s Liverpool.
A conversation with the then-manager before deciding to join convinced Mac Allister that Anfield was the right destination, with Klopp describing his role as similar to one of his former players.
“He didn’t need to [sell the club]!” Mac Allister told Gary Lineker on The Rest is Football.
“Basically he said that there was going to be a change in terms of midfielders.
“He wanted me to be part of it and he compared me with players like Gundogan for example, who he managed at Dortmund.
“He said that we had similar things and that I could be an important player for Liverpool and for his team.
“So that was enough to say ‘I need to go there’.
“I was in a moment where I’d won the World Cup just six months before, I wanted to go to a club where I had the opportunity to win trophies and I wanted to go to a club where I could feel important, where I could feel that I could have a history there.
“That was enough to tell me that I wanted to play for Liverpool.”
LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - Wednesday, November 27, 2024: Liverpool's Alexis Mac Allister celebrates after scoring the opening goal during the UEFA Champions League game between Liverpool FC and Real Madrid CF at Anfield. (Photo by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)
Mac Allister’s experience at Liverpool so far has been hugely positive, even if his first campaign ended in frustration with only the Carabao Cup to show for it as Klopp departed.
But now enjoying a similarly focal role under Arne Slot, the 25-year-old is unsurprisingly optimistic, with a big Champions League knockout tie under the lights at Anfield one of his big ambitions for the season.
“I’m really looking forward to a second leg in the Champions League there,” he said.
“Under the lights, it feels magic. Against Real Madrid or when you have big games, you can hear them and they are really behind us.
“I think they know that we need them and that’s so important to create that connection between fans and the team.
“I really love them and I’m really looking forward to that second leg in the Champions League, hopefully!”