Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp has given his view on new signing Cody Gakpo.
Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp has spoken for the first time regarding his new signing Cody Gakpo, as the Reds announced that they had signed the Dutch forward from PSV on Wednesday evening for an initial £37million. The forward will join up with the Reds squad and could make his debut when his new side travel to Brentford on January 2.
Klopp highlighted Gakpo’s age despite being experienced in the game, his intelligence, the huge potential of the forward and his ability to play in multiple positions as reasons he is excited about the deal.
“It really is great news for us that we have been able to do it and I have to say it has been a fantastic job by everyone involved, especially Julian [Ward],” Klopp told the club’s website. “The work that has gone into this has been really impressive and in the end we have managed to sign a player who we have known about for quite some time and who we believe will have a really bright future with us.
“There is a lot to like about Cody. He is still only 23 years old but he already has a lot of experience. He was the captain of PSV, he was the Player of the Year in Holland last season and, as a lot of people have just seen, he also had a great World Cup with his national team.
“So, it is clear that he is already a really, really good player but his age also means he also has the potential to become even better. Offensively, he is very versatile and on top of this we know he is a smart footballer and also a smart person, so we are really excited to be able to work with him.”
Gakpo started every one of the Netherlands’ five World Cup games this winter, and scored in each of their group stage games after an impressive first half of the campaign in Holland with PSV.
The 23-year-old scored nine goals and recorded 12 assists in 14 Eredivisie games this season, and added a further three goals and two assists in the Europa League.
Gakpo, an international colleague of Virgil van Dijk, revealed that the centre-back played a big role in encouraging him to move to Anfield. “We spoke a lot over the phone [in] the last days,” Gakpo admitted.
“What he told me was that this is the right move for me to make and for me to develop and to become a better player, that the club is a really big and massive club but also like a real family – I think that’s also very important for me because I’m a family guy. He said only good things.”
SOURCE: express.co.uk
