Alexis Mac Allister reveals Jurgen Klopp and Liverpool ‘showed a real desire for me’ in £35m summer move from Brighton – as he insists ‘money’s not the biggest thing’
- Alexis Mac Allister has joined Liverpool in a bargain £35m deal from Brighton
- He says Jurgen Klopp’s desire to sign him was the driving force behind the move
- Listen to the latest episode of the Mail Sport podcast It all starts!
Alexis Mac Allister said money was not the driving force behind his move to Liverpool and credited Jurgen Klopp’s desire to sign him with convincing him to leave Brighton.
Liverpool signed Mac Allister on a five-year contract worth £35 million after watching him flourish at Brighton during the 2022-2023 Premier League season.
The 24-year-old became one of Klopp’s top priorities during the summer transfer window after helping Brighton qualify for Europe for the first time.
Mac Allister also played a major role in Argentina’s World Cup triumph, making him a popular player in the summer period.
However, Mac Allister knew he wanted to move to Liverpool and said it was an ‘easy decision’ after seeing Klopp’s desire to sign him.
Alexis Mac Allister said money was not the driving force behind his move to Liverpool and credited Jurgen Klopp’s desire to sign him with convincing him to leave Brighton.
Liverpool signed Mac Allister on a five-year contract worth £35 million after watching him flourish at Brighton during the 2022-2023 Premier League season
Mac Allister told TNT Sports: ‘It’s a great year for me, I’ve achieved a lot of good things, at the World Cup, qualifying for Europe with Brighton and then signing for Liverpool.
“(It was) pretty special for me. I trained and worked very hard to reach this place. I try to be a better person and a better player every day and I am very happy and very proud of what I am doing now.
‘It was easy (to move to Liverpool) because the club and the manager made it easy, because from the first moment they showed a real desire for me and that was so important because money in football is a big thing but sometimes is that also true? not the biggest.’
Mac Allister ended by saying: ‘The manager (Klopp), the club showed a real desire, real interest, and I’m very grateful for that.’
The arrival of Mac Allister brings much-needed life and energy to Liverpool’s midfield, which has grown stale and is in desperate need of reinvigoration.
Liverpool fans will be hoping that Mac Allister, along with Klopp’s other signings, will catapult the Reds back into title contention after a year out.
Mac Allister is keen to continue and told TNT he wanted to help Liverpool win the league and qualify for the Champions League.
He said: ‘Like any big team you want to aim very high, we have an important competition like the Europa League and then of course the Premier League.
‘We want to get this club back into the Champions League. So we have to aim very high and that’s what we’re trying to do: try to go step by step, win every game and then we’ll see the future.”
He then spoke about his position at Liverpool, claiming he would like to do more defensive work in midfield.
The 24-year-old said: ‘I like it (playing in a deeper role), of course I have to defend a bit more, but that’s not a problem for me because I’m a team player.