da betano casino： This article is part of Football FanCast’s Expert Roundup feature, which provides three quotes from those in the know in order to illuminate fundamental strengths, weaknesses, quirks, stylistic comparisons and general observations of players, transfer targets and confirmed signings.
da realsbet： It seems that it didn’t take Jurgen Klopp long to be completely sold on the idea of bringing Takumi Minamino over to Anfield.
According to the latest reports coming from Goal, Liverpool are looking to seal the deal for RB Salzburg’s talent in January.
The German manager has reportedly been taken aback by the 24-year-old’s energy, movement, skill and versatility and his release clause of just £7.25m makes this deal a no-brainer.
Of course, having impressed against Liverpool in both Champions League clashes, Minamino can surely tango with the best of them and the Reds can always use players like that in their squad.
But who exactly is this talent emerging from Salzburg’s ranks?
To answer that question, we sought the opinions of those who know him best…
Ralf Rangnick, head of sport and development at Red Bull
Rangnick is someone who’s had the privilege of coaching the likes of Sadio Mane, Roberto Firmino, Naby Keita and Joel Matip, all of whom are current Liverpool stars and he believes Minamino is also a big talent in making.
When talking about the star in question, Rangnick praised him for his technique and also his mentality, which could be very important for his potential gig at Anfield.
Here’s what he said, as per quotes by Sky Sports:
“You could see he was good on the ball, very technical, good mentality. He is also like many Japanese players, willing to invest in the team’s efforts to win the ball back.
“Of course he had to learn those things tactically, but his willingness and his mentality was already there. He’s not the kind of player to say, OK the other team has got the ball so, please let me know once we have the ball so I then can take part in the game again. Even at the age of 19, you could see he was a good boy.”
Christopher Freund, Salzburg’s sporting director
Freund knows exactly what kind of a talent Salzburg have in their ranks and he was never hiding it.
Just recently, shortly after the whole story connecting Minamino to Liverpool surfaced, his current club’s sporting director heaped praise on the player, even stating that he is ready for a big move in January.
Here’s what he said for Independent:
“He is an outstanding player with an outstanding personality.
“The big clubs have been watching him and if I was them, I’d have no hesitation to sign him. Takumi is ready to make the next step in January.”
Manuel Veth, football expert
Veth is another one of the football experts who have been keeping tabs on the emerging talent and he seems to believe that Minamino is the type of player that cannot really be put in a specific category.
But one thing is for sure, he is a rather impressive goal-scorer.
Here’s what he told Liverpool ECHO:
“If you look at Minamino’s record with Salzburg it’s impressive – 63 goals in 192 appearances – but I believe that anyone who gets into that side is a very good player.
“I would describe him as a hard-working attacking midfielder. It’s really hard to categorise them into a particular box.
“That price is a steal, an absolute steal for that kind of player.”
Verdict
It seems that Liverpool are really getting a steal with the reported release clause on the 24-year-old star. By the looks of his player profile, he could be exactly what Klopp needs in his side.
The only thing that remains is to seal the deal.