Liverpool smashed their transfer record to sign RB Leipzig midfielder Naby Keita after a summer-long pursuit.
Despite long being on the club’s radar, Liverpool fans will have to wait until 2018 to see their new man in action.
The Guinea international will move to Anfield next summer as per the agreement between the two clubs.
No doubt plenty will be tuning into the Bundesliga this season for regular scouting reports but for now, we’ve enlisted the help of respected Germany daily Bild and their Leipzig reporter Stefan Krause to get the lowdown on the 22-year-old.
First of all, what are the numbers behind the deal?
Leipzig will receive €65million if they don’t qualify for the Champions League or Europa League, €70million if they qualify for the Europa League or €75million if they secure Champions League football.
Keita himself will earn €12million per year (€250,000 a week).
He’s talked up as one of the most complete midfielders in Europe, but what is he not so good at and needs to improve on?
Keita is one of the best midfielders in Europe. For his age group he is the best! No other player can be so aggressive defensively and then so brilliant in attack. His right foot and the ball are like Siamese twins and often he can only be stopped by tough tackling. But sometimes he isn’t interested to do work back in the style Leipzig coach Ralph Hasenhuttl demands. And he is not the toughest player as last year he was out injured three times with muscular issues.
His dribbling stats are very impressive but is that ability overlooking other aspects of his game which have caught the eye?
Keita came from Salzburg/Austria to Leipzig in the summer of 2016 and the for the first few weeks he was practically invisible in pre-season friendlies. He spent the first four matches of last season on the bench but he learned very quickly and played faster and tougher.
He has a high potential to learn things fast and to adjust for the bigger challenges as he’s said previously: “I’ve played in France, Austria and now Germany – each country has given me a new input and made me richer in experience. That is important for and one of my life goals is it to get better every day and make the next step in my career”.
It’s a record deal for Liverpool but at 22, have they potentially got themselves a bargain?
Yes, I’m sure that he is a bargain. Keita loves Barcelona and he’s told me in the past that he wants to play for them one day. Liverpool shouldn’t be seen as a stepping stone for him but I’m sure when Keita plays well and reaches his full potential, Barca will try to sign him in a few years. It could be an expensive deal like the one for Ousmane Dembele, so the deal could give resale value for them.
The majority of Liverpool fans won’t have heard much about him prior to this summer, how quickly has he developed?
Very fast. One of his character traits is that he is extremely ambitious. He has six siblings and hails from a poor family, where his father repairs motorcycles for a living. He once told me: “All people in our settlement were and are poor, the economic situation is bad, there was war, now there is peace, people help each other, they are happy and happy in their despair”. He is learning fast – on the pitch and off the pitch.
In your opinion, why is he an obvious fit for Jurgen Klopp and if you could pinpoint anyone of the current Liverpool midfield – of course that could change – who would he fit in alongside?
I don’t know the Liverpool squad very well, so it is not so easy. But I think he is better as the No8 or as the No6, so maybe he could play alongside Gini Wijnaldum or Emre Can.
Fan relations are a big part of German football as is the case with Liverpool, what sort of relationship has he had with Leipzig fans?
Keita is always smart and friendly, so he has a very nice relationship with the people. But because of the language barrier (Keita speaks very good French but only small English and German) he cannot talk like a native German. But the fans loves him for the way he plays.
What’s he like as a person, his temperament and is he well liked by the rest of the squad?
Naby is very kind and reserved off the pitch, but he can be a beast on the training ground, which was shown with the bust-up earlier this summer. He was fouled by team-mate Diego Demme before he got his revenge with a brutal kick to the knee. Sporting Director Ralf Rangnick said about Keita: “Naby is off the pitch like a koala bear. You would also like to cuddle and love him all the time (but on it, it’s a different story)”.
Naby Keita's bust-up with #RBLeipzig teammate Diego Demme happened because of these vicious challenges... 😱🚑 #LFCpic.twitter.com/pzLxfoQkxy
— Yahoo Sport UK (@YahooSportUK) July 24, 2017
If he does take the No8 shirt at Liverpool, the number made famous by Steven Gerrard, will he be able to handle the pressure of stepping into that role?
I’m sure he won’t feel any pressure. He isn’t the type of boy to dwell on any names and characters who have come before him. He is respectful but self confident enough to play his own game. He told me: “One day I will be the best footballer in Africa. And I’ll do it”.
Finally, any other facts we should know about?
He owns three cars; A yellow Mercedes GT (€135,000), Mercedes GLE AMG Coupe (€120,000) and a Porsche Panamera turbo (€140,000). He has some of his brothers and family around him and his second surname is Deco like the Portuguese legend – Keita’s dad was a big fan of his.
