Liverpool can soon seek a free transfer for a defender to whom Jürgen Klopp once handed a debut, as the £22m-rated defender has decided on a ‘new chapter’.
As the January transfer window draws tantalisingly close, the biggest clamour among Liverpool fans is for cover to help deal with the African Cup of Nations. However, such short-termism is uncharacteristic of FSG. The true significance of the window could lie in the fact that it marks the beginning of the period in which clubs can negotiate directly with players whose contracts expire in the summer.
The tension, the acrimony, the will-they, won’t-they: the Bosman transfer market is the real soap opera of football. It could offer up a fairytale in 2022, with a man to whom Jürgen Klopp once handed a Borussia Dortmund debut available to join for free in the summer.
Matthias Ginter has forestalled some of the usual drama, announcing well in advance that he will not be renewing his contract with Borussia Mönchengladbach. He confirmed that a ‘decision has been made’, and that he will ‘start a new chapter’ next season.
This will put plenty of teams around Europe on red alert, not least given the disparity between his lack of price tag and his £22m Transfermarkt valuation. Liverpool are not the most obvious suitors, given their plethora of options at centre-back, but there are multiple reasons why Klopp could be tempted into a reunion.
Klopp was actually the one who brought Ginter to Borussia Dortmund in the first place, way back in 2014. Signed from Freiburg for £9m, he was thrust straight into action in the DFL-Supercup, keeping a clean sheet in a 2-0 triumph over Bayern Munich. The manager ultimately only ended up using the defender in a little under half of the Bundesliga matches in an ill-fated campaign, but clearly saw something he liked in Ginter.
Mere weeks before Klopp took over at Liverpool, Ginter was going on a remarkable run in the new position of right-back, amassing six assists in his first six games of the 2015/16 season. Oddly enough, this single season was effectively the only time he played as a full-back, but he certainly showed his capabilities over the course of 22 games in such a role. If FSG are plotting cheap and flexible cover, Klopp will know the direction in which to point them.
This will put plenty of teams around Europe on red alert, not least given the disparity between his lack of price tag and his £22m Transfermarkt valuation. Liverpool are not the most obvious suitors, given their plethora of options at centre-back, but there are multiple reasons why Klopp could be tempted into a reunion.
Klopp was actually the one who brought Ginter to Borussia Dortmund in the first place, way back in 2014. Signed from Freiburg for £9m, he was thrust straight into action in the DFL-Supercup, keeping a clean sheet in a 2-0 triumph over Bayern Munich. The manager ultimately only ended up using the defender in a little under half of the Bundesliga matches in an ill-fated campaign, but clearly saw something he liked in Ginter.
Mere weeks before Klopp took over at Liverpool, Ginter was going on a remarkable run in the new position of right-back, amassing six assists in his first six games of the 2015/16 season. Oddly enough, this single season was effectively the only time he played as a full-back, but he certainly showed his capabilities over the course of 22 games in such a role. If FSG are plotting cheap and flexible cover, Klopp will know the direction in which to point them.
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