Liverpool and Alisson are plotting for life after the Brazilian goalkeeper leaves Anfield but the plan for the immediate future is clear: create a post-Jürgen Klopp era of success.
Alisson had tentative approaches from Saudi Arabia in the summer but wanted to help Arne Slot achieve glory in England. The new manager will send out his first competitive side on Sunday to face Brentford, with Alisson at the base of his plan after shunning any potential move.
There have been no new signings for Liverpool since the Dutchman’s arrival, instead he is relying on the quality and cohesion from the previous epoch. Often when there is a change in the dugout, it seems that an overhaul in personnel on the pitch is one of the key stages but continuity is king.
“I want to honour my contract and finish my contract here or make a new one,” says Alisson, whose deal runs out in 2026 with Liverpool possessing an option to extend for another year. “I am really happy here. My family is happy.
“I never got to the point where I was talking about wages. It was just interest, but when you hear about the numbers the other players are getting [in Saudi Arabia] you are a little bit attracted. That is normal.
“At the end of the day, you play football for love, it is the thing you like to do, but it is our profession and we want to use the years that we have to make the most of it. I am open to that, but now is not the time. I am really focused on the things we have here at Liverpool and while I still have my contract here, I will be focused here.
“If it is in the interest of the club to negotiate, then it will be a different conversation. At this time, at this window, I am focused on my job here and my life in Liverpool.”
When Alisson heads for pastures new, he is likely to be replaced by the Georgia goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili, who looks likely to sign for Liverpool in the immediate future before being loaned back to Valencia.
“The club needs to prepare for the future,” Alisson, 32 in October, says of the deal for Mamardashvili. “We are not going to last for ever here, I am getting old. No, for a goalkeeper I am still young, I have a lot of energy and I still have much to give for this club and I want to give to the club as much as I can. But they have to prepare for the future. They have and they will do for different positions as well. We have so many important players with the contract expiring and the club needs to organise themselves.”
Alisson is one of many Liverpool players to almost bypass pre-season with their new head coach. He was Brazil’s No 1 at a Copa América that ended in quarter-final disappointment when they lost on penalties to Uruguay. The goalkeeper played his part, conceding two goals in four matches, but was unable to save his team once more in the shootout. Brazil won a solitary group game, drawing the other two against Colombia and Costa Rica before facing Marcelo Bielsa’s Uruguay. Although he was away from England, Slot was in touch to discuss his ideals.
“It was good,” Alisson says. “The first contact is really important. It does not define the relationship for the year or the years, but it was important to see how clear he is in his ideas and see how cool he is as a person as well.
“He is a nice person, a family man with a lot of conviction in his ideas of what he wants from the players and the team and what he wants to achieve. His goals are for greatness, great things at the club. The same as mine. So it was a good conversation.”
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It was all change on Alisson’s return to Kirkby for training on 9 August, just over a week before the season began in victorious fashion at Ipswich. John Achterberg, one of the few people to be there longer than Klopp, has left after 15 years as goalkeeping coach, along with his deputy, Jack Robinson. The former Tranmere player had been a great support in the department for Alisson, helping him to earn numerous individual accolades, including two Premier League golden gloves. Slot entrusted his goalkeepers to Fabian Otte, who is only two years older than Alisson.
“It’s a big change in the routine,” says Alisson. “Fabian is a really nice guy, really enthusiastic. He is young and brings a lot of energy, and he likes to work. That’s what I need on the pitch. On a personal level, the relationships I created here, they continue.
“I am still in touch with John and Jack and they will be friends for life. I have a great gratitude to them for the things they did for me. The way they worked, they were much more than professionals. They were top.”
Liverpool recovered from finishing fifth in 2023 to returning to Champions League qualification after coming third behind Manchester City and Arsenal last season. Alisson was, once again, a key member of the squad but missed 10 league matches through injury, while Caoimhín Kelleher was also given the gloves for cup games. The Irishman impressed when given a chance but Slot has made clear who his No 1 is and what they can achieve together.
“I never thought about leaving,” says Alisson. “When the interest from Saudi came, I cannot close the door on a big deal. But my decision was always to stay and focus on the things we can achieve, this new beginning and this new start, and I am really excited about that. We are starting fresh with new energy and looking forward to what this season will bring for us.”
Source: theguardian.com
