Kylian Mbappe moving to Real Madrid wouldn’t be a blow for Liverpool – it would be a blessing in disguise
So, Kylian Mbappe is finally going to move to Real Madrid? Or maybe not? What does it matter to Liverpool? They never really wanted him anyway! Only that’s not true, of course. Just like absolutely every other coach in the world, Jurgen Klopp has always been interested in Mbappe. He first tried to sign him while the French forward was still at Monaco.
Mbappe obviously ended up returning to his hometown to join Paris Saint-Germain in 2017. That same summer, Liverpool brought in Mohamed Salah from Roma – which has proven one of the best buys in the history of the club.
The Egyptian has just passed 200 goals for the Reds and is showing no signs of slowing down. He is, however, 31 and the subject of great interest from Saudi Arabia. Selling Salah for an exorbitant sum of money at the end of the season would make an awful lot of sense if a worthy successor could be found, and Mbappe is understandably the dream replacement in the eyes of many supporters. After all, who else could possibly prove as prolific on Liverpool’s right wing?
But while the disputed claim that Mbappe had agreed to move to Madrid when his PSG contract expires this summer was portrayed as a blow for Liverpool, it would be more like a blessing in disguise.
Klopp could make Mbappe even better
He’d run riot in the Premier League too, of course. The idea that Mbappe might struggle in a stronger division than Ligue 1 is as farcical as the notion that Lionel Messi would have wilted on a wet Wednesday night at Stoke. Mbappe has been directly involved in nine goals in 14 appearances against English opposition in the Champions League.
It’s also exciting what to think Mbappe might become if he bought into Klopp’s footballing philosophy. Unlike Pep Guardiola, the former Borussia Dortmund boss has never inherited all-time greats or signed superstars – he has made them, taking players like Salah, Mane, Firmino, Robert Lewandowski, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Andy Robertson, Fabinho, Gini Wijnaldum, Mario Gotze, Henrikh Mkitharyan, Marco Reus and Virgil van Dijk to a whole other level.
What might Klopp achieve with Mbappe? And vice versa…
Plays and acts like a Real Madrid player
It would be different at Madrid. Carlo Ancelotti, who has just signed a new contract, is a master of placating presidents and players with more money than sense.
Of course, Mbappe has previously expressed his admiration of Klopp’s high-octane brand of football, but how would he respond to the demands placed upon him?
Even if a little less effort was required of Mbappe because of what he would add to the attack, Liverpool are very much a team that defends from the front – and always will be as long as Klopp is in charge.
So, if the Reds were to sign him, it would have to be on their terms, both from a financial and sporting perspective, and if recent history has taught us anything, it’s that Mbappe is not a man willing to make many concessions.
As former PSG sporting director Leonardo told L’Equipe, “With his behaviour over the last two years, Mbappe is showing that he’s not yet a player capable of really guiding a team. He’s a great player, not a leader. It’s hard to build a team around him.”
Florentino Perez is more than willing to give it a go, though, and chances are it will work out for everyone concerned, because Mbappe already plays – and indeed acts – like a Real Madrid player. Painful as it may be for PSG to admit, and deal with, they are better off without him. And Liverpool will be too.
Mbappe may look like the ideal Salah successor, but he’s already proven himself far more trouble than he’s worth.
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