Naby Keita

[Charly]

The club could probably make a fortune for charity selling Klopp hugs to the fans

He end up ****ing killing me

[SB]

Got to wait till the 2nd half to see him & Millie together

[SB]

Page 2 already

Looking forward to seeing him again in the morning.

[Shaggy]

[ame]https://twitter.com/VintageSalah/status/1020040094676398080[/ame]

[SB]

He does look something special doesn’t he.

[Fosterbloke]

The zip of the pass was everything there. We're guilty of weak or overhit through balls but that was perfection. Top marks to Sturridge too for a brilliant control and finish.

[Fivex]

Nice words coach

[Mark79]

The zip of the pass was everything there. We're guilty of weak or overhit through balls but that was perfection. Top marks to Sturridge too for a brilliant control and finish.

I mean with the time and space he had, I reckon I could have side footed that 10 yard pass well enough too

[Red_Polo]

https://twitter.com/VintageSalah/sta...40094676398080

I know it's unlikely in the extreme, but can you imagine how ****ing insane we'd be if Sturridge suddenly had a season of good form?

[Pablo]

I know it's unlikely in the extreme, but can you imagine how ****ing insane we'd be if Sturridge suddenly had a season of good form?

It'd be both a huge bonus and a huge bonor.

[Shaggy]

[ame]https://twitter.com/_ChrisBascombe/status/1020421457766068225[/ame]

[Shaggy]

For those who can't see Telegraph content

Naby Keita interview: 'I used to play in the streets in Guinea wearing Liverpool shirt and pretend to be Steven Gerrard'

You need only 30 minutes in the company of Naby Keita to be left in a spin when contemplating what kind of footballer he is.

His childhood idols were Barcelona’s Andres Iniesta and Deco. On the streets of his village in Conakry, Guinea, he imitated Steven Gerrard.

He lists winning possession among his best assets, and attributes four red cards in the Bundesliga last season to natural aggression.

Over the course of his final year at RB Leipzig - Liverpool having completed a £55 million transfer 12 months before his unveiling - he was compared to N’golo Kante, before it was acknowledged his dribbling and guile made him more of a box-to-box midfielder, or even Philippe Coutinho replacement. Except quicker.

Perhaps it is the prolonged pursuit and wait between his signing and arrival. Maybe it is a natural consequence of the social media hysteria surrounding any modern transfer. But few Liverpool players have been eulogised so much before playing a competitive match; every description implies completeness.

“I am aggressive in a positive sense,” he replies, when challenged to define his game.

“My first mind-set is to defend well and not concede. As a midfielder, when you have sealed things up at the back, my job is to provide the ammunition for the strikers and forwards, to create opportunities. Also, if I get a chance that comes my way, I want to take it and score. But I am a team player. I think about the team and the group always.”

Liverpool's willingness to wait a year for Keita - despite what was at the time a club-record deal - swelled anticipation. So did giving him the No 8, vacant since Gerrard left in 2015.

Keita was granted a ceremonial passing of the shirt from the club legend ahead of his grand Anfield unveiling.

“When I came here that day I didn't know Steven would be at Melwood,” says Keita. “It was a surprise to me. It was exciting. He said, 'Everyone will be here for you, we're all going to help you develop'.

“I had watched Steven Gerrard growing up as a kid and admired him so that was a special day.

“We used to play in the streets wearing a Liverpool shirt. My dad had a love of Liverpool back then when I was 11 or 12 years old.

“I wanted to be like him. It couldn't be anyone else. He was always the boss of the team.”

With respect to the former Liverpool captain, he was not the favourite in the Keita household. It does not require investigative journalism to establish who was.

Naby Deco Keita reads the name on his Instagram page, the former Porto, Barcelona and Chelsea playmaker prompting warm childhood memories.

“My dad loved Deco as a player. He started calling me Deco as a nickname around the house,” says Keita, whose father – Sekou – calls him to review every performance and is referenced throughout the interview.

“Eight is a number I always liked. It's also the number my dad wore when he played football so it's special to me. I am aware that it's a big number here at Liverpool and I am very excited to wear it.”

Another Barcelona legend – another No 8 – was the biggest hero.

“My overall favourite player would be Iniesta,” he says. “For his final ball obviously, his skill and his ability. I know he is not known for his aggression but that is something I have added to my game, even if it is not one of his traits. I think as a midfielder you need to have that aggression.

“I don’t think the physical aspect is going to have a negative impact on me at all. I like winning the ball back. It’s something I love.”

What about the many red cards?

“I think I might have been a little bit unfortunate with a couple of those,” he insists.

“The main thing is that they were not for losing my discipline. It was just a tackle that was judged to be a little bit stronger than it was. I think the referees were straight on it but, yes, it is something I need to be aware of, sure. Part of my game is winning the ball back and that is all I was trying to do.”

Liverpool can thank a former manager for Keita’s progress. Gerard Houllier, then Red Bull Salzburg’s head of global football, spotted Keita playing for FC Istres in France’s second division in 2014. Red Bull’s sporting director Ralf Rangnick secured the switch to sister club RB Leipzig two years later.

“Gerard spoke to me a lot about my football development when we were at Red Bull,” says Keita.

“I bumped into him when we played Marseille in the Europa League. He had gone to watch the match and he spoke to me about Liverpool. He told me it was a massive move and now it was in my hands to make it a success. He told me, ‘Do everything you possibly can – establish yourself’.”

Liverpool’s 12-month pursuit was a saga, the compromise finally reached last August. RB Leipzig claimed Barcelona tried to hijack the deal as the transfer was agreed, adding to its aura.

Keita seems an especially contemporary Premier League signing – the thrill and frenzy of the public chase and expensive capture celebrated by fans as much a winning goal. There is no getting away from the fact Liverpool are walking on this season with hype as well as hope in hearts.

“It has gone crazy, absolutely crazy,” says Keita, considering the reaction both in Merseyside and Guinea. “I think the reaction is something that is really going to encourage me to work even harder.”

[Saveloy]

I think we're all a bit too excited about him, but that interview doesn't help.

Sounds like he's the archetypal Klopp player - recruited because he's a good bloke, ready to learn and a great fit for the collective. And really good at football

[SB]

Excited is a understatement

[Norbs]

Deco was a massive prick