Cape Town – Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has claimed that the club's signing of Alisson Becker had nothing to do with Loris Karius' poor Champions League final performance.
Two blunders from Karius led to Real Madrid goals in Los Blancos' 3-1 victory over the Reds in May.
Klopp attributed his poor performance to a concussion sustained from a collision with Sergio Ramos, but that didn't stop him from signing a new first choice keeper.
Karius hinted his unhappiness with the signing of Alisson, admitting to Sky Germany that it was "not perfect" for him.
However, Klopp has revealed a conversation he had with the German keeper in which he explained the signing.
“I didn't tell Karius what he wanted to hear, but how it is. The Champions League final had nothing to do with us getting Alisson,” Klopp told Kicker.
“Even if he had won it and Alisson would have been on the market, we would have still signed him
“How the people reacted negatively to Karius after the final, tried to isolate him, almost made me not get Alisson and rather stick it out with Karius.
“But we had to be professional. Our job is to have the best players on every position."
Klopp defended Karius when asked whether or not he is a reliable keeper for big tasks.
“Absolutely. Loris is a great keeper. So, what he made a mistake in the preseason? A preseason is full of mistakes,” said Klopp.
“Nobody is fit, and you train all the time. Field players make tons of mistakes. Loris has to continue and work hard."
Alisson made his debut in between the sticks for the Reds in their 4-0 Premier League victory over West Ham United.
Meanwhile, Liverpool travel to Selhurst Park on Monday evening for a clash against Crystal Palace.
Kick-off is at 21:00 (SA time).
