Of the more surprising moves to take place this summer, Adrian joining Liverpool came out of nowhere.
The Spanish goalkeeper was available on a free transfer after leaving West Ham at the end of last season, and Liverpool moved quickly to secure his signature.
They need a replacement for Simon Mignolet, who returned to Belgium with Club Brugge, and Adrian’s Premier League experience seemingly put him at the top of the list.
The Spaniard had spent six years at West Ham, initially joining from Real Betis in 2013 and making 150 appearances in the Claret and Blue in the six years since.
Last season saw him replaced as the Hammers number one by Lukasz Fabianski, though, with Manuel Pellegrini instead making the 32-year-old his cup goalkeeper.
That is something that upset the Spaniard, with him and West Ham deciding to part ways this summer and the goalkeeper admitting his final year in London was ‘one of the worst’.
“It’s all a bombshell. Liverpool had the Club Brugge offer for Mignolet and accepted it, and I was the first on the list to replace him. I’m looking forward to this,” he told Marca.
“I never imagined being able to play for a European champion at all. The last season at West Ham was one of the worst, especially for contractual issues. In the end, everything went well. For me, the Premier is the most competitive league of the world.
“I have always been on the Liverpool agenda, this year was my destiny. Here I have always appreciated the Spanish style. Alberto Moreno has left, and I have entered.
“Anfield is a very difficult stadium as a rival, but playing at home should be amazing. I’m looking forward to stepping out at Anfield with the Liverpool shirt.”
Adrian often seemed to believe he wasn’t appreciated enough at West Ham, at least when it came to contractual issues. This summer he expected a long line of La Liga clubs waiting for him, but it didn’t happen.
