Liverpool star Alexis Mac Allister has explained how Jurgen Klopp was key to him joining the club and shared his reaction to the German’s departure last season.
The midfielder has been speaking to La Media Inglesa about his time at Liverpool, Argentina and life under current Reds manager Arne Slot.
Mac Allister joined Liverpool in a €42m move from Brighton and Hove Albion in July 2023, months after winning the World Cup with Argentina in Qatar.
That tournament had proven to be a major breakthrough for him, with his introduction into the Argentina team at the tournament having turned around their fortunes.
He became a key player for Lionel Scaloni’s side, leading to his move to Liverpool the following summer as the Reds looked to rebuild their midfield.
Indeed, Liverpool moved quickly to get him ahead of potential competition in Europe and Mac Allister admits Klopp was vital to that.
“Klopp, I would say that he was, along with Julian Ward, the two most important people for me to be here today,” he said.
“They were the two who were very interested in me. Before signing, I had a chat with Klopp as well, and that was also very important for me, especially knowing that he really loves you.
“One thing is to go to a big club because you won a World Cup, or because you have a name, and another thing is to know that the coach really loves you, and that you’re going to feel important, and that you’re going to play.
“And when I talked to him, that’s what he transmitted to me, what I felt, and that made it very important that I could be here, and also the fact that I could work with him and learn from him.”
Like most, MacAllister was left shocked by Klopp’s announcement towards the end of last season that he would be stepping down as Liverpool manager.
The German had decided that he had run out of energy in the job and decided to step down a year early rather than continue.
That decision was very much one few saw coming, with the Liverpool team only finding out about his choice 10 minutes before the media, and indeed the rest of the world did. That, admits Mac Allister, led to a comedic interaction with Mohamed Salah.
“It was a very big shock. Nobody expected it, and we found out, I would say, five or ten minutes before you did,” he added.
“For example, like today, we arrive at ten-thirty, and, well, they usually have breakfast, we do our things, and the day we arrived, they said, ten-thirty, talk. And I was like, that’s weird. I get to the training centre, and I was next to Salah. So, I ask him, hey, why the talk? What happened?
“And he tells me, the coach is leaving. And I’m like, what? Yes, the coach is leaving. I say, no, it can’t be. And he started laughing, you know? I say, is it true or not? Of course, Salah is making fun of me. What’s going on?
“And, well, the coach came in and told us that he was going to leave at the end of the season. And, well, it was strong, it was strong because nobody expected it, because he’s a person and a legend of this club. So, well, it was a bit sad to know that he was leaving. I think it was a season that, in the end, was a bit difficult for us and we couldn’t find our best level. But, well, we ended up with at least a cup.”
