“If we had signed Fekir, we wouldn’t have had the money for Alisson.”
The collapse of Nabil Fekir’s transfer from France to Liverpool turned out to be a blessing in disguise on the club’s path to dominance in both English and European football. Jürgen Klopp, one of the Premier League’s greatest managers, once explained how the funds intended for Fekir were instead used to secure Alisson’s signature.
Liverpool had already shown serious interest in the Brazilian goalkeeper before the infamous Champions League final, which is remembered for Loris Karius’ costly errors. Speaking in the club’s documentary “Alisson: My Story”, Klopp revealed the background behind the transfer. As reported by This is Anfield, he said:
“We all remember the situation surrounding that Champions League final. We had to consider how [Karius] would handle it, and how the fans would respond,” Klopp explained. “There was hope he could bounce back stronger and turn things around.”
Expressing his admiration for the 31-year-old, widely regarded as one of the world’s top goalkeepers, Klopp described Alisson becoming available as his “absolute dream.” He added, “When you build a team, you start from the back. So when we found out Ali was on the market, we knew we had to make a move.”
Surprisingly, Klopp revealed that had Liverpool gone through with signing Fekir, the deal for Alisson likely wouldn’t have happened due to financial constraints. It’s one of those fascinating “what if” scenarios in football.
“We were really close to signing Fekir. But if we had done that, there wouldn’t have been enough money left for Alisson. That decision turned out to be crucial for Liverpool’s future,” Klopp admitted.
Alisson eventually joined Liverpool in 2018 under Klopp’s leadership and remains a key figure under current manager Arne Slot. A two-time Premier League champion, Alisson has arguably been the best goalkeeper in world football over the past five years.
As for Fekir, after spending five seasons with Real Betis in Spain, he made a move to Al-Jazira in Abu Dhabi during the summer of 2024. He has since contributed 14 goal involvements in 28 appearances for his new club
