Liverpool: Joel Matip remarkably shrewd addition

Liverpool answered Martin Skrtel’s exit with the arrival of the free Cameroonian, Joel Matip. What a remarkably shrewd addition that fits the Reds needs.

I realize that this happened awhile ago, but excuse me while I marvel over it some more. Liverpool have a pretty solid defensive pairing in Sakho and Dejan Lovren.

They took over the starting responsibilities from Martin Skrtel, which is no easy feat.

The Slovak bruiser has since seen himself out of the club with some questionable antics. But Liverpool has lost no sleep over it. With Skrtel already on the way out, Klopp did what he does best. He found an excellent addition and he found it for cheap. Cheap, as in free.

I have always been a fan of Joel Matip. The former Schalke center back is a big specimen, although he has his sights set on getting bigger, as according to his own admission, he needs to hit the gym. Yet, even without that, he still stands as one of the bigger defenders out there.

A Cameroon international, and a regular at that, Matip should never have been free. He is far too quality of a defender to be had for free. But he was. And Liverpool are set to win majorly in that.

Klopp has created for himself a young trifecta of pure brilliance at center back. While Lovren and Sakho were already Liverpool products prior to Klopp’s arrival, he has mastered that partnership and added the perfect third wheel that has the perfect window to learn from two standout center backs while beefing up and improving his own game.

It’s the perfect tripod of stability. All three will hope to be at Liverpool for the long haul and there is no reason to think they won’t be. Sakho and Lovren may have captured the roles, but Matip’s raw ability alone will put him in the immediate running to filch some playing time.

Plus, with Liverpool having invested in Jurgen Klopp for the long haul, Klopp can return that favor by investing in players for the long haul, rather then overspending on immediate fixes, who I will forever refer to as glory hunters.

Matip is the perfect example of this investment. Have I mentioned that he was free? Give Matip half a year and he will already be elbowing his way into the starting XI, creating a trifecta of competition and mutual gain.

Props to Klopp again for this signing. Shrewd, intelligent, long term.