Julian Ward laid a lot of the groundwork prior to the window, and Jörg Schmadtke is now at the club to build on it as Alexis Mac Allister has become Liverpool’s first acquisition of the summer.
The Athletic’s Andy Naylor was told by sources at Brighton that although Liverpool and Mac Allister had not reached a contract by Monday lunchtime, the transfer was still proceeding. Maybe, and this is just conjecture, Liverpool knew there was some sort of release clause in place, so there was less need to haggle.
After receiving approval to do so twenty-four hours later, Mac Allister underwent a medical with Liverpool, which was completed before his media responsibilities were handled. On Thursday, he was introduced and given the number 10 shirt.
It is unknown how much that clause is actually worth because it is not revealed in writing. Even if it is slightly higher, it would still be a good deal for a player of that caliber. Fabrizio Romano has suggested that it may be as cheap as $44m (£35m/€41m).
But it must be kept in mind that earlier this year, Brighton took a chance by risking losing Mac Allister for nothing. Prior to his World Cup heroics, Mac Allister signed an extension in October that allowed Brighton to obtain a sum for him. However, it contained an exit clause and said that he would be free to go at the end of the current season.
Earlier this year, Moisés Caicedo also agreed to a new contract, although the Ecuadorian’s deal is anticipated to be worth close to $100m (£80m/€93m).
A previous favorite of Jürgen Klopp, Adam Lallana, was reportedly among the Brighton players and staff that said Mac Allister farewell during a trip to Las Vegas last week, according to Andy Naylor.
In an earlier episode of The Big Interview with Graham Hunter, Lallana said of Alexis, “What a special player and special person. “He is a player who plays with such purity. He doesn’t play selfishly since he shares the ball and makes use of others.
“Watching him at the World Cup was really special. He didn’t play at first, but eventually found a role and earned it. By the end, Messi is looking for him after playing so well that he can’t possibly not play.
In addition, Lallana compared Mac Allister to Real Madrid and Croatia star Luka Modri because of his small stature and deft moves both with and without the ball.
Since Lallana left Liverpool, the two have remained in touch, and while it is unclear if Brighton’s player was consulted, it appears quite likely.
Any Liverpool addition must be of good character, and Mac Allister certainly seems to be such. He was captured on camera with his medal as he left Brighton’s practice field after winning the title of World Champion.
He leaves Brighton with their best wishes after assisting Roberto de Zerbi’s team to a sixth-place finish in the Premier League. Next season’s Europa League matchup between his former team and current squad is conceivable.
For a fair price, Liverpool has added a fantastic player. There is no better example of that than his World Cup performance, where he assisted Lionel Messi.
Not a part of Argentina’s team that fell to Saudi Arabia on matchday one, Mac Allister entered the lineup later and stayed there, collaborating well with Enzo Fernández, a player worth $128m (£103m/€120m).
But the combinations involving Messi captured people’s attention the most. Mac Allister followed Messi everywhere he went, either creating opportunities or helping the person who would eventually provide the assist.
A crucial member of the squad that won the biggest award of them all, Mac Allister also provided an assist on ngel Di Maria’s World Cup-winning goal with a brilliantly weighted ball at the conclusion of a sweeping play.
But Mac Allister’s influence extended beyond Qatar. He also participated in Brighton’s demolition of Liverpool at the Amex Stadium in January, two weeks after the Seagulls eliminated the Reds from the FA Cup (he played the full 90 minutes in that match as well).
Liverpool thought that it needed to make too many additions to compete for the Borussia Dortmund player, who is moving to Real Madrid, after moving away from Jude Bellingham, and that it needed to find better value in the market.
Liverpool has undoubtedly come a long way in that direction with Mac Allister. With the Argentine a great start to the summer, but lots more additions obviously essential, the question is what comes next.
