It was always going to happen. Klopp not raiding his former club was unlikely as managers often trust their former players to instantly hit the ground running and acclimatise to the tactics they were so much used to before. The case of Mario Götze is no different as the Borussia Dortmund attacker had his breakthrough under Klopp and owes his success to the trainer.
After a patchy spell at Bayern Munich, Götze made the move back to Dortmund earlier this summer but not before widespread speculation that a reunion with Klopp was also a possibility. Eventually, a move back to the club where it all started for him was too much of a deal to turn down. Having said that, he has failed to rekindle the same flair-filled displays that he managed when Dortmund won two League titles and reached the final of the Champions League.
Götze’s spell at Bayern was the worst of his career as he not only struggled to deal with the barrage of criticism but also the competition for places that existed at the time under Pep Guardiola. Despite scoring the winning goal that won Germany the World Cup, his career stalled at Bavaria and it seemed logical to move back to Signal Iduna Park.
Dortmund signed him for a fee of 20 million pounds and reports indicate that Liverpool might have to fork out the same figure if not more for his services.
It’s not going to get any easier at Liverpool considering they have a pretty good first team. The trio of Firmino, Coutinho and Mane have been exceptional in most of the games but Götze could add more quality to the squad. The absence of even one of the aforementioned trio had ominous consequences for the Reds as they went more than a month without a Premier League win and their title hopes have nearly faded despite a spectacular start.
Götze’s was some player to watch when he was playing his trade as a centre-forward and left winger under Klopp at Dortmund. His pace, agility and movement was a nightmare for Bundesliga defences and he complemented the geggenpress model pretty well. His work ethic is impressive and if can remain injury-free, something he hasn’t managed so far this season, he could be a smashing addition for the fee being touted.
Despite his recent troubles, he is still a household name and Liverpool will make a statement of sorts if they can manage to rope him in.