Liverpool centre-back Ibrahima Konate has revealed that Jurgen Klopp told him his life would change when he joined the Reds.
Konate arrived at Anfield from RB Leipzig on a deal worth around £36 million in the summer of 2021. The Frenchman was eased into English football by Klopp last season and looked good while playing at the heart of his new club’s defense.
During a recent interview with Onze Mondial, Konate spoke about what the German tactician told him before he signed with the Reds. He said (as quoted by Sport Witness):
“Liverpool is an amazing place and a mythical club. I remember, before I signed, I had the coach on the phone. He said to me: ‘The day you sign for Liverpool, it will not be the same for you, your life will change. Wherever you travel in the world, you will see for yourself what I am telling you.’”
The centre-back continued:
“In my head I was thinking: ‘OK, fine, it’s an incredible club with a great history, but chill.’ I travelled, I went to Zanzibar this summer, and I was taking at least 50 photos a day. And then his sentence came back into my head. I thought: ‘This is insane.’”
Konate concluded:
“As a kid, I knew Liverpool was a big club, but I didn’t imagine it like this. It’s way above my expectations in every way.”
Ibrahima Konate is yet to feature for Liverpool this season
Liverpool have been plagued by injuries in the first few months of the 2022-23 season.
The likes of Jordan Henderson, Thiago Alcantara, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Curtis Jones and Naby Keita have spent time on the sidelines already. While Henderson and Thiago have returned, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Jones and Keita are yet to fully recover from their injuries.
Ibrahima Konate is yet another Reds player who has struggled with fitness issues to start the ongoing campaign. The Frenchman last featured for his club in their pre-season friendly against RC Strasbourg back in August. He was substituted after 57 minutes in that game with a knock.
This means Konate hasn’t made an official appearance for the Reds this season. He hasn’t even made it onto the bench for their opening 10 matches of the campaign across all competitions. However, he has begun training with the team again (as per Bleacher Report).
It remains to be seen how Konate returns following an extended period on the sidelines. He made 29 appearances across all competitions last season, scoring three goals, laying out an assist and keeping 12 clean sheets.