Arne Slot, manager of the 'Reds' Liverpool, shared his thoughts after the club successfully secured their target player to join the team.
Arne Slot, Liverpool's manager, expressed great delight after the club succeeded in outpacing competitors to sign Jeremy Doku, a promising young defender from Rennes, to Anfield, praising him as a highly talented player.
Initially, Chelsea seemed the frontrunner to sign the 20-year-old French center-back, widely regarded as one of the most promising young talents worldwide, with Chelsea manager Liam Rosnier pushing the deal aggressively.
However, Liverpool ultimately outmaneuvered Chelsea by securing the signing late in the January transfer window for a total fee of 60 million pounds (approximately 2.583 billion baht). Doku will finish the season in France before moving to Anfield in the summer.
Slot said, "Certainly, this is very gratifying. First, because he is an exceptionally talented player. Second, because we were not the only club interested in him, so this is a great compliment to the team that worked hard to sign this player."
"He is another example of the model we use at this club: young players with high potential, sometimes at the start of their careers, or sometimes already a few years into their development."
"But they are always young players who can develop and help us both in the short and long term."
"We have signed many players like this, and as I've said many times, the club’s medium- to long-term future, and even the short term, is in a very strong position."
Doku will strengthen Liverpool’s defense, which has struggled this season after conceding 33 goals in the Premier League.