Jurgen Klopp has admitted he was “very angry” when failing to secure Dusan Tadic’s services while the Serbian plied his trade at Southampton.
Liverpool, who are 7/1 to win the Champions League in football betting, travel to the Dutch capital to face Ajax as this evening in a crucial Champions League tie, and the latter can cut the gap to just three points with a win.
The Eredivisie champions are led by their talismanic captain Dusan Tadic, who has consistently put up spectacular goal and assists number for Ajax since making the move from Southampton in 2018.
With seven assists and two goals in the league this year he has continued to be at the forefront of Ajax’s attacking threat despite numerous big names exiting the club in recent years. His overall tally now stands at 192 goal involvements in 208 games; a staggering feat for a somewhat forgotten name while at St Mary’s.
Ahead of their clash with Liverpool, Reds boss Jurgen Klopp has expressed his admiration for the Serbian international, even going as far as saying he tried to purchase him before his move to the Netherlands.
“I was very angry with myself when he went to Ajax , because I was also interested in him,” Klopp told Dutch broadcaster RTL. “I love him as a player”.
Dusan Tadic’s open play xA among top 7 leagues players each season :
20/21 : 13.65 🥇
21/22 : 16.98 🥇
22/23 : 6.82 🥇One of the best creators in the world pic.twitter.com/pLzLbZzih9
— Gasipo (@gasipo_opinions) October 24, 2022
Tadic has indeed been instrumental in Ajax’s recent success, the most notable of which leading them to the Champions League semi-finals in 2019, netting memorable goals against Real Madrid and Bayern Munich in the process.
For the sake of their Champions League status, Klopp will be hoping the subject of his admiration does not come back haunt him. While the 33-year-old has failed to score in Europe thus far, he has an impressive record in this competition having registered 10 goals and 12 assists in 34 appearances.
The Reds have won just once on the road in all competitions this season, and with a rampant table-topping Napoli side awaiting them in the final game, Liverpool will be eager to avoid dropping points in the penultimate group clash.
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