Liverpool
Jurgen Klopp cried and snivel when telling Tottenham flop he couldn’t sign him bacause of the saga going on
Jurgen Klopp cried and snivel when telling Tottenham flop he couldn’t sign him bacause of the saga going on
Former Borussia Dortmund loanee Kevin Prince-Boateng has opened up on his touching relationship with Jurgen Klopp – revealing the pair cried on the phone when he was unable to make his move permanent back in 2009.
Prince-Boateng signed for Borussia Dortmund in January 2009 after a difficult first 18 months at Tottenham Hotspur under managers Martin Jol and Juande Ramos.
Despite being hit with a suspension for a reckless challenge on VfL Wolfsburg’s Makoto Hasebe toward the end of his loan spell at the Signal Iduna Park, the German-born Ghanian impressed during his ten appearances and helped Dortmund secure a sixth-placed finish in Klopp’s first season at the club.
Recalling his stint at the Black and Yellows, Prince-Boateng opened up on the close bond he built with the now Liverpool manager during their time together and hailed the 56-year-old’s man-management skills.
“When they announced that I come to Dortmund, they [fans] criticised the club, like: ‘Why [are] you bringing that guy? He’s crazy. Did you see what he did in Tottenham?’,” said Prince-Boateng, speaking to Rio Ferdinand’s FIVE podcast. “So Klopp stood up at the press conference and said: ‘I brought him here, I will make him the player he is’. He said Prince Boateng has a book of 1,000 pages and each page is different, that’s how good he is.
“I said I will give my life for him. Every player would die for him on the pitch because he gives you that feeling of confidence, that feeling of love as well. Whatever you do, if you do a mistake, he’s going to be there. I needed that guy who was going to believe in me because after Martin Jol and Juande Ramos, no-one believed in me. I didn’t believe in myself – I just gave up. I had like six, seven pounds [of weight] more. So he gave me that feeling, so I came [there] and performed.
“Then things didn’t work out because I had some bad tackles I made and in Germany, I had not the best name because people said I was crazy. In one of the last games I played for them, I kicked someone in the face, he was my team-mate afterwards in Frankfurt, and he still had the scar…like Harry Potter. He still protected me, Klopp. He was like: ‘yeah, he wanted to show everybody how good he is.'”
Although Prince-Boateng would be unable to sign for Dortmund on a permanent basis due to the strict financial conditions the Bundesliga outfit worked under, instead moving to Portsmouth, the midfielder insists his relationship with Klopp remained as strong as ever.
“You could see already how powerful Klopp was, you know,” he added. “And he loved me, he invited me to his house but I never went because in the dressing room, it can be a bit tricky, you know. I went drinking with his son one time, the next morning he came to me and said: ‘What did you do to my son?’ I said: ‘He wanted to drink like a big man!’ He said: ‘This guy slept in the toilet!’
“He was a very important figure in my career, it didn’t work out. He called me personally and said we can’t buy you, we don’t have the money. We both cried on the phone. Like rea
Jamie Carragher says Liverpool have a 21-year-old youngster whoâs just like Patrick Vieira
Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher has claimed that Ryan Gravenberch reminds him of Patrick Vieira.
The Reds have had a fantastic start to the season. Apart from their controversial defeat against Tottenham last weekend, theyâve barely put a foot wrong, and all of their new signings are performing brilliantly too. Gravenberch scored his first goal for Liverpool this week.
Jamie Carragher compares Liverpool star Ryan Gravenberch to Patrick Vieira
Liverpool signed Ryan Gravenberch from Bayern Munich on transfer deadline day last month.
The 21-year-old is a fantastic young player. He opened his account on Thursday with a goal against Union SG, and Jurgen Klopp decided to sing his praises after the game.
Gravenberch is being eased into the side by Klopp, but we can all see that he has what it takes to perform in the Premier League.
Heâs tall, strong and physical, and Jamie Carragher says he reminds him of Arsenal legend and Premier League Hall of Famer Patrick Vieira.
The pundit told Liverpool Echo: âAs for Gravenberch, he hasnât played as much, you are looking at the potential and thinking it could be something really special there.
âYou are seeing signs of that, the way he moves and glides past people. There is something there and, if Jurgen Klopp and his staff can make that into something good, we could have a really special player.
âJust looking at him, he looks like a footballer: the size, the physique. He reminds me a little bit of Patrick Vieira, that way he glides through with the ball. You can see signs of that.â
He has also been compared to Paul Pogba
Patrick Vieira is arguably the greatest midfielder to play in the Premier League.
The legendary Frenchman had everything in his game â he was strong, powerful, technically brilliant, could score goals and provide assists, and was a real leader.
Being compared to Vieira is a great compliment to Gravenberch, but the young Dutchman isnât new to comparisons â he was previously likened to Frank Rijkaard and Paul Pogba.
Gravenberchâs old coach Brian Tevreden told Goal: âPhysically, I see Frank (Rijkaard) in him from back in the day because heâs tall and very strong.
âBut technically, I would say heâs a better version of Pogba in his best days at Juventus, in terms of his technique and his presence on the pitch Heâs very dominant like Pogba was, and thatâs what I see in Ryan.â.
lly cried. We had a very good relationship.”
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