Loris Karius Says Jurgen Klopp Wanted Him to Stay at Liverpool
Loris Karius has revealed he had to convince Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp to let him leave Anfield for Besiktas on a two-year loan.
According to the German goalkeeper, Klopp was keen for him to remain at Liverpool and play as a back-up to No. 1 Alisson, per Glenn Price of ESPN FC:
"He [Klopp] told me he would like to have me in the squad because he wants to have the best quality players. But I spoke to him and asked him for my wish. It is important to me to play for Besiktas.
"I talked with him for a long time and he understood my situation. I think it was a good deal for everyone. He wished me well, but he said he would have liked to keep me."
Karius, 25, overtook Simon Mignolet as Liverpool's No. 1 in the second half of last season and enjoyed a string of decent performances until May's UEFA Champions League final.
Against Real Madrid in Kiev, Ukraine, he made two errors that led directly to goals as Liverpool were downed 3-1.
It was widely expected his confidence would be dashed by the performance and, after a couple of nervy showings in pre-season, Liverpool paid a then-world record £67 million fee to sign Alisson from Roma.
The signing of the Brazilian stopper effectively resigned Karius to a return to the No. 2 role and, barring an injury to Alisson, a lengthy spell on the bench in 2018-19.
However, he found a route out of Anfield last week when he made the switch to Besiktas.
On his arrival at the Turkish club he talked about "making the next step" in his career, per BBC Sport:
Remaining at Liverpool would arguably have been a step back for the former Mainz player as, despite the Reds' significantly higher standing in European football, Karius would have been lucky to get any consistent game time.
Mignolet, who has not made a competitive appearance for Liverpool since January, has been left somewhat irked by Karius' departure.
He told Het Laatste Nieuws (h/t Goal) it was strange he was not allowed to be loaned out instead despite having options:
"I find it strange that Karius was loaned out, while I also had options for a loan. But for some reason that wasn't possible. A 'keeper who was made first choice ahead of me last year gets to leave on loan. Strange."
