Liverpool have agreed a deal that makes complete sense when delving a little deeper into the facts
(Image credit: Getty Images)
Liverpool have agreed a transfer this summer that, initially, seems quite strange, though on closer inspection certainly makes a lot more sense.
Arne Slot is yet to make his first signing as Liverpool manager since joining the club, with Real Sociedad's Martin Zubimendi rejecting a move to Anfield in favour of staying in Spain.
Instead, Slot has had to handle the departures of Fabio Carvalho, Adrian, Thiago Alcantara and Joel Matip, with that trend looking set to continue in the coming days.
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On Wednesday evening, it was widely reported that Liverpool had agreed a £10m deal with Red Bull Salzburg for the sale of Bobby Clark, their 19-year-old midfielder. While a 17.5 per cent sell-on clause was inserted into the deal with the Austrian club, some people were left perplexed with the youngster's decision to leave English football.
It's a lot clearer, however, when learning that Pep Lijnders is the manager of Red Bull Salzburg. Jurgen Klopp's former assistant manager at Anfield, Lijnders departed the Reds along with the German in the summer to take up the manager's position in the Austrian Bundesliga.
Lijnders' assistant manager at Red Bull Salzburg, Vitor Matos, was the development coach at Liverpool, working closely with players like Clark to help get them ready for senior football. It seems both former Liverpool coaches were key to getting Clark to central Europe, too, with Champions League football a possibility should they get through their play-off against Dynamo Kiev this month.
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Clark is set to leave Liverpool (Image credit: Getty Images)
Son of former Newcastle and Fulham midfielder Lee Clark, Bobby made 14 apperances for Liverpool's first team over the course of two seasons. He joined the Reds in 2021 from Newcastle for a fee of £1.5m while just 17-years-old, with Klopp guaranteeing him a pathway to the first team.
Across those 14 appearances Clark scored once, in the Europa League against Sparta Prague. In doing so, he became the youngest player to score for Liverpool in European competitions.
Ryan is a staff writer for FourFourTwo, joining the team full-time in October 2022. He first joined Future in December 2020, working across FourFourTwo, Golf Monthly, Rugby World and Advnture's websites, before eventually earning himself a position with FourFourTwo permanently. After graduating from Cardiff University with a degree in Journalism and Communications, Ryan earned a NCTJ qualification to further develop as a writer while a Trainee News Writer at Future.
