In 2018, Liverpool signed goalkeeper Alisson Becker from Roma for up to £65 million, but it appears Chelsea were also considering signing the shot stopper.
Alisson Becker has explained why he decided against joining Chelsea and went to Liverpool instead.
In a move for up to £65 million, the Brazilian joined the Reds in the summer of 2018 from Roma. He has since established himself as one of the top goalkeepers in the world, and less than 18 months ago, he agreed to a new, long-term contract that would keep him at Anfield through 2027.
Alisson faced off against the Reds when playing for Roma before joining Liverpool. The Brazilian visited Anfield in May 2018 for the first leg of the Champions League semifinal, which Liverpool won 5-2 that evening.
Alisson has discussed how the energy he experienced at Anfield when playing for the opposition influenced his choice to join Liverpool. The 30-year-old also disclosed that, when he chose to go to Merseyside, he turned down the opportunity to sign with Chelsea.
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“I think that game [for Roma at Anfield] served as an experience of living a day at Anfield, seeing the crowd up close,” Alisson told Brazilian outlet UOL Sport . “That contributed to my choice for Liverpool.
“If you ask me what it was like to play at Anfield as an opponent I can sum it up for you in one word: horrible. Anfield is a spectacular stadium, when the crowd plays together it’s very noisy — and in that game they were ‘on fire’.
“I had a proposal from Chelsea too, but living that cheered me up a lot to play for Liverpool. So is Klopp.
“He is a sensational person, one of the great coaches in the history of world football. He’s a guy who does everything he can to make us feel comfortable playing and bring his style to the team.”
