Liverpool TRIED to sign Jesper Lindstrøm but he said NO

Dwij Mukherjee
By Dwij Mukherjee
6 Min Read

A midfield renovation was desperately needed at Liverpool and they have done pretty well with the likes of Alexis Mac Allister, Szoboszlai, Wataru Endō, and Ryan Gravenberch.

That doesn’t mean Liverpool did not have their fair share of rejection with the likes of Romeo Lavia and Mosis Caicedo. Denmark international Jesper Lindstrøm is one such fellow who had the chance to make the move to the Anfield this summer but chose to rebuff it and join Napoli instead.

Jesper Lindstrøm – a background

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Napoli bought Jesper Lindstrøm for £25.6million plus add-ons last month from Frankfurt, and signed 5 year contract that will earn him £2.2m per season.

He rose through the ranks of Brondby IF before making the move to Germany. He was one of the best young talents in the Bundesliga last season scoring seven goals in 27 games. During his 2 year stint, he scored 14 goals and provided a further 14 assists in 80 appearances.

Jesper also registered 10 caps for his national team. He made his name in Europe after playing an important role during the Europa League triumph in 2022. Kevin Trapp and ex-manager Oliver Glasner have also spoken in praise of the young talent.

Normally when your favourite club comes calling don’t think twice and join them but that was not the case for the Lindstrom…

Why not join the team of your dreams?

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When asked about what other clubs were in the race to sign him, Jesper said that Liverpool offered to buy him and for him, it would have been the perfect dream move but not an intelligent one. He went on to say that he wanted more game time and that would not be easy to get in a now-stacked Liverpool side.

Lindstrøm said that he would rather watch them on TV than from the bench, as this is the age to grow as a footballer and get more game time and hence he has made the right call to move to the Italian Champions Napoli as he would get huge room for growth.

“It was Liverpool and I am a Liverpool supporter, so it would’ve been a madly fascinating experience, but would it have been an intelligent move? 

“If I don’t play, then I may as well sit in front of the TV and watch them play there while I am at a different club. I am at an age now where I have to play football.

“This is why I think Napoli represent a good change. It is one of the best clubs in the world and they said I will have many opportunities to play.”

Did Lindstrøm make the right call?

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The move to Napoli makes total sense as the Danish’s position is either playing as a right winger or a Number 10.

Liverpool have no lack of depth in the right-wing position with players like Mohammed Salah, Cody Gakpo and even Darwin Nunez can be called to fill up that role. Youngster Harvey Elliot is also traditionally a right winger but has been deployed in a more midfield type role. There has been no proper Number 10 role in Klopp’s system since the departure of Brazilian Phillipe Coutinho. During his tenure at Frankfurt, he mainly operated as the sole Number 10 on the pitch which would not suit Liverpool’s current style of play at all. Even new signings Mac Allister and Szoboszlai both have been playing much deeper than they normally did back at Brighton and Leipzig respectively.

Napoli are in the Champions League this season and are set to face Real Madrid, Braga and Union Berlin in the group stages. Playing at the biggest European stage would also be a plus for the new Napoli player. The player also personally wanted to play in the Champions League and there was interest from Premier League rivals Arsenal and Newcastle United as well.

If Lindstrøm did make the move, much of the new Liverpool signings might not have taken place as he was linked very early and Dominik Szoboszlai who has been by far one of the signings of the season might not have made the move. So, it can be said that both parties have taken a win from Jesper’s decision. Jesper is not shy about his love for Liverpool and him being a Liverpool fan and hence a potential move down the line might happen if Liverpool does remain interested in the Danish further in the future.

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