The summer of 2023 has the potential to go down as one of Liverpool’s best ever transfer windows.
In desperate need of something to refresh their midfield, the Reds did four excellent bits of business. Almost seven months on from the close of the window, and each signing has played his part.
But although Wataru Endo and Ryan Gravenberch have qualities both for now and in the future, Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai have captured the imagination a little more.
Mac Allister and Szoboszlai have the potential to be part of Liverpool’s starting midfield for years to come. And as a result, Reds fans will be pleased to hear that the pair are striking up a good bond off the field, too.
Mac Allister opens up on Szoboszlai freindship
Mac Allister appears to be loving life at Liverpool. Not only is the 25-year-old shining on the pitch this season, but he seems to be settling in really well off it, too.
We got the latest glimpse of that in LFCTV’s ‘A Day With… Alexis Mac Allister’ yesterday – a 15-minute insight into the Argentine’s day-to-day life.
Since he’s been at Liverpool, it’s clear that a big part of Mac Allister’s life is the caffeinated drink yerba mate. The World Cup winner is rarely seen without his gourd. And when asked about this by presenter Rubi Deschamps, Macca admitted that he’s been using the drink to bond with teammates, including Szoboszlai.
“I bought one (mate set) for Ibou, one for Dom and Tsimikas as well,” smiles Liverpool’s No.10. “The only one (who uses it) is Dom, when I come in the morning he always asks for some mate, so I share with him. Maybe for them it’s nothing but for me it’s something we can share and connect with each other.”
What is yerba mate
Not only do we often see Mac Allister clutching his little drink and straw, but he’s even now incorporated it into a goal celebration, too.
Alongside Darwin Nunez, Macca likes to simulate preparing a mate drink for his teammate, who then sips it agreeably. We’ve already seen the celebration a couple of times this season and no doubt it’ll come out again, too.
Mac Allister isn’t the first player to be routinely drinking mate at Liverpool, however. The drink – which is mate from the leaves of the South American yerba mate plant – is especially popular in Paraguay, Uruguay and Argentina.
That explains Darwin’s connection to it, and Luis Suarez was also a regular drinker as well. Alisson Becker is another can regularly be spotted enjoying the beverage.
However, it’s probably never been as prevalent as it has been with Mac Allister. As he urges his teammates to get involved, it could yet sweep the Liverpool dressing room. If that happens – or even if it doesn’t – we’d expect to see a big spike in mate sales in Liverpool in the near future.
Whatever Macca’s doing seems to be working anyway. He and Szoboszlai have struck up a great connection since arriving together in the summer. Long may it continue.