Liverpool have brought in Milos Kerkez from Bournemouth in a deal worth £40m as the Reds take their summer spending to £170m with the incoming left back, who pens down a five-year contract at Anfield Stadium.

Kerkez is the Merseysiders third major signing of the ongoing offseason, after the arrival of attacking midfielder Florian Wirtz and right-back Jeremie Frimpong, both from German giants Bayer Leverkusen.

Liverpool also signed Hungary Under-21 keeper Armin Pecsi for a fee of up to £1.5m.



Liverpool agree £40m deal for Bournemouth star Milos Kerkez, medical set for next week.

Liverpool fans will love the very first thing Milos Kerkez said after signing today - opinion	Why Liverpool wanted Milos Kerkez: Dynamism, drive and a desire to be the best	Milos Kerkez names best left-back in the ‘Premier League’

This is a major step for Milos Kerkez given that he now plays for one of the European elites.

And the current system deployed at L4 thrives on full-backs who can function in an end-to-end role, and the 2003-born left back does that without pause.

There is more; he is really good at forward-orientated long passes given how he is switching play with precise long balls (diagonally) quite often, and while at times he does overuse his long pass as part of Iraola’s system at Bournemouth, I think that Slot can refine this, and all whilst retaining his vertical threat but improving his decision-making to fit the Reds faster and with higher intensity.

Kerkez is also quite comfortable when it comes to advancing at pace with the ball at his feet, and this helps him initiate attacks from deep.

Given his pace and stamina, Kerkez will rarely be caught out of position, which is essential when Liverpool’s system leaves space behind.

And while the former AC Milan ace has that tendency to go long, Slot and the ball progression that he prefers need a mix which coaches at Kirkby can work with him to add short and quick exchanges without diminishing his threat with diagonal and line-breaking passes.

I still think that he needs to improve his decision-making when under pressure (sometimes he also takes a bit too long to make his decisions).

That being said, Slot is also the perfect coach to fast-track this.

Moreover (as I stated twice above), Kerkez has a tendency to overplay long balls, and Slot needs to have him balancing that risk and control, especially against counter?pressing teams.

We know that Slot demands a sense of athleticism in both attack and defence and this is where the in strip energy that Kerkez brings to the table takes along the Dutch head coach’s approach.