Jeremy Doku once revealed why he refused to join Liverpool before ripping them apart with Man City
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Liverpool supporters got to see exactly why Jurgen Klopp had been so desperate to sign Jeremy Doku during Sunday’s defeat against Manchester City.The Reds tried more than once to sign Doku after his emergence as a wonderkid with Anderlecht.The speedy winger was even given a private tour around the Liverpool training ground in 2018, with his father revealing that Sadio Mane had been wheeled out to persuade the young Doku to sign.Join our newsletter for news & smart analysis. But as he revealed in 2021, Doku never had any intention of joining Liverpool.Photo by Liverpool FC/Liverpool FC via Getty ImagesJeremy Doku did not regret Liverpool noAlthough he has been a little hit and miss since his arrival at City, Doku looked like everything Liverpool are currently missing on Sunday.Pacy, tricky and relentlessly difficult to defend, the 23-year-old had the Reds’ back four on toast all game.
His stunning curled goal to compound Liverpool’s misery was the least his performance deserved.READ MORE: Arne Slot admits there was one thing he ‘liked’ about Liverpool’s performance despite loss to Man CityDoku was playing like a man with something to prove, and although he could easily have been lining up on the other side this weekend, he explained in 2021 that he truly held no regrets over rejecting the Reds.“I did a lot of research first, wrote down all the positive points and only then did I make a decision,” Doku told Het Nieuwsblad four years ago.“I knew that I first wanted to make an intermediate step. It’s up to me to play well.”Doku is exactly what Liverpool’s attack is missingLiverpool never did come back in for Doku, although he has managed to make it to a top club, just as he had hoped.Still only 23, Doku is likely to get even better, and the Reds should be kicking themselves that they let him slip away.He may be a frustrating player at times, but Doku is exactly what Arne Slot needs in his attack.
Liverpool lack pace and someone who can truly frighten the opposition, the Belgian could give them that.In contrast, the Reds’ forward line looked static, slow and lacking in any real threat at the Etihad Stadium.It is impossible to say whether Doku would still have been there to add that had he arrived upon the initial plan in 2018. But as he showed Liverpool on Sunday, they would have had a lot of fun with him in the team.