Anfield Until The End 16/17

Joël Matip: Defender

Because Matip came in on a free, he didn't get the good treatment like Grujić and our other signing did. This is only because he's technically still Shalke's player and we need to wait till it runs out, which is July 1. So we'll have to wait until July 1 or so until we see him in our Liverpool Red and hear him speak good English, or English at all, and have him train with Klopp for the pre season.

Really, I don't know what to say that the video (some bits are kinda old as you can see Firmino in a part or two) doesn't already give you. If he's being compared to Mats Hummels, who's basically the Neuer of center backs (before he went to Bayern), I can assure you he's a pretty darn good, if not amazing, center back.

Matip comes in at 6'5, which I believe is the tallest for our team. If you haven't read the previous chapter, it'll help balance out our first team, which has a fair amount of short people.

He's the sort of the center back that you can easily rely on. Just recently, maybe a few days after we got to agree on terms and all, did he make a defensive error. Believe it or not, he's had almost none of those in his whole career. We need that stability when it comes to Moreno, who, while having amazing pace and good tackles (when his head isn't in the sky), at times attacks more than defends. It should also be said that he's not injured very often, which could be a breath of relief for some when compared to Sahko, who does get his injury troubles time to time. This isn't to say that he's injury free, most of his injuries come from the muscle or foot, so take that with a grain of salt or sugar. And just to add to the goodness, Matip can also play in the DM position, which complements his ability to pick out good passes and go for goal.

What to expect from Matip is a center back that will help us play from the back, create an offensive look from the back, which Klopp seems to really want as Moreno and Clyne attack as well as Sakho and Lovren, with the latter previously never wanting to really move forward (helped us against Dortmund though . . .). It will be deep couch sitting when he's on the ball, with defensive errors little to none on his record. 

Because he'll turn 25 by the time the season starts, his beginning may not be as shaky as what we may expect of Grujic or saw from Firmino. Still, transitioning is hard. We can only hope that this pre season goes well for him and he can come in positively and not with sudden doubts.

For a free, getting someone compared to Mats Hummels (gah!) seems like the best piece of business done since signing Messi as a teen on a napkin. Of course, I may be exaggerating but this seems like a good place to have it. His accomplishments at Shalke 04 may be not as impressive as Grujic, but coming from a league with Bayern and Dortmund, it's good that he has any at all, unlike Firmino who had an almost certain chance of never being in a final before he came to the club. If you don't like this transfer, remember, at least this is free rather than £32.5m. ;)

Edit: Got the interview finally!

If you want to add your thoughts on Joël, please, feel free to do so in the comments!