Liverpool legend Bruce Grobbelaar relieved Alisson Becker is no longer the world's most expensive goalkeeper

New man: Alisson
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David Lynch28 September 2018

Liverpool and Chelsea proved that goalkeepers are now valued just as highly as strikers by setting new world-record fees for the position this summer, according to Bruce Grobbelaar.

But the former Reds shot-stopper is glad that it is Kepa Arrizabalaga, rather than Alisson Becker, who must now shoulder the pressure of being the most expensive shot-stopper of all-time.

Jurgen Klopp broke a 17-year record in bringing Alisson to Anfield for £59m in July - a fee that surpassed the £33m paid by Juventus to Parma for Gianluigi Buffon in 2001.

However, that new benchmark was beaten just three weeks later when Kepa completed a £71.6m switch to Stamford Bridge from Athletic Bilbao.

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And Grobbelaar, who won 13 major honours in as many seasons at Anfield, is pleased to see the importance of his position finally recognised.

Speaking at the launch of his new autobiography, Life In A Jungle, he said: “It’s about time. It’s nice to see that they are valued for what they’re worth and they should be worth exactly the same as a striker.

“For us to break a world record on a goalkeeper and then Chelsea to break that record, it shows that goalkeepers are now as renowned and revered as one of the [important positions] in the team.

“Jurgen Klopp has gone out and paid a world-record price for a goalkeeper and now that goalkeeper has to [live] with that world-record tag on his shoulders.

“Thankfully, it’s not a world record anymore, so it took the pressure off him.”

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A preference for catching crosses rather than punching is one element of Alisson’s game that has caught Grobbelaar’s eye in his first games for the club.

The 60-year-old - famed for his confidence and flamboyance during his own playing days - also believes the former Roma man possesses the character necessary to succeed at Anfield.

He added: “He’s bringing some calmness and he’s a goalkeeper that can actually catch a ball from crosses. He punches when he needs to, but he catches most of the ones that he can get his hands to, which is a good thing.

“Any goalkeeper that’s going to play for Liverpool is going to be looked at and scrutinised - every shot, everything about it is going to be scrutinised.

“To come to Liverpool, you’re going to have to have big cojones, a big reputation. And we’ve got one of the biggest reputations in goalkeeping in Alisson.

“From his point of view, he’s come out of Brazil at a young age, played in Roma and done well there, and now he’s come to Liverpool. So he’s only stepping up from where he started and he’s got a big personality, too.”

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The only blot on Alisson’s copybook thus far was his error during the Reds’ 2-1 win over Leicester City earlier this month.

The Brazil No.1 was caught in possession in his own box by Kelechi Iheanacho, who subsequently squared for Rachid Ghezzal to tee up a tense finish to the game.

Reflecting on that mistake, Grobbelaar said: “He’s been caught out a few times. The first one he got caught out was a blatant error and he got punished for it, but he has given the ball away a few times in his clearances.

“He’s got to learn that the Premier League is the best league in the world and he’s got to get rid of it a little bit quicker and maybe sometimes put it where he can on the far side and let [the opposition] turn their backs toward their own goal.

“From there, then, we can actually press. Playing those silly balls into spaces where some players are going to be lazy, he’s going to have to learn a lot quicker than that.”

Despite his faith in Alisson, however, Grobbelaar insists he would have stuck with Loris Karius this summer had he been in the dugout at Anfield.

The German joined Besiktas on a two-year loan deal after failing to prove he had sufficiently recovered from his Champions League final nightmare during pre-season.

Grobbelaar added: “I still defend him and if he was here I would really love him to get put right in the deep end because that’s what I would have done if I was the boss but I’m not.

“Loris Karius, he made three mistakes in 33 games, two glaring mistakes in the cup final.

"You look where his demeanour went from there and they gave him a chance at Tranmere, he couldn’t hold onto the ball and the striker put it in on the rebound.

“So he’s made sure he’s gone to a place where he’s not scrutinised as much at Besiktas and good luck to the boy.”

Bruce Grobbelaar’s autobiography, Life in a Jungle, is available now from all good bookshops and online at decoubertin.co.uk/Grobbelaar. RRP £20.

Bruce Grobbelaar's book is out now.

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