Liverpool midfielder Marko Grujic has been explaining why he decided to move to FC Porto on a season-long loan.
Grujic chooses Porto over Klopp’s friend
The Serbian midfielder was Jurgen Klopp’s first signing at Liverpool back in 2016 but has struggled to cement his place at Anfield and has been on a number of loan spells, including two years with the Bundesliga side Hertha Berlin.
During this time, the 24-year-old has only made 16 first team appearances for the Reds, scoring just once and providing one assist. With the arrival of Thiago Alcantara, Grujic has fallen further down Klopp’s pecking order despite putting in good performances recently.
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With this in mind, the Serbia international opted to move to the reigning Liga NOS champions FC Porto, who are in the same Champions League group as the Reds’ rivals Manchester City.
While there was interest from Borussia Monchengladbach’s head coach Florian Kohfeldt, who is a friend of Klopp, Grujic explained why he chose to move to Portugal over a return to Germany.
“I wanted to be at a stable, ambitious club that plays in the Champions League, and Porto is just that,” he told Alo! (via Sport Witness).
“While I was waiting for the flight to Oslo with the national team in Copenhagen, all the details with the ‘Dragons’ were settled.
“Immediately after the break, there will be a derby with Sporting, and then temptations in the Champions League – [Manchester] City, Marseille and Olympiakos. I believe that I will fight for a place with coach Sérgio Conceição and contribute to success.
“I am convinced that it is the right choice, and the Portuguese club were in a hurry to register me for the Champions League, which they did in the end.”
Grujic seemingly tempted by Champions League football
Grujic is spot on here. The opportunity of playing Champions League football regularly is an opportunity that he cannot afford to turn down at this stage of his career.
It will be precious experience for the 1.91m-tall, £13m-rated midfielder to accumulate under his belt and could be one last chance for him to prove to Klopp that he is good enough to be in Liverpool’s midfield.
This may be difficult to do, considering Porto already have a strong side with plenty of midfield options. Convincing manager Sergio Conceicao that he is good enough to start in the big European games is a challenge in itself.
However, if Grujic achieves this, then he might just give Klopp a selection headache on his return.
Liverpool fans, what are your thoughts on Marko Grujic’s switch to Porto? Was it a good move or did he make a mistake? Join the conversation by commenting below…
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