“The player ticked a lot of boxes” - Journalist explains why Liverpool decided against signing PSG star last summer

Journalist Ian Doyle recently explained why Liverpool decided against signing current Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) midfielder Vitinha in the summer.

Vitinha joined the Parisians at the start of the summer from FC Porto and has since made 18 appearances for the club across all competitions. Doyle has now revealed that the Reds were also interested in the Portuguese as well.

While he wasn't too expensive in the current market, he wasn't cheap either. To add to that, the Reds decided that despite his evident qualities, Vitinha wasn't exactly the type of player they were looking for.

Doyle said:

"The player ticked a lot of boxes but ultimately Liverpool didn't believe he was the kind of player they wanted. He wasn't expensive expensive but still wasn't cheap."

The Reds have made a few high-profile signings in recent seasons, with Luis Diaz arriving in January and Darwin Nunez at the start of the season.

Arthur Melo also arrived on loan from Juventus in the summer to help Liverpool through their injury issues. The Brazilian, however, has been plagued by injuries and has made only one competitive appearance for the senior side.

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Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp was happy with how his players reacted to recent slump

Jurgen Klopp

Liverpool and Napoli entered their UEFA Champions League clash on November 2 on the back of contrasting form.

Klopp's team have struggled this season and were beaten by Leeds United in the Premier League this past weekend. Napoli, meanwhile, were unbeaten this season in all competitions heading into the contest.

However, the Reds ended the Italian side's impressive run as they managed a 2-0 win, courtesy of goals from Mohamed Salah and Darwin Nunez. While speaking to the media after the game, Klopp praised how his players reacted to the defeat against Leeds. He said (via Liverpoolfc.com):

"The reaction I wanted to see. We all agreed that we have to show a reaction – and we did, in a very difficult game against a really good opponent. We were compact and so it was never easy for Napoli to play out. You see a football-playing side, in all moments they could play out you saw immediately how good they are in one-on-one situations and collectively as well. But we did really well."

He added:

"How I said, we kept the spaces small and all of a sudden we found challenges. All of a sudden we have the challenges, then we can win challenges. The distance was there, a lot of good counter-pressing moments, good football moments."