Liverpool have plenty to do this summer, but keeping Alisson Becker at the club may ultimately prove to be their best piece of business.
The 33-year-old was in World Cup action once again on Wednesday, battling against now former Liverpool teammate Andy Robertson in Miami.
Predictably, Alisson and Brazil came out on top, swatting Scotland aside with a 3-0 win which saw them progress as group winners.
How does Andoni Iraola get the Netherlands version of Cody Gakpo for Liverpool?
This is not the same player 😭
After a slow start and a 1-1 draw against Morocco, the Selecao have registered back-to-back 3-0 wins, with Alisson excelling between the sticks. With every passing performance, the veteran keeper is showing why preventing him from leaving to join Juventus was absolutely crucial for Liverpool this summer.
Keeping Alisson was huge for Liverpool
Given the early nature of the summer, and the World Cup inevitably delaying the market a touch, there is of course still a chance that Alisson pushes to leave Liverpool.
Nevertheless, after the Reds told him they want him to stay, it seems virtually certain that the Brazil No. 1 will complete a ninth season at Anfield.
With injuries preventing him from making more than 35 appearances in each of the past three seasons, there has been some debate as to whether Liverpool should take the opportunity to cash in on Alisson and put faith in Giorgi Mamardashvili.
READ MORE: Bradley Barcola transfer chances increase as Liverpool target ends contract talks with PSG
However, Mamardashvili does not look quite ready to be the Reds’ permanent No. 1, and with Robertson and Mohamed Salah having already left, it felt like a gamble to entertain an exit for Alisson as well.
Thankfully, it looks like good sense has prevailed, and while the Brazilian is clearly a big presence for the dressing room, his performances at the World Cup have shown that he is still one of the very best goalkeepers around on the pitch as well.
Alisson is proving a point at the World Cup
Despite his brilliant career in Europe with Roma and then Liverpool, Alisson has regularly underwhelmed for Brazil, with Selecao supporters by and large having a very different view of the Reds’ No. 1 than those back on Merseyside.
But even they have been forced to concede that Alisson has been looking like the goalkeeper who has regularly been cited as the best in the world of the last decade.
Now the fixtures have been revealed, do you think Liverpool will win the Premier League in 26/27?
Though it was a relatively comfortable win for Brazil in the end, Alisson still made five saves during Wednesday’s match, the standout stop coming in the second-half as he brilliantly pounced to his right to save a header having been moving to the left.
The stop showed off all of Alisson’s agility, and though the injuries may well come back, it was a reminder that he should still be regarded as one of the world’s leading goalkeepers.
With Brazil now safely into the knockout rounds, the good displays will hopefully give Alisson the confidence to go and cement himself as the absolute best of the best for the remainder of the tournament.
It will not be a surprise to Liverpool fans if he does that, but having looked likely to be out of the door in the months leading up to the end of the season, supporters will now be thanking their lucky stars that Richard Hughes and Michael Edwards saw how much of an impact Alisson still can have.
Receive a digest of our best Liverpool content each week direct to your mailbox
