Will Liverpool break Jurgen Klopp’s ‘rule’ and buy £83m Brazilian wonderkid? | OneFootball

The Unspoken Jurgen Klopp Rule

Under the German, Liverpool shied away from entering the South American market. Despite the Reds having a strong scouting base in South America, the club never directly brought players into the first team from the region.

The Reds had tracked down the likes of Rodrygo, Darwin Nunez and Luis Diaz at the very beginning of their careers.

Some they even tried to sign, meanwhile others would end up signing for Liverpool later.

It became an unspoken rule. Even last season, when Andre was heavily linked with a move to Anfield, it never seemed like the proceedings were close.

An Untapped Opportunity

Yet there is an abundance of talent to be found in South America. Trends in the Premier League and European football would point towards that as well.

Just take a look at the likes of Porto and Benfica, who have tripled their investments in the likes of Alan Varela and Enzo Fernandez after signing them from Argentina.

Brighton have done the same with Alexis Mac Allister and Moises Caicedo.

Meanwhile, Manchester City reaped the rewards with Julian Alvarez’s transfer from River Plate.

The reality is that South American football at the top level is on par with its European counterparts. It’s why players are able to adapt quickly to high level European football and it’s why purchasing from the region makes sense.

Could Liverpool Buck Klopp’s trend?

According to The Athletic, Liverpool are interested in Vitor Reis, among a host of other clubs.

Only 18 years old, the centre-back has a release clause of €100m, which roughly equates to £83m.

That’s a steep sum, but it’s not necessarily one the Reds will have to pay outright. Brazilian clubs often set a high release clause for their prized asset but those really clauses are never actually paid in full. There are always wiggle rooms to negotiate the price down.

Reis though is an interesting prospect and one who could be an ideal addition for Liverpool.

Although with Real Madrid, Barcelona, Arsenal and Chelsea also sniffing about it certainly won’t be easy to lure him to Anfield.

Why Vitor Reis Makes Sense for Liverpool

Reis has a small sample size playing in Brazil’s top flight, but the data that is available is very impressive.

Encouragingly, despite playing just under 1000 minutes, he has already been used both in a left and right sided centre-back role.

He is right-footed but he is capable of playing on the left side as well, which offers tactical flexibility to his future coach.

Reis also reads the game well and is known to be very mature for his age. It’s no surprise that he was the captain of his country’s U17 national team when competing in the U17 Copa America and World Cup last year.

Reis’ Solid Defensive Numbers

Since Reis is a centre-back, focusing primarily on his defensive numbers is a good way to start.

Playing for Palmeiras, Reis has been able to break into a side that has the best performing defensive numbers in the league.

Palmeiras have conceded the fewest goals (20) in the 2024 campaign and have allowed the third least expected goals against them (25.9).

Reis’ numbers on the whole are very impressive. He ranks in the top 5 among U23 centre-backs for successful defensive actions per 90 minutes (8.34) as per Wyscout.

Among his positional and age peers, who average at least 6 defensive duels per 90, Reis has the best success rate 64.79%.

He also averages the most aerial duels per 90 (5.78) and wins just under 60% of his duels which isn’t the highest but it’s not awful either – rather merely reliably solid.

And on top of all of that, Reis also ranks in the top five centre-backs among his age peers for interceptions adjusted based on possession (6.15 per 90).

Posting these kind of numbers as a teenager is really impressive, and it’s no surprise Liverpool are among the clubs interested in his services.

But there’s another key factor which could convince the club’s recruitment team even further.

Reis’ Impressive Passing Figures

Reis is an extremely comfortable player on the ball. He plays with his head up at all times and rarely ever looses control of possession.

In Arne Slot’s system, having a centre-back of that calibre, who can play out from the back, is instrumental.

In Brazil’s top flight, Reis has the best pass completion rate (92.92%) of any U23 centre-back. Overall, among centre-backs of all ages, he still ranks in the top 10 for the metric.

So, to put it succinctly, he is a defender who is very assured in his control of the ball.

He will look to penetrate opposition lines and is capable of finding passing lanes even in tight situations, without losing possession.

Having averaged close to 7 progressive passes per game, Reis would fit in well at Liverpool where Van Dijk (9.18 per 90) and Konate (10 per 90) have averaged similar high volumes this season.

Considering Reis has been posting his numbers with Palmeiras averaging 53% possession, while Liverpool average close to 59% this season, his numbers are definitely scalable to be even higher in a more possession heavy side.

But overall, there is a lot of promise in Reis already. He is comfortable on the ball and reads the game well while being defensively sound.

Perhaps he isn’t worth the £83m release clause, but if he does become available, Liverpool would be smart to venture where they did not under Klopp and pursue a move for the young Brazilian.