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Joël Matip has officially been registered as a Liverpool player today and completed his move from Schalke 04. Matip made his professional debut for Schalke in 2009, spending seven seasons with them wearing the number 32 shirt. Maybe the shirt is part of his fortune or habit reigns supreme for the German-born Cameroon international, but Matip will continue to be associated with this number at Liverpool.
It's been a busy week for Liverpool after signing Sadio Mané for £30 million from Southampton on Tuesday. Matip has been long thought of as a fine prospect in Germany, and now the 24-year-old will hopefully prove to be a fine piece of business after moving on a free transfer. With Martin Škrtel on the way out, Matip will presumably compete with Mamadou Sakho (doping ruling permitting), Dejan Lovren, and Joe Gomez for a spot in the heart of the defence.
Jürgen Klopp has always emphasised the power and importance of the collective, so credit to Cameron Brannagan for happily handing over the number he has been allocated for the past two seasons. Your sacrifice has not gone unnoticed, young Brannagan. Matip will join his new teammates for the start of pre-season training this weekend as Klopp looks to get his group physically, mentally, and tactically prepared for a potentially pivotal campaign.