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Liverpool have today made their first signing of the 2020 offseason, signing Greek international Kostas Tsimikas from Olympiacos in a deal worth a reported £11.75M after the 24-year-old left back arrived on Merseyside to complete his medical and put pen to paper on a long-term deal.
The Reds had made the signing of a fullback a top priority this summer after years of relying on midfielders and centre halves to offer cover to starters Andy Robertson and Trent Alexander-Arnold, and as such, Tsimikas’ signing represents a major strengthening of Jürgen Klopp’s squad.
“I’m very proud to be here,” Tsimikas told the club’s official website. “For me, [it’s] the biggest club in the world. It’s an honour to be here. It was always one dream I had to play in this league and [I want] to achieve [our] goals: to win the league again and also to win the Champions League.”
Tsimikas started 45 games for Olympiacos last season across all competions, playing in a highly attacking fullback role not that different from the one he will be asked to play at Liverpool and having shown he can keep up with European competition in the Champions League and Europa League.
At Liverpool, he will arrive as backup to Andy Robertson to start and look to push the incumbent Scotsman for minutes. He will also likely be the only fullback named to the bench much of the time, which could mean he will see time at right back as well during the 2020-21 season.