In order to sign £224,000 worth Stefan Bajcetic, Liverpool triumphed over both Manchester United and Brexit.
In what has been, for the most part, a difficult season for Liverpool, it was a moment like this that warmed the heart.
Jurgen Klopp took Stefan Bajcetic out of the game with just a few minutes left and the Merseyside derby already in the bag. This was done so that Bajcetic could receive the thundering adulation from the Anfield crowd that he so rightly earned.
A short while later, club great Jamie Carragher was conferring player of the match honors on an 18-year-old player while working in the commentary booth.
Because of this, he was asked to participate in the post-match interview with Mohamed Salah, who praised him as the team’s finest performer ever since Jurgen Klopp started playing him.
“It’s incredible, I was playing Under-18s a year ago and now I am playing at Anfield and it just happened in one year,” the wide-eyed adolescent remarked in his accent that was a combination of Spanish and Scouse. “It just happened in one year,” he added.
The next thing he knew, he was posing for an Instagram snap with Hollywood celebrity Will Ferrell, on the most recent part of his journey to watch football in the northwestern United States.
This season, Bajcetic has been something of a revelation for many Liverpool supporters, but Klopp always intended for him to have a role in the team.
When Liverpool were getting ready to go for their preseason tour in July, manager Jurgen Klopp was questioned why the club hadn’t made any midfield acquisitions yet. He responded by saying that if it came down to it, he wouldn’t think twice about using a young, inexperienced trio like Harvey Elliott, Fabio Carvalho, and Bajcetic.
The fact that Bajcetic had not yet made his debut in the professional world at that moment caused some people to raise an eyebrow at that. But Klopp was dead serious, and we now understand why he took it that way.
The manner in which the youngster tormented Everton — running 11 kilometers, winning all of his tackles, and nicking the ball back to spark the move that led to Cody Gakpo’s first Liverpool goal — vindicated Klopp’s decision to leave James Milner and Naby Keita on the bench with Thiago out injured. The decision was made in light of the fact that Thiago was unable to play due to an injury.
The fact that he was playing in a new position was an even more impressive feat. Bajcetic has been playing the defensive No. 6 position up to this point, but in his fifth consecutive start, Klopp moved him up to the No. 8 position.
He was successful despite the fact that the Merseyside derby was filled with blood and thunder.
This is not to argue that Bajcetic is the complete answer to the midfield dilemma that Liverpool will need to overcome this summer in order to compete for trophies once more.
There will still be a need for significant investment, with England international Jude Bellingham being one of the primary targets. The rise of Bajcetic, on the other hand, may imply that Liverpool may avoid spending additional money on a second midfielder.