Jurgen Klopp says new Liverpool signing Kostas Tsimikas is exactly what the team needs and is excited by his potential.
The 24-year-old left back joined the Reds from Olympiacos this month in a deal worth £11.75 million ($15m).
Tsimikas won three Super League titles during his time at Olympiacos and made 86 appearances for the Greek giants, while he also spent a season on loan in the Eredivisie with Willem II before making the switch to the Premier League.
The Greece international will act as backup to Reds star Andrew Robertson at Anfield, as the Scotland international has faced little competition for a starting XI spot with midfielder James Milner the only senior alternative.
Klopp is convinced Tsimikas’ presence will boost the team as they look to defend their Premier League crown next season.
“Kostas is a signing which just shows what we are looking for, what we need,” the German coach told the club’s website. “I think the left-back position was now not a position where the people out there would have thought, ‘We need another player’, and stuff like this.
“It worked out pretty well, Millie played there from time to time, but we cannot take any risk or we should take as less risk as possible.
“Our full backs in the way we play are so important with the skills they have, the speed they have, the crosses they bring in and stuff like this.
“When I saw Kostas the first time, I thought: ‘Is it possible to get somebody like him?’
“He’s not the most experienced player because he started a little bit later with a proper career, but in the last two or three years he’s really right on track and then has started building his career obviously.
“Then we had a conversation and he was very, very positive about this, knowing that we have already a world-class full back – but that’s exactly what you try to have.”
Tsimikas, who signed a five-year contract at Anfield, is Liverpool’s first new arrival of the summer transfer window, while Dejan Lovren and Adam Lallana have already departed, joining Zenit St Petersburg and Brighton, respectively.