For Alexis Mac Allister. the journey to Anfield was every bit as dramatic as the challenges that followed once he pulled on the famous Liverpool red.
The World Cup winning midfielder has revealed how Jürgen Klopp personally intervened to ensure Liverpool won the race for his signature in the summer of 2023 — with a recruitment mission.
Mac Allister’s path to the Premier League wasn’t straightforward. Signed by Brighton & Hove Albion from Argentinos Juniors in 2019, he was immediately loaned back to his boyhood club before spending another stint at Boca Juniors.
It was only from the 2020/21 season onwards that he began to establish himself on the south coast, gradually becoming an integral figure at the Amex Stadium. By the time the 2022 World Cup in Qatar came around, he had already grown into a reliable and technically gifted midfielder in the Premier League.
But it was Argentina’s run to glory in December 2022 that changed everything. Mac Allister’s performances on the grandest stage — calm, composed, and tactically intelligent — saw his reputation skyrocket. He was no longer just Brighton’s creative heart, he was a World Cup winner. Inevitably, the transfer links followed.
“I had no idea how much my life was about to change.
At the end of that season, Jürgen Klopp came to see me. Actually, it was a bit of a James Bond situation. He flew down and we met in secret somewhere halfway to Brighton. I was a bit shocked that he did that for me. I had won a World Cup, but I was not a star at all.”
Liverpool moved swiftly and within weeks, Mac Allister was a Red, signed for an initial £35 million as part of a sweeping rebuild of Klopp’s midfield. The old guard of Fabinho, Jordan Henderson, Naby Keïta and James Milner all departed, ushering in a new era.
But adapting to life at Anfield wasn’t easy.
Speaking in his Players’ Tribune column, Mac Allister revealed how Klopp delivered a blunt assessment of his new midfield following a disappointing result and how that proved to be a turning point in the season.
“I’ll never forget, we went to Luton and drew 1–1, and when we got to the dressing room afterwards, we knew we played badly. But then Jürgen came in and he delivered a message that we really needed to hear. Honest and no-nonsense.
He said, ‘My old midfield would have had the balls to go and win that game.’ I remember just looking down at the floor, like: ‘Damn. OK. He’s right.’
I think that was the turning point for us. We started to play with more of an edge, more direct, faster. More cojones.”
The Argentine’s debut campaign yielded 46 appearances and seven goals, including a thunderous strike against Fulham that was later voted the club’s Goal of the Season, and he played a key role in the Reds’ Carabao Cup triumph at Wembley.
But the season ultimately ended with disappointment in the Premier League race and shock news — Klopp would depart at the end of the 2023/24 campaign.
Looking back now, Mac Allister is clear about how pivotal the initial conversation with the German coach was.
“From that moment I spoke to Jürgen, I knew I was meant to come to Liverpool.”
While Klopp may no longer be in the dugout, the Argentine’s words are a reminder of the legacy he leaves behind at Anfield.
