Brendan Rodgers was delighted to welcome Croatian international defender Dejan Lovren to Liverpool and says he will immediately join the club on their tour of the USA.
Lovren’s £20 million move from Southampton was confirmed by the club on Sunday night, ahead of the Reds’ second game of their USA tour against Olympiacos in Chicago.
The 25-year-old looks set to be Daniel Agger’s long-term replacement, with the Danish international linked again with a move to Barcelona on Sunday morning.
Combined with Mamadou Sakho, who was signed from Paris Saint-Germain, Liverpool now have £38 million worth of talent in the central defence, and Rodgers believe Lovren brings with him a lot of qualities.
I just signed a contract with one of the biggest club in football history, the great #LiverpoolFC !! pic.twitter.com/zZpZPvawj6
— Dejan Lovren (@DejanLovren05) July 27, 2014
“This is a very important signing for us and I’m delighted it’s completed so Dejan can join up with us on our US tour,” the Liverpool manager told the club’s official website.
“He is a commanding and powerful presence and clearly has leadership skills, which is important; he fits the profile of player we are looking for.”
Lovren is the third player to swap St Mary’s for Anfield this summer following the signings of Rickie Lambert and Adam Lallana, whilst he is the fifth new arrival of the summer after the aforementioned, Emre Can and Lazar Markovic.
Lovren will make his first competitive appearance for the Reds against his former club when Liverpool host Southampton on Sunday, August 17th in the Premier League.
Rodgers added, “He is still relatively young, so his peak years are ahead of him and I believe he will improve and progress even further with us.
“I’m looking forward to him arriving and working with us as we continue our preparations for the new season.”
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