Jeremie Frimpong is Liverpool’s first signing of the summer, but he nearly joined the club as a youngster only to make the move to Man City as it “made more sense.”
The Reds moved quickly to trigger the 24-year-old’s release clause and it comes as a full circle moment for the Dutchman after nearly signing for the club as a nine-year-old.
Frimpong was born in Amsterdam but moved to England with his family at the age of seven, going on to sign for Man City‘s academy in 2010 before leaving for Celtic in 2019.
A move to Bayer Leverkusen followed and it has resulted in a return to the Premier League club he “chose first” all those years ago, as he explained to Rising Ballers.
“I chose Liverpool first,” he said in a recent interview when discussing his early academy prospects.
“I was going to sign for them, but back then, driving wasn’t a thing. My family wasn’t driving and it was far.
“Obviously, Man City was local, so then I tried them next and it made more sense; it was 15 minutes on the bus.”
He touched on it again on his Liverpool unveiling, saying: “Of course when I was younger and Liverpool first came, that was a no-brainer as well.
“But due to transportation and all these sorts of things, I had to go a different way. And look at me now. So, it has worked really well.”
With the distance proving too much, Frimpong could stay close to his family home by joining City, who he represented in the FA Youth Cup final defeat to Liverpool in 2019.
Cole Palmer came off the bench in extra time in the final for City, while the Reds had the likes of Neco Williams, Rhys Williams, Vitezslav Jaros and Bobby Duncan in their ranks.
Frimpong never made a senior appearance for City before signing for Celtic, who he represented 51 times before a career-defining move to Leverkusen, where he has played 190 times.
The Netherlands international is a versatile option off the right, capable of playing as a full-back, wing-back and winger, but he identifies as only one.
“You see all the positions, I play the same regardless,” he said. “I’m a right-back, started off as a right-back but when I play right-back, I like to attack.
“Even when I play right wing, I play the same. My style hasn’t changed, I still attack but I’m still a right-back.”
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