West Ham wanted Piotr Zielinski this summer and the Napoli ace has been hailed by Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp.
Liverpool make the trip to Naples tonight as they take on the Serie A side in the Champions League.
This is the group stage opener for both clubs and they will be desperate to get off the mark with a victory.
Liverpool haven’t been firing on all cylinders so far this season and Klopp will hope to avoid defeat against a player he clearly rates highly.
West Ham wanted Piotr Zielinski
The Hammers were in the market for midfield reinforcements over the summer even after signing Flynn Downes from Swansea City.
Lucas Paqueta ended up arriving in a big-money move from Lyon, but West Ham wanted Zielinski before the deal.
West Ham were in talks over a potential £33million move for Zielinski before eventually giving up and moving on to Paqueta.
Reports in Italy suggested that Zielinski rejected West Ham and wasn’t interested in the move.
The Polish midfielder, 28, has been shining for many years in Italy and will be a very familiar name to Liverpool fans.
Some will remember that Klopp actually wanted to sign Zielinski back in 2016, believing that he was the ideal addition to his midfield.
Udinese rejected Liverpool’s offer and later sold Zielinski to Napoli, with the Reds going on to sign Gini Wijnaldum from Newcastle United instead.
Klopp has previewed tonight’s game and maybe we shouldn’t be surprised that he has singled out Zielinski for praise.
As quoted by Calciomercato, Klopp suggested that Napoli can built their team around Zielinski whilst calling him a ‘great player’.
Klopp has clearly admired Zielinski for many years now and will be well aware of the threat he can pose to Liverpool tonight.
Klopp may also be glad that West Ham didn’t sign Zielinski, just so that he doesn’t have to face him in the Premier League every season!
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