Joel Matip - The Premier League's bargain of the summer

Jürgen Klopp had planned various ventures during a sabbatical following his departure from Borussia Dortmund. From skiing expeditions to an educational trip to the USA in order to broaden his knowledge of other sports, his plans were ended abruptly as he jumped at the chance to manage Liverpool.

With a man so invested in football, it’s no surprise the German coach admitted to already preparing for his next job, as well as pondering potential transfers. Centre-back Joel Matip was one of the players he claimed to mull over and became Klopp’s first significant signing on a pre-contract in January this year, a move which prompted the boss to claim he had saved the club millions.

Liverpool’s defence has been heavily criticised in recent times, as the result of conceding 50 goals on average over the last 3 Premier League seasons, a team evidently and persistently held back by a series of individual errors. The last thing fans would have wanted would be for Klopp to be overly economical in his pursuit to strengthen the back four. But the manager insisted the Cameroonian international's capture was not just to balance the checkbooks. "If you asked in Germany what other clubs would have paid for him had he still been under contract, you can just pick a number," going on to claim only a handful of teams in the league would have been able to acquire the services of the defender.

Schalke did everything in their power to try to convince the fan favourite to stay but it seemed like Matip had already had his mind set on a dream move to the Premier League. Now Liverpool sit firmly in contention for a title bid, and as easy as it is to admire the attacking force paraded weekly, Matip deserves ample credit for Liverpool’s strong start to the season. Liverpool are unbeaten in all competitions in which he has started, winning 9 and drawing 3, whilst conceding just 9 goals. With all 9 of those goals being conceded in the league, only Arsenal, Chelsea and Tottenham boast better defensive records than the Merseysiders in that period.

Concerns of whether the centre-back would take time to adapt were quickly dismissed, despite what was understandably a difficult move after spending 16 years with his boyhood club: “The moment was right when my contract at Schalke was running out. It was hard to leave them.” Matip added, “It was like leaving my childhood behind”.

Having played for Dortmund's rivals, the Bochum-born defender was a player Klopp knew all too well about. In the autumn of 2009, while he was in the process of shaping his Dortmund side, a short drive away Matip was being prepared, under a vigorous and often arduous training regime set out by Felix Magath, to make his debut. The lanky 18-year-old was soon given his chance to face Bayern. Given his appearance the youngster may have looked out of place but, playing in defensive midfield, Matip made quite the impression, scoring the equaliser in a 1-1 draw.

Prior to this, Matip was primarily used a centre-back in the youth set-up but proved his versatility just before his call-up to the senior team. “I was playing for the youth team when my coach Norbert Elgert, had the idea to put me up front.” It was a position he played with success for six months. It was enough to gain the attention of coach Magath; a manager Matip attributes a lot of his development to.

Matip retained his place in defensive midfield for a further 2 years under Magath’s reign. This experience has proved pivotal to Matip’s composure and bravery to play out from the back, as acknowledged by the defender: “It helps to have played in midfield when you are passing out of defence. The football we play today, it is important you start the play from the back.”

In Klopp’s sides, a ball-playing centre-back has been essential in the system, with Mats Hummels gaining international stardom for his ability in that role. Matip has already started to draw a few comparisons, always looking forward to break the lines against teams set out to stop the Reds, with the Kop also realising his tendency to occasionally wander forward into the opponent’s half too.

With Liverpool averaging 58.2% possession this season, a significantly higher percentage than he would have experienced at the Royal Blues, it has provided the platform for Matip to exhibit his capability on the ball. For players to have only played centre-back in the league this season, Matip has made the most accurate passes in the final third (65), while only Shkodran Mustafi and Jan Vertonghen have played more passes forward (261). This hasn’t hindered his pass accuracy either, having impressively completed 86.5% of his passes, only bettered by four of his peers.

Matip moved to a preferred centre-back role when Ralf Rangnick arrived at Schalke, and remained in the position for the majority of his Bundesliga career. Hailed for his positioning and intelligence, Matip quickly drew the attentions of the German national team but ultimately opted to play for Cameroon. His father also represented The Lions in his playing days, and football seems to run deep in the roots in the Matip family tree, Joel’s older brother; Marvin Matip has been an established centre-back in Germany for number of years. Not to mention Matip is also the cousin of Joseph-Désiré Job, a player that he has now emulated in having followed his footsteps to the Premier League.

With spending in the Premier League breaking the £1bn mark for the first time in history, shrewd signings were few and far between. Anticipated title contenders all splashed out on big money moves for centre-backs, such as John Stones, Eric Bailly, Shkodran Mustafi and David Luiz, making Liverpool’s deal for Joel Matip all the more striking.

On his arrival, Klopp spoke about the defender’s attributes. “He’s made big steps in his development in the last few years. He’s become a really experienced centre-half – tall but flexible and quick.”

Already displaying these traits, Matip has been unfazed by much that has been thrown to him thus far. Despite his stature, the 6"5' defender has excelled having admitted he was worried about the physical aspect of the league, working on his upper body in preparation. This hasn’t proved to be much of an issue, keeping strikers with various sizes and skill sets such as Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Harry Kane, Diego Costa, Troy Deeney, Christian Benteke and Charlie Austin all relatively quiet to date.

Given his precocious talent, Matip may not have developed as quickly as expected when he first burst onto the scene in Germany, but Schalke’s roulette of managers and the occasional injury certainly hindered his progress. However, at just 25, with a vast amount of experience under his belt and under the guidance of Klopp, Liverpool may have unearthed a gem, and arguably attained the bargain of the summer.