Alisson Liverpool 2019Getty

Alisson backed to break ‘all the records’ at Liverpool as Grobbelaar calls for ‘long’ stay from keeper

Alisson is capable of breaking “all the records” at Liverpool if he sticks around at Anfield for a “long time”, says legendary former Reds goalkeeper Bruce Grobbelaar.

A Brazil international was added to Jurgen Klopp’s star-studded squad during the summer of 2018.

He was briefly the most expensive keeper on the planet, with a £65 million ($82m) transfer fee required to prise him away from Serie A giants Roma.

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An immediate return has been offered on that investment, with Alisson’s debut campaign ending with him collecting a Premier League Golden Glove and Champions League crown.

He has since gone on to help Liverpool close in on the Premier League title, while also earning a billing as one of the finest shot-stoppers in the world game.

Grobbelaar believes the 27-year-old is capable of re-writing the history books on Merseyside, with a man who has 40 clean sheets to his name from 79 appearances in a position where he could chase down Ray Clemence’s club record of 323 shut outs.

“If Alisson stays at Liverpool long enough he could break all the records that myself and Ray Clemence achieved,” Grobbelaar, who spent 13 years at Anfield between 1981 and 1994, told The Mirror.

“If he wants to stay at Anfield for a long time he will break all the records for sure and I would love him to do that.

“Alisson is undoubtedly one of the best goalkeepers in the world and he deserves to be put on that pedestal.

“Him and Manuel Neuer are probably the best two when it comes to angles — those two are the very best in the world at getting their angles right, they don’t have to dive because they aren’t out of position.

“They are in the right place at the right time and they move their feet very, very well.”

Virgil van Dijk Liverpool 2019-20Getty Images

Alisson is not the only talismanic presence to have emerged at Liverpool under Klopp, with Grobbelaar also quick to sing the praises of commanding Dutch centre-half Virgil van Dijk.

He added on a defensive colossus: “I played behind Phil Thompson and Alan Hansen, and they were both brilliant centre-halves.

“With Thommo, Jockey had to work a little bit harder because when Thommo made a mistake, he had to cover up quite a lot.

“When Thommo left, Jockey took up his role and we had Mark Lawrenson, who was quick, he had brilliant speed.

“Now with Van Dijk, you have a cool head like a Hansen but he’s that quick like Lawrenson — he is both rolled into one.

“But what he does with his other centre-halves and other defenders is make them much better, and that’s the quality of Virgil van Dijk.”

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