On this day in 2016: Liverpool agree deal to sign Joel Matip

Matip helped Liverpool end their title drought in 2020

Liverpool’s Joel Matip joined in 2016. (Nick Potts/PA) (PA Archive)

Liverpool agreed a deal to sign Joel Matip on this day in 2016.

The defender penned a pre-contract agreement to move to Anfield on a free transfer from Schalke.

He had spent his entire career with the German club having come through the youth system.

Matip said: “I have always said that there is only one reason I would leave Schalke – to experience something completely new. For that reason, I never considered a move to another Bundesliga club.

“Even though the decision wasn’t easy, I am certain that this is the right moment for me to take the next step in my career.”

Matip was a peripheral figure when Liverpool won the title in 2019-20 thanks to a succession of injuries, only making eight starts in the historic campaign.

But he has made 182 appearances under Jurgen Klopp, scoring 10 goals, with his current deal expiring next year.

Matip has helped the Reds win the Champions League in 2019, FA Cup, League Cup, the Super Cup and was part of the squad which lost to Real Madrid in last year’s Champions League final.