Andoni Iraola copies Jurgen Klopp with £34m Liverpool transfer trick

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Liverpool manager Andoni Iraola has already taken a page from Jurgen Klopp's playbook by using the same transfer strategy that helped the German secure his first signing at Anfield. Spanish international Victor Munoz became the inaugural acquisition of the Iraola regime last week when he signed a six-year contract with the Reds.

The 22-year-old attacker is due to join his new colleagues on Merseyside in July, pending work permit approval, after Liverpool activated the £34.5 million release clause in his Osasuna deal. For a period, it seemed Premier League competitors Newcastle United were frontrunners in the pursuit of the highly-regarded youngster, who notched seven goals and five assists across 36 outings last term.

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The Magpies had earmarked the pacey winger as a possible successor to Barcelona-bound Anthony Gordon and were reportedly optimistic about landing his services following encouraging discussions with the player's representatives. But Munoz will be turning out on Merseyside next campaign after sporting director Richard Hughes moved decisively to seal the agreement.

Significantly, Liverpool committed to paying the release clause in its entirety – in contrast to Newcastle , who had attempted to broker a reduced price. The influence wielded by Iraola also proved pivotal, with the former Bournemouth manager duplicating a method employed by Anfield icon Klopp over a decade earlier.

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According to reports, Iraola made clear to Liverpool's top brass shortly after taking over from Arne Slot that he was a great admirer of Munoz and felt the Spaniard would be a perfect match for his high-tempo, aggressive brand of football. The Athletic also reports that the duo subsequently held an in-depth phone conversation during which Iraola laid out precisely how he intended to utilise the winger.

It is understood that the call ultimately persuaded Munoz that Liverpool was the right move, despite mounting interest from rival clubs including Bayer Leverkusen and Manchester United . The very same approach proved remarkably effective for Klopp when he arrived at the club in October 2015.

Midfielder Marko Grujic became the first recruit of the German's tenure after completing a move in January 2016 from boyhood club Red Star Belgrade in a deal worth £5.1 million. The Serb had attracted attention from a number of top-flight clubs, among them Chelsea , Inter, AC Milan and Juventus , but opted for Liverpool after Klopp made an unexpected personal phone call.

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"His vision is that I should be something between a No.6 and a No.10, what they call a box-to-box midfielder," Grujic explained shortly after signing. "My only request was that I didn't want to be loaned out, I just want to play for Liverpool. But he was very open, told me about how he sees my development. When a coach like that calls you on the phone personally, that's the greatest privilege. That call really cemented my desire to join Liverpool."

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Sadly for him, matters didn't quite unfold as anticipated once he arrived on Merseyside , with Grujic managing just eight Premier League outings during a four-year stint with the Reds. He spent three of those campaigns away on loan with Cardiff City and Hertha Berlin before sealing a permanent switch to Portuguese outfit Porto in 2020.

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