Takumi Minamino to Liverpool – A shrewd signing or commercial strategy?

Liverpool secured the services of Takumi Minamino from RB Salzburg for a net transfer fee of £7.25 million. The Japanese midfield starlet is set to officially join the Reds on 1 January 2020 for a contract of four and a half years. It is believed that Liverpool’s boss, Jurgen Klopp was impressed with the 24 years old when RB Salzburg played against the Merseyside club on two occasions in the group stage of their current UEFA Champions League campaign. Despite stiff competition from Manchester United, the reigning champions of Europe were able to lure Minamino from the Austrian club for a bargain price thanks to an undervalued release clause. Klopp explained the cash spent as a move to strengthen the squad, however many reports claim Minamino deal is the club’s commercial strategy to penetrate an untapped but promising Asian market - Japan. The following piece will analyze the performance as well as the commercial aspect of the deal, whether Takumi Minanino is another of Klopp's tactical signings or part of Liverpool's long term commercial strategy.

Performance

According to the stats, Takumi Minamino can play in any of the attacking positions just behind the striker. He scored nine goals and provided eleven assists in 22 matches for RB Salzburg in their current campaign including a right-foot volley goal against Liverpool at Anfield. Klopp praised the Japanese’s ability to play at numerous positions and cited player's versatility as the main reason behind the acquisition. The Liverpool boss also disclosed his ideas about using Minamino at number eight position (center midfield). However, Takumi is expected to face tough competition for a place in the starting eleven on all the positions. At present, Salah and Mane are Liverpool’s default starters in wide attacking positions. The standbys Xherdan Shaqiri, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Adam Lallana, and James Milner have proved their ability whenever they are called upon. Minamino’s contest for a place at the center of the park is even more severe. Currently, Wijnaldum, Henderson, Naby Keita, Fabinho bolster the Reds’ midfield while Milner, Lallana, and Oxlade-Chamberlain remain more reliable replacements. With the existing depth in the squad, it will be interesting to see how effectively and frequently Klopp utilises Minamino at Liverpool.

Commercial

The globalisation of European Football Leagues has resulted in attraction from international investors, partners, and sponsors. The Premier League is by far the most-watched league in the world with an estimated total TV audience of 4.7 billion. As a result, currently, 15 out of 20 Premier League clubs are owned or co-owned by foreign investors. Even shirt sponsors of big clubs like Arsenal (Emirates), Chelsea (Yokohama), Manchester United (Chevrolet), and Manchester City (Etihad) are non-English companies. Nowadays, the clubs have started to frame international strategies to capitalise on the global market. The commercial aspect of a player signing can be seen in some of the latest high profile transfer deals as well. The recent signing of Cristiano Ronaldo by Juventus was equally motivated by both sporting and commercial aspects

“It was the first time that the commercial side and the sporting side of Juventus came together in assessing the costs and benefits [of a signing]. The opportunity of Ronaldo was thoroughly assessed . . . and it made sense, both on and off the pitch.” - Andrea Agnelli, president of Juventus.

On one hand, the arrival of 5-time Ballon D’or winner to Turin enhances the Old Lady’s chances to clinch its first Champions League trophy in more than two decades, while on the other hand, Ronaldo enables Juventus to rope in international audiences and sponsors. The commercial success of bringing in Ronaldo to Juventus can be seen by the fact that the club sold 520,000 Ronaldo replica jerseys on the first day of signing amounting to a total sum of $60 million. Juventus also renewed its deals with Jeep and Adidas for an amount more than double of the previous sponsorship contracts.

Does the acquisition of Minamino enhance Liverpool's chances of attracting Yokohama Tyres as their sponsor?

Various reports claim that Liverpool acquired Minamino to activate an untapped Asian market for the Reds. Liverpool's official twitter account saw a rise of almost 15,000 followers more than an average daily increase on the day of the official announcement of the Japanese international football player. Additionally, the Merseyside club now stands in good stead to secure sponsorship from Yokohama. The Japanese tire making company, Yokohama is into the final year of its shirt sponsorship deal with Chelsea having sponsored the Blues since the year 2015.

In a recent interview, Jurgen Klopp admitted that he is not sure of Minamino’s position in the team in the short term. Nevertheless, the deal has made the Asian audience and the sponsors super excited. The arrival of an Asian ace in Liverpool will certainly increase the popularity and fan base of the club in the continent. However, whether Minamino’s deal was derived to improve the squad or was motivated by commercial benefits associated or both only time will tell.

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Edited by rehaan díaz