Use your head like Sadio and subscribe to the Liverpool FC newsletter Sign me up Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Invalid Email

Spending big on centre-backs was all the rage in the Premier League last summer.

Manchester City signed John Stones from Everton for an eye-watering £47.5million while Arsenal splashed out £35mi for Valencia’s Shkodran Mustafi.

Chelsea brought David Luiz back from Paris Saint-Germain for £34m and Manchester United paid Villarreal £30m for Eric Bailly.

The arrival of Joel Matip at Anfield largely slipped under the radar but the impact of the 25-year-old compared to those big money buys proves that you don’t always get what you pay for.

Aside from a hefty signing on fee, Matip didn’t cost Liverpool a penny. Jurgen Klopp was adamant the Reds had pulled off a coup when the defender signed a pre-contract agreement back in February and his judgement has been proved right.

Klopp knew exactly what he was getting having watched Matip at close quarters in the Bundesliga over the past six years. The intense rivaly between Borussia Dortmund and Schalke meant that securing Matip’s services was never a viable proposition during Klopp’s time at the Westfalenstadion.

But within weeks of taking over at Anfield he had registered his interest in a centre-back who was considering a new challenge after rejecting Schalke’s attempts to get him to pen a contract extension.

Matip’s respect and admiration for Klopp meant that other lucrative offers from across Europe were spurned, his heart was set on playing for Liverpool.

Moving on wasn’t easy after 19 years at Schalke but the time was right to step out of his comfort zone.

His start to life at Liverpool wasn’t straightforward. He picked up an infection after undergoing minor surgery in the summer to remove screws from his foot and was hampered by pain throughout pre-season.

Video Loading Video Unavailable Click to play Tap to play The video will start in 8 Cancel Play now

Matip sat out the opening weekend thriller at the Emirates and the following week’s defeat at Burnley as he built up his fitness but since then he’s been ever-present in the Premier League.

Without him in the side this term, Liverpool conceded a league goal every 36 minutes. With him, the Reds have shipped a league goal every 90 minutes.

Much of the focus has been on the attacking brilliance of Philippe Coutinho, Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mane but Matip’s contribution in this early season charge has been no less significant.

The 6ft 5ins centre-back has added both silk and steel to Liverpool’s backline.

Sunday’s visit of Watford will evoke memories of that woeful display at Vicarage Road last December - the heaviest defeat of Klopp’s reign.

Liverpool got bullied that day by the strike duo of Odion Ighalo and Troy Deeney. It wasn’t a one-off. Opposition teams knew the Reds had a soft centre.

Matip, who grew up idolising Patrick Vieira, has toughened Liverpool up. He has provided a greater combative edge. Not by booting attackers up in the air but with his ability to sense danger and deal with it.

He’s quick, he reads the game so well, he’s comfortable with the ball at his feet and wins his aerial duels. That’s a big asset at both ends of the field - highlighted by the bullet header which opened his Liverpool account at Selhurst Park last Saturday.

On Klopp’s orders he bulked up in the summer to ensure he could handle the physical demands of the Premier League and those hard yards in the gym have served him well.

Look at the battles he’s already fought and won: Harry Kane, Jamie Vardy, Diego Costa, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Christian Benteke. There aren’t many tougher tests in the Premier League.

Centre-back partner Dejan Lovren may still be prone to the odd blunder but Matip appears to have ice pumping through his veins. He’s always calm and composed.

A look at his CV and nobody should be surprised. He clocked up nearly 200 Bundesliga appearances, has got bags of Champions League experience and played in two World Cups for Cameroon - the country he adopted through his father. No wonder he’s taken the move to Liverpool in his stride.

The Reds have had mixed fortunes with free transfers over the years. Andriy Voronin, Philipp Degen, Milan Jovanovic and Joe Cole were Kop flops, while Gary McAllister, Markus Babbel, Maxi Rodriguez and James Milner proved to be shrewd acquisitions.

Matip has already shown that he belongs in that latter category.