Former Liverpool youth captain Victor Palsson, who played with Kostas Tsimikas for a year while the pair were at Esbjerg in Denmark, says the Reds have found themselves another bargain.
Tsimikas and Palsson were together for several months as they played in the Danish Superleague during the 2016/17 campaign.
It was only 13 games that the duo shared, but that was enough to make a significant impression.
Palsson exclusively told the ECHO: "To be honest, it was a very difficult year that we had. We ended up getting relegated that year and the whole season was very difficult - we had three different managers.
"But Tsimi was a fantastic lad - a great guy, always very positive. He has good banter, he’s a funny kid and I can only say good things about him.
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"It was a difficult year for us but you could always see the potential that he had. He was very young when he was with us and then he went to Willem II in Holland the next year and he did very well.
"Even though we were struggling, he would never put on the sad face. I really liked him when I played with him. With Olympiacos, he has done fantastically and playing for the Greek national team as well.
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"I’m really happy for him and when I saw he was going to sign, it’s a massive thing to sign for the biggest club in the world and I am really, really happy for him.
"His offensive strengths are something that I always saw in him and he has very good technique. He has an eye for some good passes.
"When I played with him, he was lacking in the defensive part, but we have been watching him in a few games since then and he has really improved.
"When a club like Liverpool wants to sign you, you are in that world-class category."
Palsson has played for the likes of New York Red Bulls and NEC Nijmegen, the team that Jurgen Klopp’s assistant Pep Lijnders was in charge of for a brief spell, though not at the same time, since leaving Liverpool.
The striker captained the reserves team in 2009 but never made a senior appearance under Rafa Benitez.
Now 29, he signed for his current club, Darmstadt, in Bundesliga 2, in 2019, and is a full Iceland international.
He may well feature for his country when they face England in a few weeks, where he could come up against Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson.
Tsimikas, meanwhile, has now met up with his new teammates and could make his first appearance in a Liverpool debut in the Community Shield at Wembley Stadium at the end of the month.
