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Liverpool has of course made plenty of big signings this summer, but one that perhaps went under the radar was the addition of young goalkeeper Armin Pecsi.
The 20-year-old joined the Reds earlier this summer for a fee understood to be up to around $2.0 million (£1.5 million). He joined fellow goalkeepers Giorgi Mamardashvili and Freddie Woodman in making the move to Anfield, and was handed his Anfield debut as the Reds took on Athletic Club in the first of two pre-season friendlies at Anfield.
And the Hungarian certainly impressed as he made a big save just minutes after coming off the bench, charging out quickly to block Gorka Guruzeta's effort after the Athletic striker broke free. He didn't manage to hold onto his clean sheet, but he did enough to suggest Liverpool fans could have another exciting goalkeeper on their hands.
Pecsi made the move to Liverpool from Hungarian outfit Puskas Akademia FC, who were in the initial rounds of the UEFA Conference League this season, only to be knocked out by eventual semi-finalists Fiorentina. The fee was said to represent a record sale for his current employer.
Austrian-born Pecsi made 36 appearances in the season just gone as Puskas Akademia finished second (by three points) in the Hungarian top flight to Ferencvaros, a team managed by Robbie Keane and with former Liverpool midfielder Naby Keita on its books.
The 20-year-old is already a Hungary U21 international and has also represented them at U17 and U19 level.
Pecsi kept nine clean sheets in 30 appearances in the Hungarian league last season. He has also been nominated for the European Golden Boy award in recognition of his outstanding performances for club and country.
The Golden Boy awards are for the best up-and-coming talent. It is given to the best player under 21 years old who plays in any of the European top-tier leagues.
Lamine Yamal won the prize in 2024, while Jude Bellingham was the victor the previous year. Erling Haaland and Pedri have also come out on top in the past, showing the level of player that tends to rank highly.
Every year, the Italian publication Tuttosport puts together the list of 100 players, and Pecsi is the second-highest ranked goalkeeper on there this time around.
The rankings will be updated every month until October and the winner will be announced in December.
Yamal and Pau Curbarsi of Barcelona are the top two players on the list at the moment, closely followed by Desire Doue of PSG. Pecsi comes in at number 47 on the list.
The new Liverpool goalkeeper is one of just three goalkeepers currently in the top 100. Only Toulouse's Guillaume Restes is ahead of him, while Chelsea's Mike Penders is 62nd.
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