“Oh my God!” laughs Ibrahima Konaté with a big smile upon his face. “This is what I thought when I signed for this club! I knew Liverpool was a big club, an historic club, but I didn’t know how big!”

Having recently reached the milestone of 50 Premier League appearances for the Reds since arriving from RB Leipzig in the summer of 2021, the big Parisian centre-back is reflecting on how he felt when first arriving at Anfield. Konaté had just turned 22 and admits he wasn’t as prepared as he thought he was for the scale and size of Liverpool FC.

“I was like ‘yes, Liverpool is a big club,’ but when I signed and when I came for the first time to Anfield I realised I was not ready for this atmosphere, for this club, because this club is amazing, the fans are amazing.

“And here at the [AXA] training centre when you work with some people - not only the players, but everyone who works in this club - it is unbelievable. It is unbelievable to work with them and I am very happy to come here every morning.”

Injuries restricted the French international to less that 30 appearances in both of his first two seasons at LFC, but at the time of writing Ibou has played 36 times in season 2023/24. His role has also changed. While Konaté has always been a right-sided centre-back, he now plays next to a right-backs who spend much of their time operating in central midfield and that has meant Ibou had to adapt.

“Ever since I am in Liverpool, from my first season until now, I have changed how I play,” he says. “Before I always played with a right-back, but when I play now the right-back goes more offensive and into the middle.

“He has to defend and he has to attack so I find myself with more responsibility defensively. So sometimes I am alone, but the team trusts me and believes in me and I can do it and I will do it every time for the club.”

As you’ve no doubt gathered from social media, Konaté is a hugely popular member of the Liverpool FC dressing room. He has a brilliant sense of humour, a love of anime and manga shared with team mates such as Ryan Gravenberch - who celebrated his first Premier League goal at Fulham FC with a ‘Divine Dogs’ celebration from Jujutsu Kaisen - and rooms are rarely quiet when Ibou is about! But if the Reds’ No.5 had to pick his best mates at LFC, who would they be?

“I have a lot of friends in the team, so many mates! We are really together as a team and that is great. It is not like this at every club in the world. My best mates here are…Robertson, Cody Gakpo…oh everyone! It is better I stop now because I have so many friends in this team!”

The team spirit built at Liverpool FC under Jürgen Klopp has been a key foundation of the success the Reds have enjoyed on the pitch and Konaté already has four winners’ medals in his collection. A Carabao Cup and FA Cup double was followed by the FA Community Shield in 2022 and he got his hands on the League Cup again earlier this season when Chelsea FC were defeated for a third time at Wembley. Now, as the Klopp era draws to a close, there remains one more opportunity for silverware.

Such is the nature of the Premier League title race and its fast-paced schedule that the league table and permutations will probably have changed between this interview being written the day before the Merseyside derby at Goodison Park and you reading it. Here’s where we are…or were!

There are five games to go for Liverpool FC and Arsenal FC, as it stands, with Manchester City FC a point behind both clubs and have a game in hand at Tottenham Hotspur FC in the last midweek of the season. It’s a nerve-jangling time for supporters, nevermind the players, so how does Konaté assess an epic three-horse title race that surely has more twists and turns to come?

“We have already won one trophy and I hope we will win one more,” he says. “I don’t know why some people are surprised about us this season because we are Liverpool, this is normal to be up there every season. We have worked a lot to reach this level.

“In pre-season, we worked a lot. I am tired already when I think about how we worked! But it was very good so I am not surprised about where we are today. Now the season is not over and I hope I can help the team to end it well.

“I want to win. I want to play very well for myself, for the club and for my family as well. I think it is 50/50 between City and Arsenal, but the difference for us is our fans. We have the best fans between ourselves for sure. Now we have to think about everything game-by-game.

“I only think about the next one and I think this can help us a lot because now we only have one option and that is to win all of our five games. Even if we win all five we are not sure to win the title, but we don’t have a choice. We have to do that and let’s see at the end what will happen if we do...”