Steve McManaman has claimed that Youri Tielemans and Douglas Luiz are not good enough to play for Liverpool.
Jurgen Klopp’s side are reportedly looking to strengthen their options in midfield, either in January or at the end of the season, with Jude Bellingham believed to be the Reds’ priority target.
Belgium international Tielemans has been linked with the Anfield outfit previously and is set to become a free agent at the end of the current campaign.
Luiz, the Brazilian international and Aston Villa star, was also considered by Liverpool during the summer window, but McManaman believes the two Premier League stars do not have the ability to impress at their former club.
“Douglas Luiz and Youri Tielemans are good Premier League players but I don’t think they are good enough for Liverpool,” McManaman told Horseracing.net (via Leicester Mercury).
“I am not convinced that it is a smart deal for Liverpool to sign Douglas Luiz, regardless of whether his contract expires or not.
“I think he’s a good player, but I think he needs to be quicker in a lot of the things he does to suit the style of football Liverpool play.
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“You want to sign players who can get into Liverpool’s starting eleven and not just players who want to come and sit in a team.
“Youri Tielemans’ contract will also expire at the same time, but if you are going to play for the best teams in Europe, it is difficult to find the right players to improve your team.
“I don’t want to denigrate either of these two players because they are good Premier League players. Are they good enough to break into the starting lineup for one of the best teams in the world? I just don’t think so right now.”
Both players have quality and are of vital importance to their respective teams, but you have to wonder if they will strengthen our options in midfield.
Arsenal reportedly turned down three offers for Luiz late in the summer transfer window, indicating how highly Mikel Arteta rates the Brazilian.
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Meanwhile, Tielemans has shown his quality on numerous occasions with Leicester, but has struggled along with the rest of Brendan Rodgers’ side this term.
You wonder how the former AS Monaco midfielder would perform if he were part of a top six squad and we may find out in the near future.
With his current contract expiring at the end of the season and he looking unlikely to extend his stay at the King Power Stadium, Leicester may be willing to let him go for a reduced fee in January.
Klopp will be keen to add a number of new faces to his midfield in the coming transfer windows, we’ll just have to wait and see what signings we make!
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