It’s crazy that the only midfielder Liverpool have signed in the last two and a half years is Thiago.
The Spanish mercurial is one of the best on the planet and when fit, he shines, but the failure to further strengthen this area of the pitch has left many baffled.
Jordan Henderson is 32 years old. James Milner is almost 37. Fabinho looks beyond his best and Naby Keita and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain are leaving on free transfers at the end of this season.
These guys have won it all, but they’ve aged together and it’s clear we needed to acquire more bodies to compete with them and develop for the next stage of the Jurgen Klopp cycle.
It should have been going on for the last four or five windows, but belatedly, a review is now going on in the middle of the park.
Three names with different skill sets and price tags are being linked, but all would bolster the options at Klopp’s disposal and have enormous potential.
They are Jude Bellingham, Enzo Fernández and Sofyan Amrabat.
In descending order of potential cost, EOTK outlines where they have linked, how likely they are to arrive and what they could bring to Liverpool.
Sofia Amrabat
Of the three, the Moroccan is the player most likely to arrive in January rather than the summer of 2023. Amrabat has shone for his country at the World Cup but has also quietly dominated for Fiorentina in Serie A.
We revealed yesterday that Amrabat’s representatives have already met with Klopp, who outlined where he sees the 26-year-old fitting in in the wing, surely as another option for the midfield position.
Interestingly, Liverpool-based Moroccan restaurant Bakchic have openly claimed that they have heard the deal is done and after following them up, they have heard it from a pretty good source. Often places like barbers and real estate agents are the first to know about transfers, as a player’s agents contact places that will help them settle in a new city.
As a player, Amrabat is optimistic, relentless and defensive. Time and time again this season we have seen teams simply run through our midfield, so someone with reliability and a desire to defend rather than attack will help enormously.
Fabinho hasn’t been tackling, pressing and blocking the way he is capable of for some time. If Amrabat plays on the passion and fight he does for Morocco, he could be the ticket.
Enzo Fernandez
Reports in Argentina originally and now in Portugal claim that personal terms with the World Cup finalist have already been agreed with Liverpool.
This has sparked a frenzy of emotion online, although no journalists with close ties to Liverpool have endorsed the claims.
O Jogo curiously claims that Benfica would sell Fernández for his €120m release clause, but that Liverpool will wait until the summer and try to negotiate a structured deal similar to the one that saw Darwin Núñez sign a few months ago.
The relationship between the clubs is good, although it will be intriguing to see who is working out these deals considering sporting director Julian Ward is leaving and many of the transfer team have already announced their intentions to leave.
Fernandez is very, very good. In the long term, he could replace Thiago, although the prospect of both on the same team playing tricky passes between the lines is enticing. He is technical, keeps possession and makes smart decisions. Fernández can mark a game, but also inject quality through his vision and creativity.
“I am not surprised by Enzo. I know him and watch him train every day. He deserves it because he is a spectacular player ”, Lionel Messi has just said about his teammate in Argentina. He’s the real deal, but could Liverpool pay the astronomical fee for his services in addition to or instead of someone like Jude Bellingham?
Jude Bellingham
It would hurt more than any other strongly linked player if Bellingham ended up elsewhere, given the immense amount of noise surrounding his potential signing.
We could list all the reputable links, but it would take all day.
In short, Bellingham has chosen Liverpool. But Liverpool need to come to a financial deal with Borussia Dortmund, who will naturally want to cash in on their golden boy.
“Jurgen Klopp, as we understand it, has been leading this search [for Jude Bellingham] himself,” said David Ornstein.
It’s not “done” but the 19-year-old has fallen in love with the idea of Liverpool and was clearly courted by Jordan Henderson and Trent Alexander-Arnold while on duty at the World Cup, with the two Liverpool stalwarts practically marking the men. him at all times.
The Capital in Portugal boldly claims that Liverpool want to make both Bellingham and Fernandez next summer, which would cost more than 200 million euros.
We need both, and probably Amrabat as well, but the question will be whether FSG or the new owners will be able to finance a complete overhaul of the midfield in the space of two short windows, especially when you consider that the front line could need new bodies in so little. weather. right.
