Liverpool couldn’t be in more desperate need of a fresh pair of legs in midfield in light of the lack of dynamism in midfield.
That may seem like an odd statement given that Jurgen Klopp fielded his strongest possible midfield combination – Jordan Henderson, Fabinho, Thiago Alcantara – against a weakened Wolves side in the FA Cup.
Anyone paying even vague attention to that particular clash will, of course, agree that the Reds’ midfield found themselves largely in the mood for any kind of impactful presence once again.
Having already landed Cody Gakpo, it appears the club’s options are somewhat limited when it comes to any type of addition that would resolve this positional concern.
That is if Liverpool have already passed over up-and-coming USA star Yunus Musah, reportedly according to The Athletic (via the Daily Mail), available for offers of more than $21m (£17, 2 million), who recently shone for his national team at the World Cup.
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With just 816 minutes played this season, our pattern acts as a good point of comparison for the 20-year-old from Valencia (with 992 minutes).
Looking exclusively at defensive metrics, a key consideration for Jurgen Klopp (particularly the ability to make successful challenges) in his comments to the press following the 2-2 draw with Julen Lopetegui’s men, we at Empire of the Kop believe that the midfielder has something to offer
Every 90 minutes, Musah is close to doubling Henderson’s stats (per FBRef) in several areas:
Innings: Yunus Musah (2.27); Jordan Henderson (1.21)
Entries in the defensive third: Yunus Musah (0.64); Jordan Henderson (0.33)
Entries in the middle third: Yunus Musah (1.27); Jordan Henderson (0.66)
Third offensive tackles: Yunus Musah (0.36); Jordan Henderson (0.22)
Percentage of dribblers tackled: Yunus Musah (50%); Jordan Henderson (44.4%)
We’ll have to keep an eye on the number of times the American is dribbled by an opponent (both players are level 0.55 for 90 this term), but there are some encouraging signs of a player who is ultimately still raw and could be molded. in another jewel of Jurgen Klopp and his coaching staff.
If we can keep the price as close to £17.2m as possible, it’s a potential no-brainer for our recruiting team.
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