Michael Owen has claimed Liverpool’s midfield needs ‘a bit of surgery’ and has advised Jurgen Klopp to improve that area of the pitch in the summer.
Despite having numerous options in the middle of the park, Reds fans have been calling for the club to sign an elite midfielder since last summer, but the club has so far failed to do so.
Naby Keita, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and James Milner are all without contracts at the end of the season and Borussia Dortmund teenager Jude Bellingham is believed to be Klopp’s number one transfer target.
It is also an area [the midfield] that will change soon,” he told Premier League productions (via The Mirror). “James Milner cannot go on forever. Jordan Henderson can’t go on forever. I think that area of the field will need a bit of surgery and I think it will happen in the summer, everyone can see it. Jurgen Klopp can see it.
“People talk about the age of the midfield there, whether to replace Milner or Henderson. They are still their best players there – people say they are too old, but they are still the best players.
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“Fabinho has been in the middle this season. really average. Harvey Elliott, when he came on at halftime, gave away more of the ball than he kept it. Naby Keita is not good enough for a midfielder, in my opinion, for Liverpool. It’s okay for the fans to say, ‘We need to trade Henderson, we need to trade Milner and get a new young man.'”
Milner, Keita and Jordan Henderson in midfield started yesterday’s goalless draw with Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park and the lack of creativity from those three players was very worrying.
Although we are aware that much of our attacking threat comes from Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andy Robertson in the full-back positions, our midfield was virtually non-existent against Patrick Vieira’s team.
Bellingham seems to be the ideal signing required at Anfield with his ability to direct play from midfield.
He can step up and make things happen while also being able to control the game from a deep position if necessary.
However, now that we are faced with the prospect of not finishing in the top four, what does it mean that the England international will want to trade Dortmund for Merseyside?
We need additional signings, as well as the 19-year-old, if we are to remain as competitive as possible on all fronts for the foreseeable future and it certainly looks like we have a busy summer window ahead of us.
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