“I’m the one who said we don’t need a midfielder, and now we need a midfielder. You were all right and I was wrong. That is the situation. But that specific point doesn’t change it. If we do something, then it has to be the right one.”
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Jurgen Klopp stunned everyone when he revealed Liverpool needed a midfielder with just six days of the transfer window remaining.
The German coach had been fairly bemused by suggestions that the Reds needed middle-third reinforcements. When talking to The Anfield Wrap in July, he said: “My favourite subject to talk about is bringing in a new midfielder. “[People say] ‘We need a new midfielder’. Please tell me why? Please tell me why. You tell me now which kind of midfielder we lack.”
To go from that to admitting Liverpool did need a midfielder, all in the space of a month, was quite a dramatic turnaround. The Reds, however, failed to bolster their ranks in the little time they had left to do business in August, though Arthur Melo did arrive on loan.
It is thought that Aurelien Tchouameni was the club’s top target but the Frenchman opted to move to Real Madrid after an eye-catching campaign for Monaco in Ligue 1.
Since then, Liverpool’s need for midfield additions has increased with Naby Keita and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain both expected to leave in 2023 while James Milner could call it a day at the end of the current season.
Multiple midfielders are now a need as opposed to a want. So it has not come as a surprise to see the 2019/20 Premier League champions linked with a host of names over recent weeks.
Of the many names said to be on Liverpool’s radar, three stand out.
A star in the England squad
The first one is, of course, Jude Bellingham.
According to multiple reports, the Reds are believed to battling it out with Manchester City and Real Madrid for the 19-year-old’s signature.
Borussia Dortmund are said to want in excess of £100million for their No22 and the positive World Cup he’s having will only strengthen their hand in negotiations.
Bellingham has all of the tools to be one of the most complete midfielders in history. He has already showcased his versatility at the World Cup, playing on the right side of a three, as part of a double pivot and then on the left of a three in the win over Wales.
It is the latter role that is the most interesting from a Liverpool perspective.
Earlier in the season, prior to Klopp saying his team had to go back to basics after a difficult run of form, the Reds were being much braver with their positioning.
Last season, the right-sided No.8 would push up to make it a front four while the other two midfielders would form a double pivot. This season, both of the No.8s would push on to support Darwin Nunez, with the wide forwards holding the width.
You can see it in the above screenshot with Milner and Harvey Elliott getting close to the £64million summer signing.
It is almost identical to how Bellingham was used in the 3-0 triumph over Wales in the Battle of Britain.
When Gareth Southgate’s side had possession, Bellingham and Jordan Henderson would push up to support Kane while Marcus Rashford and Phil Foden kept the width.
The left-sided midfield role in this Liverpool team has evolved over the years. In the first iteration of Klopp’s XI, it was a facilitator. Gini Wijnaldum would often fill in for an overlapping full-back. He would then drop in to cover for the defensive midfielder during transitions and generally impact space more than the ball.
Then Thiago arrived and that position turned to a ball-heavy one, with the Spanish playmaker tasked with setting the tempo. He was responsible for picking out passes on the left while Trent Alexander-Arnold did it from the right.
It is near impossible to find someone to do what Thiago does but he is 32 in April and is susceptible to the odd injury.
It makes a lot of sense for Klopp and his coaching team to look to tweak the role a little to make it easier to find someone who can step in for him and help manage his minutes.
Adding an attacking element does this.
Bellingham can play in a double pivot and he doesn’t shirk his defensive duties. He is clean in possession and does have a creative element to his game that allows him to escape the press.
While he isn’t as creative as Thiago, he is more of a goal threat (and already has an Expected Goals total of 3.47 for Dortmund this season) and that is the balance the Reds are seemingly going to look for.
The former Birmingham City man could be perfect for that role.
A goalscorer from Ghana
On the opposite side, Mohammed Kudus could fit the bill.
The Ajax attacker was at the top of Everton’s transfer wishlist this summer but a £15million bid was rejected.
It now looks to be an inspired decision by the Eredivisie giants. The 22-year-old is in the form of his career and looks to be completely recovered from the two injuries that limited his 2019/20 and 2020/21 campaigns.
According to reports in Holland, Liverpool have now entered the race to sign the former Nordsjælland man.
Deployed as a centre-forward by Alfred Schreuder, Kudus has repaid the manager’s faith in him with goals. A lot of them.
The No.20 has nine goals and two assists in 952 minutes across the Eredivisie and the Champions League and his stunning effort at Anfield no doubt caught the eye of the hosts.
At a glance, it might seem odd for the Reds to spend big money on another centre-forward when they have Nunez, Diogo Jota and Roberto Firmino on their books. But Kudus is not like other centre-forwards.
He isn’t exclusively a striker. In fact, he has appeared in just 2,400 minutes as a centre-foward. For context, he has racked up over 10,000 minutes throughout his career, meaning just 24% of the time he’s spent on the pitch has been as the man leading the line.
Kudus has played out wide, as a centre-midfielder and even in a double pivot. Despite this, certain parts of his game are consistent. He is a reliable goal threat, he is press-resistant and his off-the-ball work is relentless.
The versatile attacker was used on the right of a three for Ghana in the 3-2 win over South Korea, a game in which he netted twice.
If you look at his heatmap (above) though it is similar to Elliott’s heatmap (below) from Liverpool’s 2-1 victory against Spurs in early November.
Elliott was playing on the right of a midfield diamond in that game but occupied almost identical areas to Kudus.
On paper, at least, the right-sided role in Liverpool’s midfield three would suit Kudus and his skillset. He would also look at home on the right side of a midfield four, something the Reds have tried at times this season when trying to get Mohamed Salah into central areas.
While it wouldn’t make sense to spend big money on someone who would directly impact Elliott’s game time, Kudus’ flexibility and versatility mean he can also fill in for the centre-forwards, perhaps eventually replacing Firmino as the team’s false-nine.
A Premier League talent
Finally, we have Moises Caicedo.
The Liverpool and Chelsea transfer target caught the eye in Ecuador’s win over Qatar and netted in the 2-1 loss to Senegal to round off an impressive debut World Cup for the 21-year-old.
He appears to be a long-term heir to Fabinho and has played as part of a midfield three and as a double pivot. Caicedo would be the midfielder tasked with smothering the opposition and ensuring the Reds are able to pin teams in their own half when in possession. It is the ideal role for him and plays to his strengths.
What is particularly interesting about these links is that they all seem to fit a certain role within the Liverpool midfield. They don’t share profiles and could, in theory, make up a fairly balanced three in their own right.
It does seem to suggest that Klopp isn’t just after one midfielder. He is looking at ways to upgrade, revamp and refresh the entire midfield unit. The January transfer market could be an interesting one for the Reds.
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