Liverpool FC

Xabi Alonso should lead Liverpool to use Jörg Schmadtke transfer advantage for Fabinho successor

One of Xabi Alonso’s stars at Bayer Leverkusen might well be Liverpool’s ideal option to replace Fabinho as the Brazilian closes in on an exit from Anfield.

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Fabinho looks set to depart Liverpool for pastures new, and his exit is set to bring about a new era at Anfield. If it wasn’t already clear, the Reds are building for a new future, the first foundations of which have already started with the arrival of Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai.

But now those changes are going to be even more acute at Anfield. Fabinho wasn’t at his peak last season but his departure does feel a little bit premature. Liverpool had likely planned to keep him in the team for the upcoming season, but when a lucrative offer from Saudi Arabia arrives it is hard to reject, especially for a player who is set to turn 30 this year and who likely has little long-term future left in Jürgen Klopp’s side.

Liverpool had not planned to lose Fabinho, and while the club had courted some holding midfielders, it might not have been looking at ready-made starters.

This means Jörg Schmadtke is left to scramble around a little bit to find the right solutions for Liverpool, which is exacerbated by a difficult market in which very few holding midfield options are available and adequate.

Perhaps out of the few who would tick a lot of the right boxes for Liverpool could be Xabi Alonso’s Argentine marvel, Exequiel Palacios, at Bayer Leverkusen.

An established midfielder who was part of the World Cup squad alongside Alexis Mac Allister that finally secured the long-coveted trophy for Lionel Messi, Palacios is still only 24 years old despite his wealth of experience.

Capped for Argentina 25 times, which is more than Mac Allister at the same age, Palacios also has close to 200 games for Bayer Leverkusen and River Plate combined.

This experience alone would make him an ideal candidate to come in and fill the void for Fabinho, but it’s not just the experience that makes Palacios the right fit, it’s also his playing style.

Comfortable on the ball and capable of pulling off decisive switches, spraying the ball from left to right, Palacios is also dynamic and reads the game well. Last season, Palacios ranked in second place among midfielders in the Bundesliga for interceptions per 90 minutes, averaging 6.65 as per Wyscout.

He was also ranked in the top ten for defensive duel success rate, winning 61.38 per cent of his 7.36 duels per 90.

Agile and able to make quick decisions on the pitch, Palacios is capable of covering a lot of ground, and there are few midfielders who are better at progressing the ball than him in the Bundesliga.

Palacios ranks third for forward passes per 90 among midfielders at 18.94, and fifth for progressive passes at 8.33.

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