Jurgen Klopp needs to sign another midfielder…
Liverpool have been linked with a move for a Premier League rivals’ top target, and according to reports have now re-entered negotiations to secure his signature.
According to a print edition of Corriere dello Sport (via Paisley Gates), Reds boss Jurgen Klopp is hoping to secure the signature of Fiorentina midfielder Sofyan Amrabat this month, though face intense competition from Manchester United.
The Merseyside outfit missed out on both Moises Caicedo and Romeo Lavia to Chelsea and now face a scramble to restore their midfield, with Fabinho and Jordan Henderson both completing transfers to Saudi Arabia this summer.
Amrabat is expected to command a fee of around €30m (£26m) and has been a prime target for the Red Devils for several months now, so Liverpool’s hopes hang on swaying the Moroccan’s head Anfield way.
Amrabat caught the eye and then some on the international stage last year, starring as the fulcrum to Morocco’s exploits at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, where they became the first African nation to record a final-four finish.
Hailed as the “best central midfielder in the tournament” by reporter Carlo Garganese, the 26-year-old completed 85% of his passes, also making 2.3 tackles and 1.4 clearances per game in his string-pulling role in the centre of the midfield.
The standout attribute of Amrabat’s game is his ball-playing composure, ranking among the top 6% of midfielders throughout Europe’s top five leagues over the past year for pass completion, the top 11% for passes attempted and the top 11% for progressive passes per 90, as per FBref.
The £32k-per-week machine would thread the different facets of Klopp’s Liverpool system together as the metronomic heartbeat, dictating the play and controlling the tempo.
He has already proved himself against the most formidable of Premier League opposition too, having been praised to have taken Declan Rice “to school” – as claimed by writer Muhammad Butt – in last year’s Europa Conference League final, and while West Ham United secured a narrow victory on the night, the La Viola titan completed 91% of his passes, winning nine of his 20 duels and making four tackles.
With Amrabat’s powerhouse-like presence in the middle, perhaps the burgeoning Curtis Jones could continue his rise to the fore, with the 22-year-old Englishman cementing a regular starting spot for himself at the business end of last term, coinciding with the Reds’ late purple patch.
Indeed, Jones started the final 11 matches of the campaign and avoided defeat each time, winning seven, and was praised as the “complete #8” by one analyst & scout.
He ranks among the top 6% of midfielders for goals, the top 4% for pass completion, the top 14% for progressive carries, the top 3% for touches in the attacking box and the top 12% for tackles per 90.
What this illustrates is a roundedness, an all-engulfing hunger to his game, that allows Jones to thrive across the different elements to a thriving midfielder, and while he is just as slick in his passing as Amrabat, his forward-thinking approach suggests he would benefit from a creative focal point behind him.
Once dubbed an “absolute midfield monster” by WhoScored analyst Ben McAleer, Amrabat could be the fiery presence to reignite Liverpool’s central verve, and his acquisition could fully unlock a rising star in Jones, who will be hoping to make a big impact this season.
