Liverpool have welcomed three new faces to the midfield this summer, but Jurgen Klopp must target a further signing if his outfit are to succeed in the Premier League this season.
Alexis Mac Allister, Dominik Szoboszlai and Wataru Endo have all arrived, but James Milner, Naby Keita and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain’s expected departures were exacerbated by subsequent sales of Jordan Henderson and Fabinho to Saudi Arabian sides.
Fabinho’s exit is particularly concerning; while the Brazilian was subpar last year, he was the club’s undisputed anchor, and the Anfield side need to replace him.
Will Liverpool sign anyone before the deadline?
Endo’s £16m signing from German side Stuttgart was to combat the failure to sign Moises Caicedo and Romeo Lavia, who both joined Chelsea, but the Japan captain is not the answer to all the club’s issues and Liverpool must now push to sign touted summer target Cheick Doucoure.
According to RMC Sport, negotiations with Crystal Palace are at a standstill over their treasured holding midfielder, with ‘no significant advances’ in recent days, with the south London side demanding in excess of €60m (£52m) for his sale.
How good is Cheick Doucoure?
Liverpool have been overt admirers of the Malian midfielder for the best part of two months, having been reported to be exploring a move after Fabinho’s sale to Al-Ittihad.
The barrier over price and Palace’s (non-existent) desire to sell a pivotal cog that only joined the club from French side Lens for £21m last summer has proved insurmountable for Klopp’s outfit thus far, but as the end of the transfer window draws ever-closer Liverpool could yet test their divisional rivals’ resolve.
The fact that Fenway Sport Group – Liverpool’s owners – sanctioned a British-record £111m bid for Caicedo, albeit at the eleventh hour, proves that the coin purse bulges wide enough for a first-class No. 6 to join the fold, despite the expenditure for Endo’s signature.
The 30-year-old has been dribbled past twice during both of his opening two fixtures for Liverpool, starting only the latter, and while he looks a valuable squad option, will likely prove to be a chink in the ambitious club’s armour if cemented as the starring defensive midfielder for the season.
Doucoure, comparatively, won Crystal Palace’s Player of the Season award last term, beating the likes of Wilfried Zaha, Eberechi Eze and Joachim Andersen to the accolade, and was described as “the complete holding midfielder” by former boss Patrick Vieira.
A superlative ball-winner, Doucoure ranks among the top 6% of midfielders across Europe’s top five leagues over the past year for interceptions, the top 17% for blocks and the top 20% for tackles and clearances per 90, as per FBref.
Endo, while ranking among the top 7% for clearances per 90, sits only among the top 55% of midfielders for tackles and in fact the bottom 28% for interceptions per 90
This highlights a lack of mobility and robustness, something that the “combative, intelligent, and consistent” Doucoure – as dubbed by football talent scout Jacek Kulig – boasts in abundance.
To evidence the impact the Eagles star would have on Liverpool’s team, the £60k-per-week gem has only been dribbled past 0.3 times per game across the opening phase of Palace’s campaign, while making a remarkable 7.3 ball recoveries per outing – to highlight how impressive this is, Declan Rice averages 5.7 per match for Arsenal.
Klopp must ensure that Liverpool forge a successful season, especially after the bleak previous term, with a fifth-placed finish resulting in a failure to secure Champions League football this year, and it’s now imperative that the club’s glaring issue is rectified and indeed finally perfected.
