The wonderkid who could be Liverpool’s first signing of January – if Chelsea don’t get there firstplaceholder image
The wonderkid who could be Liverpool’s first signing of January – if Chelsea don’t get there first | Getty Images
Liverpool could make the additions that they need for the summer without spending a penny on transfer fees.
Liverpool invested heavily last summer and there is still work to do to the squad as the Jurgen Klopp era gradually fades away.
Andy Robertson nearly left the club in the winter window and Mohamed Salah is expected to end his time at Anfield in the summer too. Although hope isn’t entirely lost, Ibrahima Konate has yet to put pen to paper on a new contract and won’t be short of offers across Europe.These players will need to be replaced if they depart, but there are already positions that need to be addressed and could be targeted before the transfer window even opens.
Liverpool can land Bosman bargains
One issue this season has been a shortage of goals in forward areas other than from Hugo Ekitike. Cody Gakpo has chipped in, but his overall play hasn’t been good enough and, if anything, has contributed to some of the problems that Liverpool have faced against low-block teams. There is a lack of depth.
A low-risk signing is Harry Wilson. With 15 goals and assists this season for Fulham, he has shown that he can contribute in the Premier League. Is he good enough to be a starter for 38 games and to replace Salah? No. But he is more than good enough to rotate and come off the bench.
As with Wilson, Serge Gnabry has experience of elite level and international football, he also has the sort of numbers that make him an attractive pre-conrtact option, even as a 30-year old. The Liverpool squad is a young one so, having one or two players who have been there and won the trophies, wouldn’t be a bad direction for Richard Hughes to take. Gnabry is also fully aware of the demands of English football thanks to his time at Arsenal as a youngster. Capable of playing anywhere behind a striker or as a false nine, the Germany international could raise the quality and consistency in the final third.
Midfield and defensive upgrades
At the same club, and at the same age, Leon Goretzka is set to leave Bayern this summer and will have a host of Europe’s big clubs chasing his signature. Real Madrid and Arsenal have already been credited with an interest.
The 67-times capped German now spends his time protecting the back four and linking play, but his near 100 goals and assists in 300 games for the Bundesliga giants shows the quality that he has in the final third too. With a young group of midfielders, having a wise, old head controlling things could be the final piece of the midfield jigsaw.
If Konate confirms that he is leaving or has intimated that this is going to be the case behind the scenes, then there is an obvious replacement. Jeremy Jacquet has been signed, but Liverpool need more experience, especially as Virgil van Dijk approaches the end of his contract too. As it has been all season, the obvious signing is to persuade Konate’s French international teammate Dayot Upamecano to follow Gnabry and Goretzka from Bayern and move to Merseyside. As with Liverpool last summer, the German’s are potentially losing a lot of good players without seeing a penny in return.
Upamecano, Goretzka and Gnabry would improve Liverpool’s starting XI and Wilson would add quality depth from the bench. The sort of quality that could be enough to return to the summit of the Premier League.
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