Andoni Iraola’s official Liverpool era got underway with a frantic 2-2 draw at St James’ Park, but familiar failures haunted the midfield.
Despite Liverpool operating without a specialist defensive midfielder since Fabinho packed his bags for Saudi Arabia in 2023, high-ranking sources within the club indicated prior to kickoff that a pure No. 6 remains off the shopping list.
First Alexis Mac Allister and now Ryan Gravenberch have filled the breach, adapting admirably. Yet as the space behind the midfield opened up on Tyneside, the persistent question mark hanging over Liverpool’s core re-emerged.
Speaking on Sky Sports post-match, former Reds striker Daniel Sturridge captured the frustration brewing among the fan base, insisting Liverpool have kicked the defensive midfield can down the road for three years too long.
Sturridge Speaks Out
“I think the team needs a defensive midfielder personally,” Sturridge argued. “We’ve been talking about a defensive midfielder at Liverpool for the last three years. Gravenberch coming into the team, playing consistently and Liverpool winning the Premier League sort of changed that philosophy, but if you actually analyse the midfield, they’re all naturally more attacking players.”
Pointing to smart recruitment down the food chain, Sturridge highlighted Brentford’s swoop for Lens powerhouse Mamadou Sangare for £39 million:
“For instance, if you look at someone like Brentford, they bring in [Mamadou] Sangare, if you look at the stats they jump out from the page. Third in interceptions, third in tackles, third in possession recovered. For me, £39 million, you sort of think to yourself: ‘That’s not a load of money for someone like Liverpool’.
“I’m not suggesting that he was the man, but the stats jump out the page. Liverpool don’t have that profile of player right now. Trey Nyoni, I really, really like him as a player, I think he’s brilliant. He’s more of a ball-playing six, a ball-playing eight. He’s not a destroyer, he’s not someone who’s going to strike fear into the opposition like a Sangare can or N’Golo Kante over the years.”
Scouting the Market: Bargains vs High-End Luxury
Liverpool were linked with Sangare earlier in the window alongside Monaco’s Lamine Camara and Crystal Palace’s Adam Wharton. While there was little appetite to challenge Brentford for Sangare, Liverpool have a habit of watching low-profile targets thrive elsewhere before market values skyrocket.
With time remaining before the window slams shut, the club faces a tactical crossroad:
The Market Option: Move late for a destructive, physical anchor (a Sangare or Wharton-profile player) to shore up transitional vulnerability and provide screen-level protection for the backline.
The Internal Option: Trust Iraola’s pressing structure and double-pivot system, developing internal prospects while relying on Gravenberch, Mac Allister, Wataru Endo, or young talents like Trey Nyoni and James McConnell.
Will Iraola Pull the Trigger?
With Endo, Nyoni, and McConnell sitting unused on the bench at St James’ Park, Iraola’s selection choices suggest he prefers tactical fluidity over a traditional ‘destroyer.’ Unless the hierarchy pulls off a late market surprise, Liverpool look set to back their existing profile leaving supporters to debate whether pragmatic evolution or a true No. 6 is the final piece of the puzzle.
What’s the verdict, Reds? Should Hughes dive into the market for a pure destroyer before deadline day, or do you trust Iraola to fine-tune the midfield double-pivot with the current squad?
Liverpool transfer news as formal bid to be made for attacker TODAY
Liverpool transfer news as formal bid to be made for attacker TODAY