Liverpool have been linked with a January move for a young midfielder making waves in the Netherlands - but is he good enough for the Premier League yet?
While there are quite a few Premier League teams who have endured more difficult starts to the new season than Liverpool, there’s still a sense that Andoni Iraola’s unbeaten but also unconvincing side is a player or two away from being truly competitive at the top of the table. There’s every chance that they make moves to correct that in January.
placeholder image
Getty Images
The midfield is among the position groups which has come under the microscope since Arne Slot was sacked at the start of the summer. Curtis Jones has left, Alexis Mac Allister’s future is up in the air, and there seems to be space for another player to come in and compete for minutes in the central pivot – and according to new reports, they may have a specific transfer target in mind for the January window.
The £52m wonderkid on Liverpool’s radar – according to reports
Kees Smit made his 83 appearances for AZ at the age of 20 - and could soon be moving to Anfieldplaceholder image
Kees Smit made his 83 appearances for AZ at the age of 20 - and could soon be moving to Anfield | Getty Images
Quite a few summer stories suggested that Liverpool were already keeping tabs on AZ Alkmaar youngster Kees Smit – now TEAMtalk are among outlets who report that a winter move is becoming a “serious option” as Iraola looks for ways to bolster the midfield.
The Dutchman, who doesn’t turn 21 until midway through the January transfer window, has already been a regular in AZ’s starting side for three years and has been capped by his senior national team. A big move is expected to arrive before too long, and Liverpool might be willing to speed that process up.
Smit has two years remaining on his current contract, putting AZ in a position where they either sell soon or accept a reduced transfer fee down the line. As it stands, the article suggest that he’s valued at around €60m (£52m). It’s a hefty fee for such a young player, but the price that a side like Liverpool may have to pay if they want to get in ahead of the competition this winter.
Liverpool, who are believed to be long-term admirers of Smit’s talents – along with half of Europe’s other top teams – supposedly had scouts at the Stadium of Light to watch him in the Europa League against Sunderland on Wednesday evening. They won’t have been the only club paying close attention, but this report claims that the Reds are now “front and centre” in the bidding.
Given that the next transfer window is still some months away, it’s impossible to be sure whether Liverpool will make a move in the immediate future. There are too many variables, too many opportunities for Smit’s form to wane or for Liverpool’s current players to improve and to make the need for a new midfielder feel less urgent – but Liverpool’s interest in Smit is well attested, and it would scarcely be a shock if they did indeed launch a bid.
If they do so, they are liable to have stiff competition. The story claims that half a dozen Premier League teams, including Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur, are also monitoring his progress, while several sides in Spain and Germany are believed to have been watching him too – but while a January move would be more expensive than waiting until next summer, it could also force some potential rivals for Smit’s signature out of the running. Some of the teams who might be keen won’t have £50m or more available over the winter.
Would Kees Smit be a good signing for Liverpool?
Smit made his Netherlands debut against Norway in March but wasn't named in their World Cup squadplaceholder image
Smit made his Netherlands debut against Norway in March but wasn't named in their World Cup squad | Getty Images
The question Liverpool may need to answer between now and the January transfer window is whether Smit is worth such a hefty up-front investment – and whether he would improve their team enough to be worth signing.
A natural box-to-box midfielder with a broad skillset, Smit is already a player with an enviable all-round game. He’s a precise passer, a strong tackler and strong both in possession and off the ball, while his energetic pressing makes him a natural fit for the kind of ‘heavy metal football’ Liverpool seemingly hope to bring back under Iraola.
Unlikely many similar all-action midfielders, Smit is also blessed with genuine creative talent. He’s racked up 18 assists in all competitions since the start of the 2024/25 season and plays an excellent long ball. The result is a very respectable number of key passes and shooting chances created – and he scores, too, with 10 goals in the same time frame.
Those aren’t the kind of numbers that would stand out were Smit a number 10, but few players with that level of production can also force over five turnovers per game. Smit is robust, alert and lets little past him when defending.
What he isn’t, as yet, is particularly consistent. His form has waxed and waned since he established himself at AZ and he’s started the new season slowly, too. He’s also not a particularly effective ball carrier as yet and lacks the capacity to reliably surge upfield with the ball at his feet – he succeeded with just 43% of his attempted dribbles in the Eredivise last season, and is sat at just 25% four games into the current campaign.
His passing range makes up for that deficiency, and Iraola is generally content for the ball-carrying threat to come from his wingers rather than his central midfielders, but Smit isn’t yet the complete package.
Still, he could add some of the bite off the ball that has been lacking. Smit’s 5.1 ball recoveries per match last season was more than Ryan Gravenberch’s 3.6 or Alexis Mac Allister’s 3.0. Only Dominik Szoboszlai (5.2) exceeded him in that important regard.
Smit should be a natural tactical fit for Liverpool and has abundant talent. The decision to be made is whether he’s ready for the Premier League just yet – and the data we have suggests that he probably is, just about, even if there are still some rough edges to sand off. We may well find out for sure in 2027.