Highlights
- Liverpool’s pursuit of Moises Caicedo and Romeo Lavia has seemingly failed, leaving them in want of a brand new defensive midfielder.
- As such, the Reds might flip to a unique Premier League star, one valued at round £52m.
- They made extra tackles than some other participant within the top-flight final season.
Liverpool must act swiftly to unravel their midfield conundrum, with the Anfield facet reportedly set to miss out on their two largest targets of late in Moises Caicedo and Romeo Lavia, each to Chelsea.
After signing Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboslai earlier this summer season, Jurgen Klopp appeared to have commenced a much-needed rebuild successfully, however the gross sales of Fabinho and Jordan Henderson to Saudi Arabian golf equipment have left the Reds mild on their ft.
The necessity for a brand new defensive midfielder is paramount, and Liverpool should now think about revisiting curiosity in Fulham star Joao Palhinha, who excelled within the Premier League final season.
Are Liverpool signing a brand new midfielder?
Liverpool and West Ham United have held an curiosity in Palhinha this summer season, with the latter now ostensibly dominated out after finishing the switch of Edson Alvarez from Ajax for roughly £35m.
Fulham imagine that the Portuguese midfielder, who was sensational final season in his maiden season in England, ought to command a charge of no less than €60m (£52m), and Liverpool should shortly resolve whether or not to fulfill the Cottagers’ phrases.
How good is Joao Palhinha?
One factor’s for sure, Palhinha affords one thing Liverpool shouldn’t have in midfield.
Since signing for Fulham from Sporting Lisbon for £20m final summer season, the 28-year-old has cemented himself as one of many toughest-tackling, most indefatigable midfielders on English soil, having accomplished 40 matches for Marco Silva’s facet throughout all competitions, scoring 4 targets, and being heralded as a “tackling machine” by teammate Harrison Reed.
Certainly, no different participant made greater than his 147 tackles in your entire Premier League final season. Caicedo, for context, occurred to be second within the charts however solely with 100.
The 21-cap Portugal star recorded an common Sofascore ranking of seven.00 within the Premier League, finishing 83% of his passes, successful 59% of his duels and making an unimaginable 4.2 tackles per sport.
For reference, Lavia solid 2.1 tackles per match whereas the aforementioned Caicedo, who’s extensively thought to be one of the vital prodigious midfield skills in Europe, averaged 2.7 per outing.
As per FBref, Palhinha even ranks among the many high 1% of midfielders throughout Europe’s high 5 leagues over the previous yr for tackles, the highest 11% for clearances and the highest 8% for aerials gained per 90, illustrating the command he has on his midfield; a real normal within the centre, the titan is a wrecking ball and precisely what Liverpool want.
He would convey instantaneous outcomes, and whereas Lavia is definitely one of the vital precocious skills in English soccer, placing the burden of Liverpool’s expectations and targets totally on his shoulders at simply 19-years-old is a heavy burden to shoulder.
Palhinha is strong, tenacious, skilled within the thick of intense motion, and he might nicely present Klopp with precisely what he craves to rectify the wrongs at Anfield, with Liverpool getting ready for a Europa League marketing campaign that serves as a relentless reminder of the woes of final season.
Lavia is an amazing teenager, and already ranks amongst the highest 4% of midfielders for blocks per 90 – highlighting his vitality and accuracy within the deal with – and there is not any telling how formidable he’ll develop into over the following a number of years.
However Palhinha is established; he’s “Casemiro-esque” – as has been claimed by journalist Zach Lowy, and Klopp should now make his transfer and put an finish to the malaise and trepidation that Liverpool is embroiled in at current.