With the news that Liverpool’s pursuit of Naby Keita has ended for this summer we look at five alternative midfielders who could help the Reds.
The reports coming out today are saying we have officially ended our pursuit of prime target Naby Keita of RB Leipzig. Dominic King of the Daily Mail reports that unless Leipzig change their stance Liverpool will wait until next summer to make the transfer. He has a £48 million release clause that will be active next summer.
There is little comfort in the thought of getting Keita next year. If he has a terrible season there will be huge question marks on going back for him. If he has a fantastic year then every big club in Europe will be trying to nab him. He could also sign a new contract which then voids the clause. Liverpool have said before they would go back for players – Dahoud and Brandt – only to see them go to other clubs.
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After Liverpool’s preseason game with Wigan, Jurgen Klopp spoke about how we will move in to other targets if our first choices hit dead ends. The speculation of who that will be is just about to ramp up.
We have five players who could realistically come in this summer as high quality midfield alternatives to Naby Keita. As has been well reported, the club view Keita as a generational talent. None of these players quite fit that category but there is still some incredible talent available nonetheless.
Here is our list of 5 alternatives to Naby Keita:
Renato Sanches
If we are to move on from Naby Keita and sign an alternative then we can’t just sign any old player. The midfielders we already have are pretty good and if we just needed another player we would have kept Lucas Leiva.
Renato Sanches is a lot more than just another player. He is a Portuguese title winner with Benfica as well as Bundesliga champion with Bayern Munich. Most impressively on his resumé is winning the 2016 UEFA European Championship with Portugal. He was not a periphery figure for the side. The youngster was a key part of the midfield that took the title, showing great creativity and defensive discipline in the process.
For his efforts in that tournament he was awarded the Young Player of the tournament prize. Despite a poor year at Bayern Munich he is still one of Europe’s most talented young midfielders. At still only 19-years-old there is plenty of time for him to develop into a player worthy of his gifts. Who better than Jurgen Klopp to help him get there?
One of the most appealing things about this transfer is his availability. He is on the transfer market for £43 million; only a little more than what Bayern paid for him a year ago. The difficulty with this transfer will be other clubs who are interested. First in line is Manchester United.
One of the most exciting things about the Keita transfer was that he wants to come to Liverpool. Klopp will have to apply that same magic here is we are to be the ones who grab this creative starlet.
Riyad Mahrez
As we wrote about last week Liverpool have been keeping tabs on Leicester’s Riyad Mahrez. Liverpool and Leicester faced off a week ago in the Premier League’s Asia Trophy. The executives and management of both clubs had plenty of time to discuss Leiceister City’s want-away midfielder.
Looking at the club’s roster there seems to be little room for a player like Mahrez. He is primarily an attacking midfielder who like to create. He sometimes starts on the wing for Leicester but mainly begins in central roles behind the strikers. His best performances come when he is given license to drift and move to find space.
Currently Liverpool have Philippe Coutinho and Adam Lallana playing that role. Also Roberto Firmino often plays in that position when the Klopp starts with Sturridge or Origi up front. Mahrez is an entirely different prospect to Naby Keita. So things look very crowded. However if the plan is to play Coutinho deeper regularly that would open up a space for the Algerian.
Coutinho in the deeper role is something we have talked about for a while. In this scenario the Brazilian would function more like Modric at Real Madrid; pulling the strings and linking together defense and attack.
Again a plus is that the player is available and would probably only command a fee in the £30 million range. If Liverpool are serious about returning for Keita in a year’s time then the combined fee of £78 million is about what Liverpool were expected to play this summer for the Guinean. This could be a smart piece of short-term business.
Leon Goretzka
Many Liverpool fans probably knew very little about Leon Goretzka before this summer’s Confederations Cup. As Reds tuned in to watch Emre Can, his international teammate caught the eye. A dynamic box-to-box midfielder Goretzka is the player on this list who is the most like Naby Keita in ability and gift set. If I could chose one of these players to get it would be him.
The tall Schalke midfielder is a player able to impose himself on a game at both ends of the field. He has the kind of flexibility and winning mentality that Jurgen Klopp will absolutely love. Whereas Keita would give our midfield a buzzing energy, Goretzka would give it an imperious solidity.
When he defends he resembles Nemanja Matic; more of a wall than a person. Yet when he attacks he reminds me of Kaka; striding forward with pace and purpose. The combination of those traits would give Klopp a fantastic set of central options. Emre Can, Jordan Henderson and Goretzka form a fearsome trio. It would also allow us to keep Coutinho further forward where he is most dangerous.
The issue with this transfer is Bayern Munich. They hoover up every German talent from the Bundesliga whether they need them or not. They currently have 783* central midfielders (*may not be accurate).
The addition of Tolisso is what is allowing them to let go of Renato Sanches. Bayern are looking to seal a deal for him to join them next summer. Perhaps Klopp can get in there and convince of more first team opportunities at Anfield next season.
Maximilian Meyer
Much like a move for Mahrez this transfer would be more about opportunity than anything else. Reports of Liverpool’s interest in the German international pop up every now and then. Tottenham are always cited as our chief rivals for his signature.
Like Goretzka, Meyer plays for Schalke 04 who had a very disappointing 2016/17 season in the Bundesliga. They finished in 10th place and struggled to make an impact on the league at all. It would be a huge effort for them to qualify for the Champions League this year, especially in the light of RB Leigpzig’s ascent. Therefore many of their top players are looking to leave to further their careers on other shores.
After being heralded as a teenage star Max Meyer’s career has tailed off in the last few seasons. There is a chicken and egg scenario with Meyer and Schalke. Is Meyer’s dip in form responsible for Schalke’s descent? Or is it Schalke underperforming that has led to lesser performances for Meyer? The truth probably lies somewhere in between
He is definitely more of a project than a plug-in-and-play transfer. His talent and creativity remain and at 21-years-old there is still time to hope he can become a Champions League level player. However I think the club want to buy a player that can impact the immediate future.
If the price is right I could see us making a late August bid but probably only after better options have been exhausted. One to keep an eye out for though.
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain
This remains the most likely option. Although Arsenal claiming they don’t want to sell him there has been no movement with him signing a new contract. The reports from his camp are that money is not the issue. The stumbling blocks have been over his position and playing time. He wants more opportunities in central midfield and he wants more minutes. Arsene Wenger cannot promise him either of those things.
The fanbase is pretty divided over signing Oxlade-Chamberlain. On the one hand it is signing and international with great Premier League and Champions League experience. It also weakens a rival which is always a huge plus. On the other hand he has not set the world alight with performances and has a bad injury record.
To address both of those negatives; last year was better for him on both fronts. He played more Premier League games than any other season of his career and was relatively healthy for the year. Also he made the most progress on the pitch. His development was one of few highlights for the Arsenal fans in a season marked by disappointment. The Gunner fanbase, by and large, want the club to re-sign him. That is a good omen for Liverpool.
If Klopp can reassure him about playing position and minutes then I think he would like to come to Anfield. In the wake of Arsenal’s FA cup victory he stated his desire to emulate his idol Steven Gerrard. That number 8 shirt is still vacant.
This is not a signing that would excite the fans or have them running out to buy Oxlade-Chamberlain shirts. It would cost a weeks wages just to get his name printed. However this maybe a pragmatic signing. The last time Klopp did that was with Gini Wijnaldum. And that turned out okay.
Next: Quiz: Name the 3 most expensive signings for each season?