Liverpool could look to Nigerian international for summer transfer
By David Gate
Liverpool will be in the market for another central midfielder in the summer and could prioritize Nigerian international Wilfred Ndidi.
Ask a Liverpool fan what the best midfield combo is at Anfield and you will get a hundred different answers. The club is in need of some fresh blood in the central area, particularly in defensive areas. The answer to that problem may lie in Nigerian international midfielder Wilfred Ndidi.
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The Leicester man has been a mainstay in the Foxes’ midfield and has impressed in his first season in the Premier League. He arrived from Belgian side Genk last summer to fill gap left by Ngolo Kante in 2016. At just 21-years-old he is developing into a dominate force in the anchor role at the King Power stadium.
Liverpool have a number of decent options but none who are naturally defensive. Jordan Henderson has often been asked to play a holding role. However he has always been most effective as a box-to-box player who drifts right. Gini Wijnaldum is a pass first, recycler of the ball. His defensive instincts are okay but that isn’t his strength.
Jurgen Klopp can rely on James Milner to do anything he is asked to do. But at 32-years-old he isn’t the future of the Liverpool midfield. Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain is an attacker through and through. Emre Can is the most defensive option we have but he is likely leaving on a free transfer in July.
Some are hoping that Naby Keita will improve things defensively when arrives from RB Leipzig in the summer. While he is workaholic and a ferocious tackler, he is not a player who can sit deep at the base of midfield and marshal the area in front of the center backs.
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Wilfred Ndidi would be an excellent addition and offer something that no-one else at the club can do. He would give Liverpool that midfield protection we haven’t had since Mascherano left in 2010. All things suggest he would grow under Klopp and patrol the Reds’ midfield with Keita for years to come.