Everyone is forgetting about Takumi Minamino

Everyone is forgetting about Liverpool forward Takumi Minamino as the transfer rumour mill starts to hot up.

Timo Werner has dominated conversation. Wissam Ben Yedder popped his head in to say hi, Joaquin Correa and Willian briefly placed their hats into the ring. 

All of those forwards would probably do some sort of a job for Liverpool, but everyone getting excited is forgetting one thing: Takumi Minamino.

The former RB Salzburg man is already the fluid back-up Jurgen Klopp has been craving and to think anything else would be a disservice to the manager and to the recruitment team.

He may not be the most exciting deal and he’s not the hot new thing, but that doesn’t mean he won’t have an important role to play next season. He could be the reason why these Timo Werner rumours have slowed, despite the German ramping things up himself.

It’ll be hard to see where Minamino stands if Liverpool brings in a big signing when the transfer window opens. It looks as if he’ll play on the left or through the middle – currently the positions Divock Origi operates in.

But if Curtis Jones is handed more first team chances next season and Werner is signed, where would that leave Taki?

I refuse to believe that Liverpool would have signed the Salzburg star without a long-term plan and without a clear strategy for integrating him into the side on a fairly regular basis.

All these other rumours are exciting because they’re new and they involve large sums of money. They’re sexier. But in our rush to dream of our ideal summer recruits, we’ve forgotten what we already have at the club.

FSG have evolved how things happen at Liverpool and we should place some element of faith and trust in the process, as well as in Klopp and the backroom team.