Mohammed Salah is gone, and he isn’t coming back to suit up for Liverpool ever again. As the saying goes, “all good things must come to an end”, but in football, when one tactic stops working or is solved by the opponent, or a relationship sours, or a star player loses a step – in Salah’s case, there’s perhaps a little bit of truth in all of the above – the club needs to find the next great thing, and quick. Fail to do so, and millions can be wasted while years, or even decades, disappear in the search for lightning in a bottle. Just ask Liverpool fans, who endured a 30-year drought from 1990-2020.Â
Who is Maghnes Akliouche?
Enter Maghnes Akliouche, the talented AS Monaco attacking midfielder. Akliouche, based on value trends on Transfermarkt, sits just outside the top 100 players in the world (105).
Though born in France, Akliouche is of Algerian descent. The left-footed Akliouche is usually positioned on the right side of the pitch, where he has become a human highlight reel, including bicycle kick goals, spin-moves, impressive vision and jaw-dropping assists.
Akliouche is a product of the AS Monaco Academy, joining in 2017, and after being eased into competitive play over his first several seasons at the top-level with the club, the Frenchman’s ascension began after scoring his first meaningful goal with the first team in January of 2023 in a match vs Rodez AF during the Coupe de France. Since 2023, Akliouche has recorded 23 goals and 28 assists for Monaco across all competitions.
It’s been a steady rise for the 24-year-old, a trajectory top clubs like Liverpool, among others, believe will continue. And rightfully so, as Akliouche is an electric and creative attacking midfielder with stellar vision who is persistent on the ball, generating chances and providing a spark on offense with his inventiveness.
Years | Club |
|---|---|
2020-2022 | Monaco B |
2021- | Monaco |
Interestingly enough, and unlike his AS Monaco squadmate, Folarin Balogun – the United States men's national soccer team (USMNT) breakout star who seemingly took the FIFA World Cup by storm tallying 3 goals in 316 minutes across 4 matches – Akliouche, who according to Transfermrkt, is valued as the top player at Monaco, hardly touched the pitch, registering just 7 minutes of playing time (0 goals and assists) during the entirety of the tournament.
Even though Akliouche was competing for minutes with the likes of Kylian Mbappé, Ousmane Dembélé, Michael Olise and Bradley Barcola, it could be a head-scratcher why he wasn’t given more playing time.
The most recent contract Akliouche signed with Monaco runs through 2028, which could potentially lead to some negotiation issues, but if a club is serious about him it’s difficult to see a deal not happening. Akliouche is linked with a number of clubs, including Paris Saint-Germain (multiple bids reportedly rejected), Liverpool, Tottenham, Manchester City, and Bayer Leverkusen.
While there may or may not be much validity to it, reports suggest that Akliouche prefers Paris Saint-Germain over Liverpool.
Regardless of whether or not the Reds are able to land the young star Akliouche or top target Bradly Barcola, the club has a massive void to fill in the attack and need to act fast with the season fast approaching.
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