Liverpool face an incredibly tough task as they look to inject experience back into their midfield as part of their rebuild. The Reds are on the cusp of losing all of their leaders in that department, and the effects of such a major shift will be clear to see soon.
The Reds have hardly invested in their midfield over the past few years, and the impact of that became apparent last season. A lack of quality and youth energy in that department saw Jurgen Klopp struggle to project his high-pressing, energetic style onto his squad.
The ex-Borussia Dortmund boss made a tactical tweak by moving Trent Alexander-Arnold into an inverted role and reaped the benefits, but the England international is set to link up with a completely new-look midfield next season. James Milner, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Naby Keita were all allowed to leave the club at the end of last season, with Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai being acquired as replacements.
However, further recruits are set to be brought in as Fabinho and Jordan Henderson are edging closer to a move to Saudi Arabia. New sporting director Jorg Schmadtke has therefore been given the tough task of bringing the average age of the squad down whilst adding experience into the dressing room.
Despite their performances coming under fire last season, the duo’s influence behind the scenes cannot be understated – especially in regards to club captain Henderson. According to the BBC, those who have left the club this summer have made a combined 1,318 appearances for the club in a statistic that truly highlights the scale of the rebuild.
Thiago Alcantara now becomes the most experienced player in that department, but he too has been linked with an exit to the Middle East. The Reds are looking to bring in at least one midfielder to replace both Fabinho and Henderson, though two signings should not be ruled out.
According to the Daily Mail, Liverpool have drawn up an eight-man shortlist of targets that could be acquired, with a variety of price tags and levels of experience being assessed. Ryan Gravenberch, Romeo Lavia and Khepren Thuram have been linked with a move to Anfield previously and are unsurprisingly being considered, as well as Fulham’s Joao Palhinha.
Manchester City’s Kalvin Phillips is also admired at Anfield despite his lack of minutes under Pep Guardiola, whilst Liverpool join a host of clubs to be keeping tabs on Sofyan Amrabat’s situation at Fiorentina. Younger players that have experience at the top level is favourable for the Merseyside outfit and Real Madrid’s Aurelien Tchouameni and Crystal Palace’s Cheick Doucoure tick those boxes.
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