Rebuilding Liverpool’s Midfield: Klopp’s Priority

A Disastrous Season Exposed Liverpool’s Midfield

Jurgen Klopp has made rebuilding his midfield a priority after it was so badly exposed last season, as his Liverpool team stumbled through a disastrous campaign.

Last summer Klopp openly mocked suggestions that he needed new additions in midfield, arrogantly gaslighting fans, and listing off players as if quantity equates to quality. This was all the more strange considering he had desperately tried to sign Aurelien Tchouameni from Monaco before the Frenchmen decided that Real Madrid would be his new home.

Injury-Prone and Inexperienced: The Current Midfield Line-up

Klopp listed the likes of Naby Keita and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, injury-prone players who he clearly didn’t have full faith in. He also listed Harvey Elliott and Curtis Jones, young players who hadn’t, and still haven’t, proven themselves to be ready to contribute consistently for a team who wants to win major honours.

He named James Milner and Jordan Henderson, two players clearly past the point of being capable of playing regularly for a team with title ambitions. And he named Fabio Carvalho, a player who simply isn’t a midfielder.

The last two names on the list were Thiago Alcantara and Fabinho. Both are fantastic players, but not without their own issues. The Fabinho fears were confirmed when the season began and the Brazilian struggled throughout the campaign.

It appears that Klopp has now learned his lesson, and he has set about fixing the issue he created by neglecting the engine room of his team for so long.

Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai Join The Reds

First in the door was Alexis Mac Allister. He was followed by Dominik Szoboszlai, as Liverpool decided to go big and trigger his £61mil buy-out clause to bring the Hungarian to Anfield from RB Leipzig.

Klopp has to find a successor for Fabinho in the defensive midfield role. That means dipping back into the market and finding a new holding player to firm up the base of the midfield.

The two Klopp would probably like are Tchouameni and Brighton’s Moises Caicedo. There are other options, Florention Luis and Manu Kone to name just two, but the ideal choice resides at a club that Liverpool have done plenty of business with over the years, Southampton.

The Generational Talent: Romeo Lavia

19-year-old Belgian midfielder Romeo Lavia would fit like a glove into this new-look Liverpool team. Liverpool are reportedly hesitant to pay Saints asking price of £50mil but this is a once-off opportunity for Liverpool.

Many Liverpool fans bemoaned the club missing out on Jude Bellingham, a “generational” talent, but Liverpool now have a second chance to land a “generational” talent in Lavia. He is that good, and they can’t afford to pass on it. While some other options might represent a bigger immediate impact, Lavia would give Liverpool a top-class presence in midfield for a decade.