Arne Slot's next big Liverpool signing is now clear after 'one of a kind' claim yesterday - opinion
Below is a summary of the full article. Click here for the full version or go back to LFC Live.net.
Liverpool’s squad looks more or less complete after romping to a perfect six wins from six in all competitions this season.
The Reds had a busy transfer window, spending huge amounts of money and adding to almost all areas of the squad.
This has paid off handsomely so far, with Liverpool reinforcing their status as favourites to retain the Premier League title.
Nevertheless, there remains a slight nagging feeling that Arne Slot is a little too dependent on the fitness of two or three key players.
As Saturday’s Merseyside Derby underlined to a big degree, Ryan Gravenberch is one of those who Slot absolutely needs to remain fit.
Gravenberch was brilliant against Everton, but some comments from his manager after the game suggest Liverpool really need to think seriously about buying an understudy for the Dutchman.
Photo by Liverpool FC/Liverpool FC via Getty Images
While Gravenberch is playing so well, many Liverpool fans will deduce that Slot does not need another addition in central midfield.
The Dutchman has made himself undroppable for the Reds, and Virgil van Dijk’s claim that Gravenberch is in ‘the form of his life‘ means no one in world football would start ahead of him right now.
MORE LIVERPOOL STORIES
READ MORE: Wayne Rooney hails ‘fantastic’ Liverpool player as Reds come out on top in Merseyside Derby
But, as Slot suggested to LFCTV after the game, that is starting to become a problem.
There is a real danger that his importance to Liverpool could run Gravenberch into the ground.
“The intention was to take him off after 60 minutes,” said the Liverpool head coach.
The Reds need Gravenberch at his best when the big games come around next Spring.
They need to bring in another player who can do a better impression of what he gives the midfield.
This is a slightly difficult one to square for Slot in that Gravenberch is still going to play most of the time, but he does need someone who can take the heat off him a little.
As journalist Graeme Bailey exclusively told Rousing The Kop earlier this weekend, Liverpool are likely to look for a midfield signing next summer.
While Bailey suggests the Reds could enter the conversation for big-money players like Adam Wharton and Carlos Baleba, though, it feels like they could also do with a slightly lower-profile player to step in when Gravenberch is absent.
Football data site Fbref have handily compiled a list of players who rank similarly to Gravenberch in terms of playing style, based on a whole raft of statistics.
Interestingly, Atletico Madrid’s Pablo Barrios, who came up against Gravenberch in midweek, sits as the most comparable player to Liverpool’s No.
Having come through the Atletico academy and made his debut for Spain, the 22-year-old would command a big transfer fee.
Nevertheless, Barrios would be a potentially achievable signing to add to the Liverpool squad, as would Lazio’s Nicolo Rovella, who sits fourth in the list behind Eduardo Camavinga and, surprisingly, Ipswich Town midfielder Azor Matusiwa.