Romeo Lavia is the next phase of Liverpool’s major transfer overhaul – but Jurgen Klopp faces an early test
Jurgen Klopp faces a new transfer problem at Liverpool, according to Romeo Lavia.
During his tenure at Liverpool, Jurgen Klopp has been more concerned with evolution than revolution.
Not the kind of summer that saw Gerard Houllier sign seven players, some of whom lasted only a season or made only a few games.
Even when Klopp inherited a club that had lost its way under predecessor Brendan Rodgers, he strove to extract as much as he could from as many players as possible rather than simply dismissing them as a lost cause. Jurgen Klopp faces a new transfer problem at Liverpool, according to Romeo Lavia.
That is still the case. But where the steady shift has changed is in the engine room, which has sparked more controversy than any other aspect of the team during his nearly eight years at the club.
The most obvious comparison is with 2018 when, after the Champions League defeat to Real Madrid highlighted the clear need for midfield renewal, Liverpool brought in Fabinho to follow the previously-arranged arrival of Naby Keita while Xherdan Shaqiri added some tactical flexibility in a more advanced role.
In terms of numbers, the transfer windows appear to be identical, with £95 million duo Alexis MacAllister and Dominik Szoboszlai on the verge of joining Southampton’s 19-year-old Romeo Lavia.
However, Fabinho, Keita, and Shaqiri were stepping into a midfield that already had plenty of experience of playing for a Klopp midfield in skipper Jordan Henderson, vice-captain James Milner, Gini Wijnaldum, Adam Lallana, and, until his injury, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain. In contrast, the new arrivals this summer step into an engine room largely devoid of that knowhow.
Fans who have long sought a total midfield makeover are finally getting their wish, but perhaps not in such a sweeping fashion that they would have preferred.
There aren’t many other alternatives in the squad, but most of them come with a catch. Thiago Alcantara is the most seasoned but also the most prone to injury, while Curtis Jones and Harvey Elliott are arguably still finding their optimum spots in midfield and, while still young, are far more experienced than 18-year-old Stefan Bajcetic.
Bajcetic and Thiago have not arrived in Singapore, their absence due to the fact that they are still working on their fitness following lengthy periods on the sidelines, making them unlikely to be ready for the start of the season in a fortnight. Meanwhile, Szoboszlai missed Monday’s friendly against Greuther Furth due to an ankle injury, but was able to exercise on Friday evening.
The fact that right-back Conor Bradley will miss the Far East tour due to a slight ailment would jeopardize efforts to further ingrain the tactical strategy utilized in the final weeks of last season. Trent Alexander-Arnold may have to start the season as the number six as things now stand.
Liverpool will want to complete a deal for Lavia and then fly him to Singapore, but it will be difficult for the adolescent to adjust with only one friendly left when the Reds come home. Any additional midfield arrival will face the same problem.
One obvious comfort is that their opponents on the first weekend, Chelsea, are in even more flux, with new manager Mauricio Pochettino attempting to whittle down a team that is still bordering on the ridiculous.
However, the fact that Liverpool face a resurgent Aston Villa and travel to moneybags Newcastle United before the first international break in September implies that they must get off to a fast start, as last season demonstrated.
While there will be enthusiasm in witnessing how a new-look midfield performs in the coming weeks, there will also be fair skepticism.
It’s no surprise. This is a near-complete overhaul, an unexpected and unusual step into the unknown for Liverpool under Klopp.
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