Yesterday’s frustrating draw with Fulham may have strengthened one argument Liverpool supporters have been making for some time.
Liverpool need another midfielder.
And according to TEAMtalk, the club are already looking at options ahead of a possible mid-season addition for Andoni Iraola, with four names reportedly on the radar.
The shortlist includes:
🔸 Aleksandar Stanković – Inter Milan
🔸 Alex Scott – Bournemouth
🔸 Manu Koné – Roma
🔸 Lamine Camara – Monaco
It’s particularly interesting timing given what we saw at Anfield against Fulham.
Liverpool’s midfield struggled badly for the first hour, with Ryan Gravenberch and Dominik Szoboszlai unable to provide the control and creativity the team needed.
Then Alexis Mac Allister came on.
Suddenly, the flow of the game changed.
That shouldn’t necessarily be interpreted as criticism of Gravenberch or Szoboszlai individually. It is more evidence that Liverpool don’t currently have enough different midfield profiles available to Iraola.
There are games where you need energy.
There are games where you need physicality.
There are games where you need someone who can slow everything down, take the ball under pressure and dictate the tempo.
And there are games where you need somebody capable of breaking a defensive block with one pass.
Liverpool need more options.
The decision to go into the season without adding another established central midfielder was always going to carry a risk.
Now we’re seeing why.
Liverpool are trying to move away from the football we’ve become accustomed to under Slot and build something different under Iraola. That process was never going to be straightforward, but the manager needs the tools to make those changes.
And right now, midfield looks like one of the areas where the squad is lacking depth.
The fact that Liverpool are reportedly looking at four different players suggests this isn’t simply about one particular target.
The club appear to recognise the problem.
Stanković would represent a younger option with significant potential, while Alex Scott is already familiar with Iraola from their time together at Bournemouth.
Koné would offer a different physical presence, while Camara has also been repeatedly linked with Liverpool.
There is no guarantee any of them arrive in January.
But the important thing is that Liverpool appear to be planning ahead.
And after watching yesterday’s first 60 minutes, I certainly wouldn’t complain about another quality midfielder arriving.
Liverpool have some outstanding attacking talent.
Wirtz.
Isak.
Barcola.
Gakpo.
But if we want to get the best out of those players, we need a midfield capable of consistently giving them the platform to attack.
Florian Wirtz shouldn’t be having to make nine defensive contributions because the midfield behind him isn’t functioning properly.
That’s the bigger picture.
Yesterday was a reality check.
And perhaps it also showed Iraola and the Liverpool hierarchy exactly where this squad still needs strengthening.
If Liverpool genuinely want to build Iraola’s team, midfield has to be one of the priorities.
Jamie (The Kopite View)
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