January’s just some weeks from now and agents are starting to get dozens of calls from several suitors that want to keep reinforcing their sides, so rumours are beginning to spread at the speed of light, and we must take a deep look into those that seem relevant.
One rumour that’s been having more and more attention in the past few days, states that Jurgen Klopp is actually looking to add more pieces to his already terrifying Liverpool side, as he’s more than determined to finally break the Anfield curse and give the institution it’s first ever Premier League title.
However, the German boss isn’t looking to improve the side of his team that’s been hurting the most since the start of the season, which is the defensive end of the pitch, as he believes the sector of the field that’s causing their defensive slips is the center of the field.
If you take a look at Liverpool’s starting XI, this proposition actually makes sense, as Klopp enjoys to play with several offensive midfielders but just one in charge of the defensive midfielder position, being Jordan Henderson or Emre Can, so adding another guy in this spot could actually help ease the work of Joel Matip and Dejan Lovren in the bottom half of the pitch.
So, Klopp has been actively trying to bring the French defensive mastermind Geoffrey Kondogbia from Inter Milan to play for him at Anfield, as he’s one of the most talented defensive midfielders in Europe right now.
Kondogbia, who is rated at €28.5 million by the CIES Football Observatory, would be a perfect fit for Klopp’s system, and the fact that he’s just 23 years old is music for the German’s ears, as he prefers to go ahead and throw youngsters on the pitch in order to watch them grow as players.
Nevertheless, bringing Geoffrey to Merseyside won’t be cheap, but given how overpriced players tend to be in this current market (We’re looking at you, Pogba), this price seems to be kind of a bargain.
The French midfielder, who once was a serious transfer target for Arsenal, isn’t currently a steady starting for the Nerazzurri, so he wouldn’t be looking the move with bad eyes, and he has shown he’s up to a big task after playing for another giant club as Monaco.
However, Kondogbia’s arrival could raise several questions regarding Klopp’s roster, as there isn’t much room in Liverpool’s crowded midfield and some veterans like Lucas Leiva should be on the move soon in order to get some minutes elsewhere.
If Kondogbia winds up playing at Anfield, it’ll mean that either Emre Can, Adam Lallana or Georginio Wijnaldum could be spending a lot of time on the bench, and we don’t know how that’ll suit for these young stars who are having outstanding seasons for the reds.
Even if Liverpool completes Kondogbia’s signing, they should look for a left back in order to finally seal their defensive front, as this seems to be the team’s main problem, but you’ll never say no to the chance of bringing yet another talented youngster to your team.