Why Liverpool Trying To Sign Wolves’ Romain Saiss Doesn’t Make Any Sense
According to reports from Moroccan outlet Liberation, Premier League giants Liverpool are interested in making a shock swoop for midfielder Romain Saiss, who plies his trade for EFL Championship leaders Wolverhampton Wanderers.
The 27-year old has been a strong performer for Wolves this term as they have risen to the top of the English second division. His performances might haven’t been in the news as much, but the Reds are seemingly impressed heavily and are plotting a swoop for him in January.
Having moved to the Molineux from French side Angers in 2016, the 27-year old midfielder didn’t feature as prominently in his debut campaign but has grown into a vital cog in the engine room in the ongoing campaign. Under Nuno Espirito Santo, the Moroccan international has featured in all of his side’s 17 Championship games, starting 15 of those, in which he has also netted two goals.
While the likes of top-scorer Leo Bonatini, wing wizard Diogo Jota and club record signing Ruben Neves have been in the limelight for their performances, Saiss too has been equally important for the team’s cause, if not more. The 27-year old is someone who sits deep in the middle of the park and wins possession back to set his team on the front-foot.
Strong in tackles, a good reader of the game which enables him to cut attacking moves in the bud and a strong aerial presence as well, the £3.15m rated Saiss is everything that one would want in a defensive midfielder and add to that his impressive distribution skills, he makes for a more than decent addition for any team.
It is no secret that Liverpool have been missing a player of those qualities in their squad. Manager Jurgen Klopp has relied on captain Jordan Henderson to perform the defensive duties in the middle of the park, but the Englishman is more of a deep-lying playmaker rather than a ball-winner, while the likes of James Milner and Emre Can too don’t exactly offer the same abilities.
So, it would seem to most that Saiss would be a good fit for the Merseyside club if they really are interested in the midfielder. However, there will be questions as to whether the 20-time capped Moroccan international can step it up to the level of the Premier League and cut it out on the European stages, with Liverpool all set to progress into the knockout stages of the UEFA Champions League.
Also, throw in the fact that the midfielder has a contract until the summer of 2020 with Wolves, which puts the Championship leaders in a strong position with regards to the transfer negotiations.
With all due respect to Saiss’ talent and abilities, he is someone who has played just one season of top-flight football – in the French Ligue 1 in 2015/16 with Angers, following which he jumped ship to Wolves. Not everyone can be an N’Golo Kante. And given the aspirations and the ambitions of a club like Liverpool, they need to be targeting players of a proven pedigree, players who can make an immediate difference, rather than chasing someone who isn’t exactly young and has very little experience at the top level.
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