Liverpool mean business this summer. The season isn’t yet over, and Trent Alexander-Arnold has not yet completed his free transfer to Real Madrid, but sporting director Richard Hughes has already tied Conor Bradley down to a new long-term deal and is finalising a move for Jeremie Frimpong.
That’s only scratching the surface, too. Developments earlier in the week, confirmed by The Athletic, have revealed a vested Liverpool interest in Bayer Leverkusen superstar Florian Wirtz, with contacts made as Manchester City and Bayern Munich also race for the playmaker’s signature.
Wirtz would be a staggering signing, one of indisputable intent and ambition from FSG. The German’s creativity is exactly what is needed to replace Alexander-Arnold’s unique output.
The 22-year-old might be “the best midfielder in the world” to former Leverkusen star Patrick Helmes, but he’s not the deeper profile Arne Slot may yet require to truly complete his title-winning team.
Why Liverpool should sign a midfielder
Up until the Premier League title was clinched at the end of April, Slot had only employed four different midfield rotations across the league campaign, more often than not utilising the same trusted trio.
Alexis Mac Allister has been a monstrous all-round star, sixth in the division for tackles (with 95), while also creative and influential. A real general for Jurgen Klopp and now Slot.
Further forward, Dominik Szoboszlai’s output still leaves something to be desired, but his matchless energy and enthusiasm as an overwhelming attacking midfielder have been crucial facets behind the seasonal success.
The star of the show, it must be said, has been Ryan Gravenberch, whose rise within his countryman’s project has been a startling thing.
Matches (starts)
26 (12)
35 (35)
Goals
1
0
Assists
0
4
Touches*
28.8
66.4
Pass completion
83%
89%
Key passes*
0.6
0.7
Dribbles*
0.9
1.0
Ball recoveries*
2.8
5.3
Tackles + interceptions*
1.5
3.5
Duels (won)*
2.8
5.0 (58%)
Gravenberch has been nominated (alongside Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk) for the PFA Premier League Player of the Year, and rightly so.
He’s lifted himself from a middling maiden term after Liverpool failed to sign their one midfield target last summer and has been the centrepiece of a title-winning season.
After struggling in the wake of Fabinho’s sale to the Saudi Pro League last season, Liverpool have surely found their heir for the ages, with the Brazilian anchor leaving Merseyside in 2023 with his head held high, one of the greatest defensive midfielders of his generation.
But now, to add the depth and dynamism needed to compete across multiple fronts, Slot is ready to sign some competition.
Liverpool plan bid for new midfielder
As per TEAMtalk, the powers that be at Anfield are preparing to lodge a formal offer for Crystal Palace midfielder Adam Wharton, who has been a revelation in south London over the past 15 months or so.
Wharton, 21, is also being targeted by Chelsea, with his modern, dynamic role in the middle of the park bespeaking a future at the very highest point of the footballing pyramid.
It’s understood the Eagles value their touted prospect at more than £60m, with Palace chairman Steve Parish notorious for his tricky negotiating at the business table.
Why Adam Wharton would be perfect for Liverpool
If Chelsea stumble and fall in their bid to return to the Champions League, Liverpool may well find themselves in pole position to complete a deal for Wharton, a player considered to be a “special talent who will soon bring Palace a lot of money” by scout Jacek Kulig.
After his role in Crystal Palace’s incredible FA Cup final victory over Manchester City, you can bet his stock has skyrocketed. It was a fine illustration of the kind of dynamic quality Liverpool would be securing, winning five duels, making four clearances and three tackles, as per Sofascore.
The ace has only made 36 Premier League appearances, but he’s already established himself as not only a key part of Oliver Glasner’s team, but an attractive option for the finest outfits across the continent.
He would be the perfect competition for Gravenberch, potentially with the skill set to outstrip Liverpool’s Dutchman. Maybe he even has the potential to overtake Fabinho in the all-time power rankings, too.
Wharton isn’t the finished product, but he’s on his way to becoming one of the most exciting midfielders in England. For sure, his smooth ball-playing skills, intelligence, and silkiness when carrying the ball forward himself are all facets that point toward an elite future.
Respected journalist Henry Winter has already hailed the former Blackburn Rovers prospect as a “passing machine,” swinging his deliveries forward carefully, surgically.
As per FBref, Wharton ranks among the top 7% of midfielders across Europe’s top five leagues this season for progressive passes and shot-creating actions, the top 18% for through balls and the top 6% for ball recoveries per 90.
A ball recovery is defined by the number of loose balls recovered by a player.
Might it be fair to claim he could be as good as Fabinho, bringing his own deep-lying style to a new Liverpool chapter?
He’s athletic and composed, having also. In his heyday, Fabinho did the basics to a tee, working so hard to protect his backline and charge the centre so too enable Klopp’s patent gegenpressing style.
So too does Wharton flourish away from the limelight, operating in the unseen spaces in the very centre of the pitch, but performing with such seamless aplomb that he invariably draws attention for his twists and turns, his skips, his lunging challenges.
Sofascore have recorded Wharton to have averaged 1.7 tackles and 1.0 interceptions per top-flight match this season, while also avoiding a single error across the campaign.
Fabinho, before his late-Liverpool-career decline, was similarly dependable, covering plenty of ground and playing the ball forward with conviction. During Liverpool’s title-winning campaign of 2019/20, the South American completed 87% of his passes and averaged 0.7 key passes per game, highlighting a crispness but also a determination to progress play.
Stars like Wataru Endo and ex-captain Jordan Henderson have played important roles, but neither drew upon the natural ability of Fabinho, a player whose signing made such an impact on Klopp’s legacy.
Ultimately, Liverpool’s engine room is already well stocked for the next few years, but if there’s room in the transfer chest to pull out some coins to sign Wharton, this is a deal Slot would relish, getting his hands on a player capable of lifting Liverpool to the next level, maybe even mirroring Fabinho.
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