Jude Bellingham of Borussia Dortmund was once again a standout in Wednesday’s Champions League clash with Manchester City, and reports suggest he is a key transfer target for Liverpool.
Despite his side falling to late defeat, Jude Bellingham was one of the standout stars in Borussia Dortmund’s 2-1 loss to Manchester City in midweek, reaffirming his status as one of the best young players across Europe.
Dortmund’s scorer on the night has been included in Gareth Southgate’s latest squad for the Nations League clashes with Italy and Germany and could make his 100th Dortmund appearance against Schalke this weekend, which is a remarkable feat for a player still aged just 19.
Inevitably, there’s been plenty of speculation around Bellingham’s future, with Dortmund pretty much resigned to the fact that they’re likely to lose him next summer. Liverpool is thought to be leading the chase for the teenager, with Jurgen Klopp already admitting that he is a big fan of the player and was interested in signing the midfielder this summer.
The Reds have made a slow start to this campaign, bringing scrutiny to the fact that a lot of their key stars are approaching the end of their peak years. Arthur Melo was brought in on loan from Juventus on deadline day in order to strengthen the midfield but he’s likely only to be a stop-gap until they can sign Bellingham.
The former Birmingham midfielder’s potential arrival does raise questions about the ways in which Klopp could use him, and in what way we could see the Reds line up with him in the side.
For much of his time in charge at Anfield, Jurgen Klopp has utilized a 4-3-3 formation. The bulk of Liverpool’s recruitment in recent years has centered around buying players who are well suited to it. However, purchases made this summer hinted that change may be on the horizon.
Darwin Nunez for example is what you’d label as a traditional number nine, unlike Roberto Firmino. The club also signed Fabio Carvalho who predominantly thrived as an out-and-out ten at Fulham.
These moves hinted that a 4-2-3-1 was potentially on the cards, which is a formation Klopp regularly used early in his Liverpool career. If the long-term ambition is to adopt this approach, then Bellingham will almost certainly have a significant role to play within it.
For Dortmund, he successfully plays most often within a double pivot, and also as a number ten. And it’s possible for Liverpool he’d float between the two, depending on what the Reds needed from him at the time.
Yet even if Klopp opted to keep a 4-3-3, then Bellingham’s profile means he’d still easily thrive within the same, most likely taking on a number eight role where he could be supported by two more defense-orientated midfielders and given the freedom to roam.
This captures the added benefits of singing Bellingham. Not only is he an elite talent, yet his versatility means he can play a number of varied roles in different setups without any impact on his performance or output.
