By signing a “elite” £43 million World Cup gem, Liverpool can find a player “like Zidane.”

Liverpool has had their worst start to a Premier League season in a decade and Jurgen Klopp will surely be hoping that he will have the opportunity to strengthen his squad during the January transfer window.

The Reds are currently sixth in the league table after inconsistent and poor performances throughout the season so far with injury problems playing a huge part in their struggle.

Luis Diaz, Diogo Jota, Arthur Melo, Thiago Alcantara, Joel Matip, Jordan Henderson, Naby Keita, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Curtis Jones, and Ibrahima Konate have all suffered injuries in the first half of the season so far, but the World Cup break will give hope that those who continue to suffer fitness concerns can take the time to recover.

There has been a lot of attention on the center of the pitch at Anfield with Milner, Keita, and Oxlade-Chamberlain out of contract next summer, whilst the Liverpool captain and Thiago are in the latter stages of their careers, sparking the urgency for a rebuild of midfield personnel.

Indeed, Liverpool is a huge admirer of England and Borussia Dortmund star Jude Bellingham but they will surely need more than one high-quality midfielder when looking at reinvesting in the team.

Another player who has been linked with a move to the Merseyside giants is Argentina and Benfica wonderkid Enzo Fernandez, a midfielder who has been capturing the attention of many elite clubs for his outstanding performances in the Portuguese league.

Bitter rivals Manchester United alongside Manchester City and Newcastle United are reportedly interested in also snapping up the services of the 21-year-old talent, so if Liverpool is serious in their interest they will need to provide a very tempting offer.

Over 13 Liga Portugal appearances so far, the €50m-valued (£43m) ace – who was hailed “elite” by former Liverpool star Maxi Rodriguez – has scored one goal, delivered three assists, and created eight big chances, as well as averaging two key passes, one interception, two tackles and winning 3.7 duels per game.

Not only that, Fernandez ranks in the top 2% of his positional peers across Europe’s next eight best leagues outside of the top five for shot-creating actions, progressive passes and passes attempted, as well as ranking in the top 11% for a pass completion and shots on goal.

The Argentine midfielder also made his debut World Cup appearance earlier today in the shocking 2-1 defeat to Saudi Arabia. Despite his nation suffering an embarrassing loss, he impressed in the center of the park, completing 100% of his crosses, winning six duels, and completing one tackle over his 31-minute performance, but it wasn’t enough to save his side.

Fernandez has been the recipient of the highest praise with former Porto coach Jose Peseiro comparing the young player to Zidane:

“(It is) absolutely surprising the level at which he plays, at only 21 years old,

“The best player I worked with was (Zinedine) Zidane, at Real Madrid. Of course, I don’t want to compare. But I’m talking about Enzo’s passing and surprising vision; a bit like Zidane.”

With that being said, there is no doubt that Liverpool will be watching the talented midfielder closely during his World Cup campaign with Argentina and a move for the player could be on the cards when the transfer market reopens. Based on his huge potential and statistics this season, however, why would be foolish not to sign him?

Be the first to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.


*