Liverpool is still undoubtedly in the hunt for more silverware this season, despite the rush to write the team off. But if Jürgen Klopp’s side is to give its manager the ultimate goodbye, there’s an argument that it will be in spite of the finishing, not because of it.
With a hat-tip to Andrew Beasley, after Newcastle’s win over Spurs yesterday, the Magpies moved on to the same number of league goals this season (excluding own goals) as Liverpool. That’s despite the Reds taking 179 more shots.
Whoever replaces Klopp will certainly want to address this profligacy. Whether it’s a tactical issue, a problem of personnel or simply a bad run of finishing luck, perhaps only time will tell, but it has certainly invited scrutiny on the front line.
Already, it was earmarked as an area where at least one more recruit might be needed, with Mohamed Salah the wrong side of 30 and sure to attract more interest from Saudi Arabia in the summer. And sure enough, the gossip columns currently seem to think that Liverpool will target a new winger — and while Salah is the one who needs a medium-term heir, one target has also drawn a comparison to former forward Sadio Mané.
Meanwhile, another potential transfer target can play on either side of the front three, and could be particularly appealing if Rúben Amorim becomes the new manager. Here is the Liverpool.com verdict on the transfer gossip to emerge around the Reds today.
Liverpool has seen an explosion of links with Sporting players, despite the fact that Amorim has actually distanced himself from links with Klopp’s job. The manager insisted recently that his ‘cycle’ with the Lisbon outfit was not yet finished.
In fairness, links to center-back pair Gonçalo Inácio and Ousmane Diomande actually predate the Amorim rumors, and it’s very possible that Liverpool could be targeting Sporting talent regardless of the identity of the new manager. After all, on the brink of a second league title in four years, the players are bound to attract covetous glances.
The latest rumor concerns Marcus Edwards in the front line. A Spurs academy product, the Englishman has been in Portugal since 2019, joining Sporting from Vitória de Guimarães in 2022.
Experienced on either flank, the 25-year-old has six goals and eight assists in all competitions this season. And Football Insider claims that Liverpool would see an offer accepted if it lodged a bid of $37m (£30m/€35m).
Liverpool.com says: Edwards’ goal involvements are nothing to write home about, but looking at the expected assists tells a different story. While the finishing of his teammates has been letting him down on occasion, the winger is averaging 0.41 xA per 90 minutes, fractionally more than the notoriously creative Salah.
Of course, the criticism of the Liverpool attack lately has centered around finishing, so buying another creator would raise eyebrows to a certain extent. But in the modern game, the quoted price is pretty reasonable.
Looking further afield, Liverpool could turn to the South American market to source a new winger. But it is not the only team casting admiring eyes towards Grêmio forward Gustavo Nunes.
In fact, according to Fichajes, all three of the Premier League title-chasers are paying attention to Nunes. Leading the way is Manchester City, supported by its City Football Group infrastructure, but Arsenal and Liverpool are also both showing an interest.
While the need to eventually replace Salah is mentioned, the report also claims that Liverpool is still on the lookout for someone like Mané, and that Nunes could fit the role. He is viewed as a possible ‘rising star’.
Liverpool.com says: One of the traditional benefits of shopping in the South American markets is getting in before prices truly balloon. If Liverpool, Manchester City and Arsenal really are all already on the case of Nunes, he’s unlikely to come cheaply.
That may well have been the case anyway, with Grêmio one of the most established teams in Brazil. Perhaps this would be one way for FSG to dip its toe into the waters of a relatively unfamiliar market without quite as much risk attached, but it would have to be ready to pay up — and that’s assuming it could win the race.
