European giants Bayern Munich have shown Liverpool how to proceed when serious transfer needs need to be addressed in the final month of the summer transfer window at Anfield.
On Wednesday, Liverpool faced Bayern Munich in a pre-season friendly in Singapore, which ended up appearing on the left side of a seven-goal thriller, if such a word can be used. used for a non-competitive match.
Bayern’s starting line-up includes their star signing of the summer so far – midfielder Kim Min-jae, who signed a $55m (£43m/€50m) deal after when helping Napoli win Serie A last season.
He joined Dayot Upamecano, a $47m (£37m/€43m) deal from RB Leipzig in 2021, and was replaced in the second half by title-winning Matthijs de Ligt. $74m (£58m/€67m) came from Juventus 12 months ago. You can already see the pattern emerging here.
In total, Bayern have made six major signings at centre-back in the past five summer transfer windows, if you include 2019 arrivals Lucas Hernández (bought for $88m/£69m). /80 million euros at Atlético Madrid) and Benjamin Pavard (a player worth 39 million pounds). 30 million/€35 million from Stuttgart), both can play in the center of defense as well as at full-back. The combined fees for these transactions amounted to $303 million.
Yes, there are also some premium releases in the meantime. Hernández himself left earlier this summer to join Paris Saint-Germain, a year after Niklas Süle shocked the world with a move to Bundesliga rivals Borussia Dortmund. Summer 2021 sees former mainstays David Alaba and Jérôme Boateng leave Real Madrid and Lyon respectively, while Mats Hummels returns to Dortmund. The important point, however, is that Bayern have completely refreshed that part of the squad, something that Liverpool have failed to do in recent years.
Since the Reds broke the centre-back transfer record to sign Virgil van Dijk from Southampton for $96m (£75m/€87m) in January 2018, $46m (£36m) euros) pound/42 million euros) Leipzig’s Ibrahima Konaté was the only major signing. in the post. Ben Davies and Ozan Kabak are enlisted in the winter of 2021 as emergencies, but the former has never kicked a competition ball and the latter will return to parent club Schalke at the end of the season. after Liverpool decided not to exercise the buy option. . \
Now the club are in dire need of a new centre-back before the end of the transfer window, as last season three of their top four picks struggled from their usual form (with the exception of Konaté). ), and three out of four can be considered prone-injury (except Van Dijk).
What’s particularly frustrating is that it was the same neglect that led to troubles in midfield last year. Between 2018 transfers to Leipzig’s Naby Keïta and Monaco’s Fabinho, Thiago was the only permanent addition to midfield, and Liverpool paid the price for that in 2022/23 as a generation Players are aging, injured, exhausted and constantly poorly adjusted. overwhelmed.
Well, Liverpool don’t necessarily have to be able to afford the spending that matches Bayern within the confines of the FSG transfer model – the Bavarians are responsible for four of the 25 most expensive centre-back transfers in football history. kicks and 3 of the top 12 transfers – but he could certainly have prevented the current situation from happening with Konaté’s many more signings at a much more reasonable price. Much of the club’s budget should be devoted to this area. Yes, few fans call for a defensive boost in peak years like 2021/22, but a forward-thinking club should not rest on their laurels. Liverpool have been revered for their transfer plans for many years, but lately they have been more passive than proactive in some areas, only dealing with certain problems when no other option was left. Last year, he paid the price, both in defense and in midfield, although to balance he was praised for his forward rejuvenation.
Now, with less than a month to go until the transfer window and with no clear solution at a fair price, Liverpool still have a lot of work to do. Needing at least one more centre-back and defender, it would be a mistake not to fix these areas first.
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Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp ‘still working hard to sign’ another midfielder apart from Romeo Lavia
Liverpool head coach Jurgen Klopp is eyeing another midfielder to sign in addition to their move for Southampton star Romeo Lavia.
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp could sign a fourth midfielder this summer even if Romeo Lavia eventually arrives from Southampton as the Red Devils look to complete their squad transition. The German coach has seen five midfielders leave this summer, with the departures of Jordan Henderson and Fabinho leaving gaps in his squad, and reports in Germany suggest Klopp is watching consider another deal before the season begins.
Klopp brought in Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai for a total of £115m from Brighton and RB Leipzig respectively. He desperately wanted to bring Lavia in to infuse a bit of youth into her aging side.
Naby Keita, James Milner and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain are all free transfers at the end of June, meaning there’s plenty of room to add to Klopp’s squad ahead of the season.
His current picks apart from Mac Allister and Szoboszlai are Thiago Alcantara, Curtis Jones, Harvey Elliot and Stefan Bajcetic.
And after deciding to sell captains Henderson and Fabinho to Saudi clubs Al-Ettifaq and Al-Ittihad, the 55-year-old has returned to the market to buy two more players to strengthen his footing. his squad.
The Reds’ interest in Lavia has been well documented, with two offers already rejected for the 19-year-old Belgian. Southampton are not under pressure to sell and are holding on to a £50m valuation for the former Manchester City academy graduate, while Chelsea are also monitoring his situation.
And as they continue to discuss a fee with the Championship team, Liverpool are set to launch a move for Ryan Gravenberch. According to the Bayern Insider podcast, relayed by Voetbal Primeur, the midfielder is still open to leaving this summer.
Gravenberch joined Ajax in a £20m deal last summer but has only made three starts in the Bundesliga, with 21 substitute appearances showing his role as a backup under the spell. Julian Nagelsmann and Thomas Tuchel.
The report adds that Klopp is a huge fan of the 21-year-old and believes he can reach his full potential at Anfield after a disappointing debut season in Germany.
He took a closer look at the midfield after playing 30 minutes in the 4-3 loss to the Bavarian giants on Wednesday.
Ultimately, the final decision will rest with Bayern Munich as they consider keeping him in the team, loaning him or a permanent transfer.
Gravenberch has made a public appeal for more first-team appearances at Bayern this season and hinted that he could be looking for a new club if he doesn’t get a guarantee of test time. fight.
“I was expecting to play more minutes than I did. I thought I would have more chances. It’s just wanting to play, that’s the most important thing at my age,” he said. declare.
“I hope it will be at Bayern – otherwise we will have to look further. I want to play, but the manager chooses other players. I have to accept it, but it’s hard.
“I was hoping to play more but I had to stay calm. I told everyone I don’t want another year like this. Of course you can’t always be in the starting XI, but you can always play regularly – you can win a lot of minutes.”
