Liverpool still have a top-five finish, FA Cup and Champions League place in their sights, but Arne Slott may already have his sights set on the upcoming summer transfer window.
Last month, it was reported that the Reds were in talks to potentially sign Adam Wharton from Crystal Palace to strengthen the club’s options in the center of the park.
Heading into the summer, the Eagles are said to value the England international at around £82 million, but it remains to be seen whether Liverpool are prepared to pay that price.
Wharton has the highest percentage of passes deemed line-break passes in the entire Premier League (22.6%), ahead of the likes of Rodri, Andrei Santos and Bruno Guimarães.
Interestingly, however, Curtis Jones ranks ninth in the league in 90 completed line-break passes (6.81), below Wharton’s 7.05, so the Palace star could be in his place.
Why Curtis Jones is struggling with lack of playing time
The Liverpool academy product has only started 11 of his 25 Premier League appearances so far this season, despite his incredible speed and ability to deliver line-breaking passes.
That may be because the rest of his game isn’t at a high enough level to justify him becoming a regular starter on a team that wants to compete for the biggest trophies every season.
In this season’s Premier League, Jones has lost 51% of his matches and has only contributed one goal in 25 appearances, showing that he has not been able to make a significant impact either defensively or offensively.
25/26PL | jones | wharton |
|---|---|---|
Appearance | twenty five | 26 |
A big opportunity has arisen | 3 | 11 |
assist | 1 | 5 |
Tackles made per game | 1.0 | 2.3 |
Interceptions per game | 0.3 | 0.9 |
Duels won per match | 2.7 | 4.5 |
Aerial duel success rate | 28% | 47% |
Wharton offers much more to Palace than just line-breaking passes in the middle of the park. The left-footed star wins many tackles and duels, helps the team defensively and at the same time shows great creativity.
Despite Jones scoring in Friday night’s FA Cup win over Wolves, there isn’t enough substance to his game at the moment and Slott needs more strings to his bow to make it impossible for him to leave Jones out of the squad.
Possible end to Liverpool academy star Curtis Jones
Instead of paying a whopping £100m to sign Wharton from Crystal Palace in the summer transfer window, Slott could end Jones’ career at Anfield by releasing the academy teenager instead.
17-year-old star Haydn Murray-Holm is currently shining for Liverpool’s Under-18s at academy level and could become a future first-team star if the Dutch head coach gives him a path.
With the likes of Lio Ngmoha and Trey Nyoni joining the first team this season, the teenage midfielder will get a chance to show off his qualities if Slott believes he is good enough to make the squad.
Murray Holm could be a slot version of Wharton in midfield and could contribute to the side with more all-round play than Jones currently offers in the first team.
Analyst Bence Boxak described the 17-year-old star as follows: “One of the best line-breaking midfielders in the U18 Premier League this season,” he said, claiming the England treasure reminded him of Wharton. Like Palace’s star player, Murray-Holm doesn’t just provide his team with line-breaking passes. The teenage star has made 19 appearances in the U18 Premier League this season, scoring one goal and providing six assists.
Most assists in the U18 Premier League in the 25/26 season | |
|---|---|
player (club) | assist |
Sam Pinnington (Newcastle) | 6 |
Jack McGrath (Villa) | 6 |
Indiana Pedder (Ipswich) | 6 |
Charlie Stewart (Everton) | 6 |
Tyrone Samba (Man City) | 6 |
Haydn Murray-Holm (Liverpool) | 5 |
Finn Inglethorpe (Liverpool) | 5 |
Only five players have assisted more goals than the Liverpool youngster in this competition, and he is the only defensive midfielder or defender among the top 23 players with the most assists in his division.
This suggests Jones has the potential to provide even more creative quality than he currently offers in the Premier League, considering the England international has recorded just one assist and no goals in 25 games this season.
Murray-Home has line-breaking passing ability and creative qualities and could become a Wharton-like figure in Liverpool’s midfield if he steps up to the first team.
It is now up to Slott to offer the youngster the chance to stake out a place in the team, which could see the teenage star end Jones’ Anfield career. This is because by playing ahead of next season, there is a possibility that he will be able to get even more playing time.
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