Liverpool won the Premier League last season.
Over the past decade, the Reds have gone from bad to good. And it is through a definitive estimate of their brilliance under Jurgen Klopp that they have been expected to compete for the greatest honor each year.
But that changed when Arne Slot arrived last summer. This relative unknown was expected to hang out in big old boots and drift like Flotsam. He couldn’t replace Klopp: Didn’t Liverpool want Xabi Alonso anyway?
The doubt is one of the first conditions that managers will be forced to deal with both externally and internally in the Premier League, but slots thrived through his maiden years as Anfield’s head coach who not only wins a top flight title but also blows the competition out of the water.
And he did it with minimal transfer investment, but that’s quite a bit. However, all this changed this summer. FSG is keen to strengthen its slot teams before the market deadline within two weeks.
Why Liverpool needs a left winger
If Liverpool completes ISAK’s statement deal this summer, the impressive Hugo Ekitique will always struggle to start at No. 9.
Both strikers are mobility men, and some say Ekitique’s pace and dynamism serves the role of the wing. But it’s not his natural sleeper.
In this respect, Liverpool was able to harness even more depth to even out the wrinkles of the team that won the slot title. It was a new season and now Liverpool is just like everyone else’s title challenger.
Slots should not ride on his own previous successful court sale. Instead, they must propose to FSG a plan to complete the Merseyside frontline, even if Federico Chiesa and the Reds are in harmony over their role in the Italian Anfield.
Isaac’s height and track record within the European game demands that his signature be a priority, but Liverpool also needs a left winger. Cody Gakupo is the only senior option that runs naturally from Bath.
Rionugmoha looks like a great talent, but excessive burdens on him this year can violate his hopes of reaching the ceiling. If the stars match, sports director Richard Hughes must sign an alternative.
Preparing for Late Bids for Liverpool’s New Winger
According to Anfield Watch, Liverpool was interested in signing Lyon Winger Malic Foffana this summer, opening a communication line with the French club when selling Tyler Morton in early August.
In fact, FSG’s desire to sign the left winger is separate from ISAK’s bid, and Liverpool feels he’s ready to hit a slow deal for Fofana and scouted him over the transfer period.
The Fofana signature, worth around £43 million, was achieved following sales of forwards like Diaz and Darwin Nunez, and arrived at Gakpo’s rivals for a left flank start spot.
What Marik Fofana brings to Liverpool
Gappo proved Friday evening that he was more than just a scorer. It’s not that we need to prove anything following a year of meteor advancement in the slot Liverpool system.
But the Dutch have his detractors. In search of a new winger like Real Madrid’s Rodrigo, his future is in the air, tied to his travels to Liverpool over the summer.
However, Rodrigo would cost something in the £86 million area and he was hoping it would start every week. With a rising prospect like Fofana, Slot will not find that problem at his desk, but rather will be able to work with the exciting talent that can run with Gakpo and Flux.
Faufana, 20, enjoys a start and start of ripping in French football, joining Jenk’s Lyon at the age of 18 last season, scoring 11 goals and supplying six more assists in 41 matches in all competitions.
Welcome with his “explosive” style play by analyst Ben Matinson, Fofana has been ranked in the top 11% of midfielders and wingers in Europe over the past year for scoring, with the top 3% of progressive carry per 90 being presented by FBREF.
Carries are considered progressive if the ball moves from the starting point towards the opponent’s goal at least 10 yards or more, or is carried into the penalty area.
Looking at this data, you can see a talented player in Fofana trying to blend his fast running and natural eyes for goals. In this way, he shares some of Gakpo’s strengths, but can actually surpass the Dutch star.
League Statistics 24/25 -Fofana vs Gakpo | ||
---|---|---|
Statistics (*per game) | head | Also |
Match (start) | 29 (16) | 35 (23) |
the goal | 5 | 10 |
assist | 4 | 4 |
Shot (target)* | 1.1 (0.5) | 1.6 (0.7) |
I missed a big opportunity | 4 | 6 |
Pass completed | 84% | 84% |
A big opportunity has been created | 6 | 11 |
Key Pass* | 0.9 | 1.1 |
dribble* | 0.8 | 0.9 |
Tackle* | 1.1 | 0.8 |
The duel won* | 2.9 | 3.1 |
Data based on sofa score |
Gakpo is more clinical and effective now, but it is promised to note that the fleet has already shown signs of prolific shooting, and that he is equally crisp and effective on the ball.
Given the need for depth at Liverpool more than this season, Slots should be hoping not only to defend his Premier League title, but also to make a claim to silverware.
He arrived at Merseyside without the weight of expectations that certain other transfer targets would bring, but Lyon’s winger can still add much to Redman’s cause, and even settle the starting anchorage of the left in the coming years.