There are several reasons for the regression of the Liverpool team in 2025/26. Admittedly, Arne Slott hasn’t been able to elicit the same kind of form from the Reds side as he did last season, and he deserves some criticism for that.
However, Mohamed Salah has not raced in his final season at Anfield and Alexander Isak has barely kicked a ball due to various injury issues.
Much was expected of this season’s transfer window, with the signings of Hugo Ekitike, Florian Wirtz, Jeremy Frimpong and Milos Kerkes, as well as the arrival of Isak.
But the team that wins in the window rarely lights up the world. It’s a strange curse.
So I’m hoping for a Liverpool perspective here that next term will be better. One of the priorities is signing a replacement for Salah, but midfield is also an increasingly serious problem.
Liverpool could sign big-money midfielder from Premier League
Yann Diomande appears to be the first choice to replace Salah on the right side of the attack in the slot, while Adam Wharton is one of the priorities in midfield.
Reports last month suggested the Reds were already in advanced talks to bring the Crystal Palace midfielder to Merseyside. But that path has cooled in recent weeks.
Wharton is an incredible talent and is widely expected to leave Selhurst Park this month, with interest also coming from Manchester United.
Another Premier League midfielder on Liverpool’s radar is West Ham United’s Matheus Fernandes, who is set to leave the London Stadium regardless of whether Nuno Santo’s side avoid relegation.
According to TEAMtalk this weekend, the Anfield outfit are one of several teams to have opened early talks with the Hammers regarding Fernandes.
They point out that Liverpool, Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester City have all made “inquiries” about his status in recent weeks. However, they will also face competition from Champions League finalists PSG.
West Ham are valuing the Portuguese midfielder at £70m, so making this deal will not be cheap.
Why Fernandez is a better contract than Wharton
Wharton is one of England’s best midfielders. Not only that, he is one of the best players the Premier League has to offer.
At 22 years old, his growth over the past few years has been nothing short of amazing. Having starred in the Championship with Blackburn Rovers, he is now a force to be reckoned with in the top flight at Crystal Palace.
He is one of our most impressive deep midfielders and will add a lot to Liverpool’s engine room. The way he avoids the press is amazing. His passes easily break the line. In fact, he ranks within the top 1% of through balls for midfielders in Europe’s top five leagues, a metric that supports the point we just made.
However, Fernandes boasts an all-around game that rivals perhaps the greatest midfielder in the league right now. Declan Rice.
Those pairs are the definition of “ground eaters.” According to the data, Rice and Fernandes are the two best players in the Premier League this season in that regard. No other player has a higher ratio of progressive carry distance to turnovers per carry. For those who may be a little confused about what this means, it’s how much forward ground a player can gain by dribbling before losing the ball.
He’s had a great career and is a progressive on the ball, but the important thing is how different he is from Wharton.
Wharton vs Fernandes: 2025/26 Premier League | ||
|---|---|---|
Statistics (per 90 minutes) | wharton | Fernandes |
the goal | 0 | 0.1 |
shot | 0.6 | 0.5 |
assist | 0.2 | 0.1 |
An opportunity has arisen | 1.5 | 1.1 |
Take-up completed | 0.6 | 1.0 |
Successful take-up | 51% | 61% |
won a duel | 5.0 | 6.1 |
intercept | 0.9 | 1.1 |
Number of balls collected | 5.8 | 5.5 |
Well, Wharton is a slightly better passer, but when it comes to winning duels and getting around guys on take-ons, Fernandez is much better and can’t be beat compared to Rice.
He may only have 0.4 more take-ons per 90 minutes than Wharton, but the efficiency and regularity with which he gets past players is astonishing. He completes take-takes over 60% of the time. It’s very difficult for anyone to take the ball away from him.
That should be music to the ears of supporters and Slott for a Liverpool team currently relying on Alexis Mac Allister in a similar position. This season, the Argentine has completed just 0.4 take-ons per 90 attempts, while his overall success rate is just 40%, well below both Wharton and Fernandes.
Both would be great signings for the Reds, but given Fernandes’ ability to drive the game forward, he should be the best option here. He is an elite player on the rise, a midfielder that football writer Joost van der Rey believes is already a “superstar”.
He’s ‘world class’: Liverpool in talks to upgrade Mac Allister with £50m deal
Liverpool are preparing for another summer with radical changes in the transfer market.
