It’s no longer blips, Liverpool are bleeding since the start of the year. Their 2-0 defeat to Hull City on Saturday saw them slipping out of the top four and no longer are on the coattails of table toppers Chelsea.
This is not the Liverpool that breezed past their opponents with sheer attacking mojo. The gulf in squad depth between them and other title contenders have shown itself. Their defensive line seems to be shackled with needless errors and goals have dried up severely up front. Jurgen Klopp is keen to fix the latter issue in the summer by securing the services of Bayer Leverkusen attacker Julian Brandt.
According to ESPN (via Calciomercato), the young German is at the peak of Klopp’s wish list for the upcoming transfer window. The Merseyside club are reportedly weighing up a £20 million offer for the 20-year-old, who has been establishing a name as one of the country’s brightest prospects. He has already scored 2 goals and laid on 6 assists so far this term. The latter quality does highlight his decision-making prowess.
Despite the Liverpool manager trying to mishmash the attacking trident, they seem to have left their arsenal at the locker room. This issue was severely felt when Mane was absent for a month when he represented Senegal in the Africa Cup of Nations. Adam Lallana’s rebranding as a winger and heavily drifting Roberto Firmino across the final third has been fruitless. Therefore, the maths is pretty simple for the former Borussia Dortmund boss – sign an all-out winger with a requisite quality of playing behind a striker too.
Which is where Brandt fits in. The German attacker brings pace and creativity to either flank which most defenders fail to keep up with. Another attribute that easily catches the eyes is his towering and strong physique, which is always a plus point to feature in England’s top flight. Picturizing he and Mane providing width for Firmino, while Phillippe Coutinho pulling the string behind his compatriot is simply mouth-watering.
On the other hand, rumours emerged last month that the Reds would be able to pry Brandt away from Germany for much lesser money due to a buy-out clause sandwiched within his current deal that could be activated in the summer. Having not spent a penny in the winter window and somewhat making a profit in summer, Klopp can easily convince the owners to splash the cash early to fend off any competition at the end of the campaign.
Klopp certainly offers a pulling power but other crucial boxes need to be checked by Brandt too if he sets his mind to leave Leverkusen. Notable points include wages and Champions League qualification, where both have turned out to be a bane than a boon in recent windows.
Do you think Klopp should sign Julian Brandt?
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