Jermaine Pennant tells Liverpool to sign Inter Milan’s Nicolo Barella
Liverpool FC’s problems in holding midfield are as clear as daylight. Our recent attempts to lure Moises Caicedo and Romeo Lavia ended up in both of them choosing to join Chelsea instead of the Reds. That means that the Reds need to address that issue. In context to that, former Liverpool winger Jermaine Pennant told the Reds to get on board Nicolo Barella.
Speaking to bettingsites.co.uk via ECHO, here is what he said:
“I’d like to see Liverpool bring in Nicolo Barella from Inter Milan. He looks a really good player in that holding position as well.”
“Another player I’d like to see brought in is Khephren Thuram from Nice, he looks a wonderful player and is a similar age to Moises Caicedo and Romeo Lavia. I’d be excited about him. There’s some good options.”
Obviously, losing out on two long-chased targets would hurt the Reds to some extent. However, the price tags for these players mean that the Reds could reinvest that amount in securing the services of any other midfielder with a great track record of success. Barella, in that respect, fits the bill better than most.
Players like Barella are paramount when it comes to controlling the tempo of the game. Although he plays the Thiago kind of role on the right side of central midfield for Inter, his profile, passing range and could mean that he could easily adapt in a midfield trio alongside Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai.
As we saw in the game against Chelsea, the likes of Cody Gakpo cannot do what James Milner or Jordan Henderson did. We were much better in phases in that game when Curtis Jones came on for the Dutchman, indicating the serious need for another actual starting quality midfielder.
It is true that the Reds have their options wide open. The only thing we do not have on our hands is time. Could’ve argued for the lack of investment as well, but our bid of £110m for Moises Caicedo speaks otherwise. We could buy a midfielder, a centre-back and return with change. No situation is better than that for the Reds.
Barella is 26 and in the prime of his footballing career. If he moves to the Reds and puts up his best football in a Liverpool jersey, the up-and-coming talent from the youth squads can learn so much from him and obviously, Thiago and take the torch over in the long-term.
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Only time will tell whether Liverpool will heed Jermaine Pennant’s counsel and make a move for Nicolo Barella. While securing the services of a player of his calibre may not be straightforward, the investments would surely be worth it. His current deal with Inter expires in 2026 (Transfermarkt).
