The World Cup may be in full swing in the United States, Canada and Mexico, but the transfer window news cycle churns on. This week brought news of big fees being spent: Tottenham Hotspur signed Matheus Fernandes of West Ham United and are closing in on Sandro Tonali at Newcastle United, at a combined cost of £185 million. Those moves follow Manchester City's £116 million deal for Elliot Anderson from Nottingham Forest. It is clear that a new midfielder costs a pretty penny in the modern era, especially for well-heeled English clubs.
Do Liverpool Need a Central Midfielder?
So, with that in mind, do Liverpool really need a central midfielder this summer? Is there someone they must break the bank for, or should they use funds elsewhere to improve the squad? The ECHO's Liverpool writers assess the situation.
Paul Gorst: Midfield Market Madness
The midfielder market has become the Premier League's latest craze. Not content with making Elliot Anderson another member of the exclusive £100 million player club, English football's spendthrift nature has now seen Sandro Tonali become the eighth person to exchange hands for a nine-figure fee. Anderson (now a Manchester City player) and Tonali (closing in on a move to Tottenham) will join Liverpool duo Florian Wirtz and Alexander Isak, Chelsea pair Moises Caicedo and Enzo Fernandez, Arsenal's Declan Rice, and Manchester City's Jack Grealish as £100 million players. In fairness, Tonali's move from Newcastle to Spurs will only make him a £100 million man if his £7.5 million worth of add-ons are unlocked, but at that level, what's a few million to quibble over?
It is increasingly obvious that the Premier League's biggest clubs are comfortable spending upwards of £100 million on players they think will significantly improve the side. Never has that been more apparent than with Spurs—a side with successive 17th-place finishes—splashing out this week. It is an enormous fee for a club without Champions League revenue. Throw in the £85 million deal for Matheus Fernandes from relegated West Ham United, and it is obvious that midfielders now carry a remarkable premium. With respect to Anderson, Tonali and Fernandes—all fine players—no club is signing a prime Steven Gerrard this summer. They are not even getting a Frank Lampard. What price might a modern-day Roy Keane or Patrick Vieira fetch? The mind boggles.
Recent trends show that big clubs are now expected—and willing—to pay big money for midfielders. But at a time when the Reds have other, more pressing concerns, is targeting someone for the engine room a prudent use of resources? Mohamed Salah still needs replacing, and that is before we even get into what else might be needed in the forward areas given the uncertainty around Federico Chiesa's future. A right-back is a must, and a centre-half might be desirable too. So a mega-money central midfielder right now feels like it would take a huge chunk out of the transfer budget at the wrong time. A lot will surely centre around the future of Curtis Jones, who is wanted by Inter and Nottingham Forest with just a year left on his deal. If Andoni Iraola can instead find a way to get Ryan Gravenberch and Alexis Mac Allister purring again, a new midfielder might not rank as highly on the agenda. That, right now, feels like the most realistic way to upscale the midfield before the start of the season.
Ian Doyle: Defensive Midfielder Needed
Even before the Premier League title was secured in April last year, there was a nagging suspicion about the Liverpool team under Arne Slot. The midfield wasn't quite right. That was seen during the away leg of the Champions League round of 16 clash against Paris Saint-Germain and then the League Cup final defeat to Newcastle United at Wembley. Two issues became clear: a lack of mobility and physicality. At the time, it could easily have been seen as just the effects of an arduous season catching up on an engine room that was rarely rotated.
But last season demonstrated there was a bit more to it. Slot recognised the need for change but instead ended up making the midfield less robust by not only bringing in Florian Wirtz as the number 10 to help unpick opponents but then asking Ryan Gravenberch to play in a more progressive role from the double pivot. Alexis Mac Allister, who was dealing with his own fitness issues, couldn't cope with the added defensive workload, and the Reds became far too easy to play through, not least given neither of the other chief options, Dominik Szoboszlai and Curtis Jones, would claim to be a regular number six. True, Wataru Endo can. But he wasn't overly used by Slot and in any case spent a large part of last season injured.
That perhaps exposed what Liverpool need—a proper defensive midfielder to better protect the back four and allow the other midfielders to flourish. New head coach Andoni Iraola consistently used one in his 4-2-3-1 set-up at Bournemouth, so it would be a surprise if that isn't replicated by the Spaniard. Liverpool, though, have a lot of midfielders in their squad right now and can't really afford another one. Perhaps only if one or more of the current members are moved on—and Jones continues to look the most likely—will the Reds consider making a move. The last 15 months suggest a defensive midfielder is needed.
Mark Jones: Spend Big on Wings
To briefly look to England for inspiration, you saw in their laboured win over Congo just how important it is to have good options in wide attacking areas. Thomas Tuchel started with Noni Madueke and Marcus Rashford in Atlanta, and when those two tired he brought on Bukayo Saka and Anthony Gordon, the latter of whom made a big impact and helped change the game. Liverpool, of course, had very little in those areas in the season just gone, and with the departure of Mohamed Salah they've now got even less. But such players don't come cheap.
All of which is to say that it is the wings where the Reds need to spend big this summer, and that means the incredibly inflated midfield market is not somewhere they can afford to shop. Elliot Anderson, Sandro Tonali, Mateus Fernandes, Adam Wharton, Alex Scott—they're all good players, but with the possible exception of Tonali, are they ever going to thrill you and get you off your seat? The market for them is madness. Liverpool have good midfielders at the club already, and hopefully Dominik Szoboszlai, Ryan Gravenberch, Alexis Mac Allister and Curtis Jones can all step up a level from last season. Trey Nyoni has a big immediate future too. Hopefully he sticks around. One more could come in, especially if Wataru Endo leaves, but how about unearthing a rough diamond instead of paying an exorbitant fee? There are tons of footballers out there, and Liverpool have scouts all around the world. Time to earn your crust.
