Liverpool are eyeing a young, exciting talent to return the club to winning ways this January, and could be set to make a move in the coming weeks...
What’s the word?
According to reports stemming from Spain, Reds boss Jurgen Klopp is among the admirers of Valencia’s USMNT star Yunus Musah, with the German seemingly wanting Liverpool to bring him back to England.
Indeed, the midfielder has impressed both for club and country since being released from Arsenal’s academy at just 16-years-old.
Having failed to make a senior appearance for the Gunners, the 20-year-old maestro signed for his current Spanish outfit in 2019, since making 84 appearances, scoring five goals and providing three assists.
With Liverpool registering interest in the American last month, making contact with Valencia over his availability, according to 90min, a move might come to fruition in the coming weeks, however, a stumbling block might arise in the player’s reported £86m release clause.
Imagine him & Salah
Musah earned acclaim for his exploits at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, dictating the play for USMNT despite his tender years and inexperience at a major international tournament.
As per Sofascore, he completed 87% of his passes and made 0.8 key plays per outing, impressing as he exhibited his assurance and ball-playing prowess.
His industrious nature was also on display, highlighted by the 2.0 tackles and 0.5 interceptions made per match, with the ace also winning possession 1.0 times each game.
With Liverpool floundering for form, sitting sixth in the Premier League with only 28 points from 17 outings, and lacking stability and vibrancy from head to toe, a young, exciting starlet such as Musah could go a long way towards injecting some life into the depleted Anfield ranks.
His tendency to surge forwards and instigate positive manoeuvres is an arresting element to his game, and one that Klopp will lick his lips over when considering the skills that Musah would wield within his system.
As per FBref, he ranks within the top 6% of midfielders across Europe's best five leagues for dribbles completed, the top 11% for progressive passes received, and the top 21% for touches in the attacking penalty area, indicating his presence on the pitch lingers in dangerous territory for his opponents.
His set of skills could merge wonderfully with that of Mohamed Salah, whose direct, incisive approach from the right flank could run rings around defenders with both phenoms ploughing into the area and firing with a multi-faceted approach.
Salah ranks within the top 1% for touches in the attacking penalty area and 2% for progressive passes received, when compared to attacking midfielders and wingers over the past year.
Having scored 173 goals for Liverpool and 69 assists since arriving from AS Roma for £34m in 2017, Salah has been nothing short of a sensation, and his all-encompassing aura would bounce off Musah’s, with the dynamic duo unearthing goals and assists in abundance.
Musah’s national team head coach Gregg Berhalter once lauded his prodigy for his “crazy” abilities and his work as the “connector” for his team, orchestrating the play with aplomb.
With Klopp in dire need of fresh vitality in the team, Musah might be the man to lead from the centre over the coming years.