Liverpool looked to be on the verge of signing Lyon attacking midfielder Nabil Fekir last week, but just a few hours later the French club announced on their official Twitter account that the 24-year-old would be staying.
The news will surely have come as an unexpected and big blow to the Merseyside outfit and manager Jurgen Klopp, who should sign an under-the-radar Premier League centre-back to partner Virgil van Dijk this summer, who looked set to complete their third big-name summer addition before the start of the World Cup following previous deals for Naby Keita and Fabinho, as they aim to hit the 2018/19 season running.
The question though, is what Klopp intends to do now a deal for Fekir looks to be officially dead in the water. There are some options to cover the attacking midfield position in his squad already, while he could look to sign an alternative. With that in mind, Football FanCast lay out three suggested solutions...
Solution A - Give Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain a chance
The 24-year-old was just starting to make a real impact in the starting XI for Liverpool when he picked up a serious injury against West Bromwich Albion in April that has kept him out of the 2018 World Cup, following a tough first few months at Anfield where he struggled in terms of performances which often saw him named on the substitutes' bench.
The Times reports that the England international hopes to be fit in time for the start of the 2018/19 campaign, and perhaps Klopp should give the former Arsenal and Southampton man a run in the team in the central attacking midfield position that Fekir would have otherwise occupied, alongside fellow new additions Fabinho and Keita.
Solution B - Play Roberto Firmino as a CAM and sign a new striker
The Brazil international enjoyed a sensational 2017/18 season for the Reds in a centre-forward position, and it was often his quality on and off the ball that allowed Mo Salah and Sadio Mane to shine as much as they did.
The unselfish 26-year-old scored 27 goals and provided a further 17 assists in 54 appearances in all competitions for the Reds, and with the creative ability he clearly has – as well as the fact that he likes to drop deep to get his foot on the ball – Klopp should consider pushing him back to a central attacking midfield position.
That would then allow the German to bring in a top-class centre-forward that would be a regular starter, rather than looking for a player that would be willing to be back-up to Firmino.
Solution C - Sign Hakim Ziyech
If Klopp does decide that he still wants a new body in the attacking midfield position to replace Philippe Coutinho and is willing to get someone that isn't Fekir, then Ajax's Hakim Ziyech should surely be near the top of his list.
The Morocco international has been known as an assist king in recent seasons following his remarkable record when it comes to key passes and assists, and he made 18 of the latter in 39 appearances in all competitions for the Eredivisie giants last term.
The 25-year-old can dribble, beat a player and has some tricks in his locker too, and he could be available for less than £30m – what's not to like?
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