Liverpool are in a improbable place, and although Arne Slot‘s facet shall be cautious of the title-chasing competitors within the Premier League, the six-point lead (with a recreation in hand) makes it Anfield’s to lose.
The 2024/25 marketing campaign has been contested towards the backdrop of contractual uncertainties: Virgil van Dijk has been coy; Mohamed Salah has sought to nudge reporters into portraying his narrative in his manner; the opposite, extra regarding, third of the issue is Trent Alexander-Arnold, who has been largely silent as Actual Madrid draw nearer to creating their transfer.
Elsewhere, FSG do must take care of the opposite exit-related points at Anfield, with a sure club-record signing seemingly reaching the top of the street.
Liverpool centre-forward conundrum
Darwin Nunez is two-and-a-half years into his Liverpool profession however nonetheless struggling to persuade Merseyside of his skill to guide Slot’s frontline.
Had been it not for the prolific success of his friends, the Uruguay worldwide’s plight would have acquired far heavier criticism, and it hasn’t precisely been a low-profile stint for him anyway.
It is a conundrum, to make certain. In actual fact, Liverpool bosses look like on the finish of their tether, with Football Insider already reporting this month that gives round £50m-£60m can be accepted for his sale.
Then you’ve got Diogo Jota. The Portugal ahead is considered one in every of Liverpool’s deadliest finishers, rating among the many prime 8% of forwards throughout Europe’s prime 5 leagues over the previous yr for objectives scored (0.67) per 90, as per FBref.
However Jota’s health report is hardly one thing for rivals to envy. He isn’t the long-term centre-forward resolution throughout 40 or 50 matches, season in, season out.
If Liverpool are going to extend their objective menace from quantity 9 and reduce the workload that Mohamed Salah has shouldered for thus a few years, sporting director Richard Hughes goes to wish to get it proper within the switch market.
Nunez has missed 50 large possibilities within the Premier League since arriving in July 2022, as per Sofascore, solely scoring 22 objectives in that timeframe. The Uruguayan striker is 25 now and never exhibiting the expansion that every one of a Liverpool persuasion would have anticipated.
It is no shock that FSG are perusing the marketplace for a substitute.
Liverpool main race for Nunez substitute
Anfield Watch have revealed that Stefanos Tzimas is on Liverpool’s radar and that the Reds are very ‘desirous to signal’ the PAOK ahead, who is flourishing on mortgage for FC Nurnberg within the 2. Bundesliga.
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PAOK have a precept settlement in place for Nurnberg to signal the 19-year-old completely for £15m in the summertime, however Liverpool have been knowledgeable that they’d safe {the teenager}’s signature for a £25m price. Bayern Munich are additionally however the Reds are firmly forward.
Additional experiences by Sky Sports Germany’s Florian Plettenberg on Monday point out that Liverpool ‘have began talks’ with the participant’s membership through a cellphone name a couple of days in the past.
Constructing on the Nunez rumours, it’s also been claimed that Saudi Professional League giants Al Hilal are interested by taking the Uruguayan off Slot’s fingers, thus liberating up room for a expertise similar to Tzimas to hitch the trigger.
What Stefanos Tzimas would carry to Liverpool
Salah has been Liverpool’s anchor level up entrance since becoming a member of Jurgen Klopp‘s trigger manner again in 2017, and although he might lengthen his contract, the 32-year-old will not be round eternally.
What Slot wants is an up-and-coming goalscorer who will go from power to power with every passing yr. Tzimas is that man, having already been hailed as a “monster in the making” by expertise scout Jacek Kulig.
|
Stefanos Tzimas: Profession Stats so Far |
|||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Membership/stage |
Apps |
Objectives |
Assists |
|
PAOK |
30 |
5 |
1 |
|
Nurnberg |
15 |
8 |
2 |
|
PAOK U19 |
11 |
5 |
0 |
|
PAOK B |
10 |
7 |
3 |
|
Stats through Transfermarkt |
|||
His keep within the German second division appears to be paying dividends in relation to his improvement, with the 19-year-old having scored eight objectives throughout 14 appearances for the 11-placed facet this time period, beginning solely ten of these fixtures and lacking 11 large possibilities, as per Sofascore, which is not all that unhealthy when noting Nunez’s aforementioned profligacy.
Provided that Liverpool can be signing him after sharpening his instruments in Germany, Tzimas might be Slot’s very personal model of Roberto Firmino.
Tzimas ranks among the many prime 5% of forwards throughout divisions ranked beneath Europe’s prime 5 leagues for objectives scored, the highest 1% for progressive carries and profitable take-ons and the highest 18% for tackles per 90, as per FBref.
A profitable take-on is recorded when a participant beats their opponent by straight carrying the ball previous them whereas retaining possession.
There isn’t any query that he is greater than only a goalscorer, and certainly, this might be precisely what Liverpool must emulate their triumphant Firmino signing.
Bobby Dazzler wasn’t actually a goalscorer, not with Salah and Sadio Mane flanking him. The Brazil star operated in a singular and false-nineish realm that allowed him to tug strings with suave flicks and clever passes. He was additionally a dogged defender, a part of the sport that Tzimas seemingly enjoys too.
Defensive striker and all that, however Firmino posted 186 goal contributions throughout 362 appearances for the Reds, successful all the pieces on provide (barring that pesky Europa League trophy) and taking place as a contemporary membership legend.
It generally seems like Nunez has among the parts wanted to succeed as a quantity 9, tenacious and proficient and keen to get caught in defensively, however he is not acquired the temperament in entrance of objective. Anfield icon Robbie Fowler even stated that he is “not a Liverpool participant” earlier than Slot’s facet took on Accrington Stanley within the FA Cup. Nunez missed an incredible probability in that one.
With the likes of Jota and Luis Diaz starring for Liverpool, a rising prospect similar to Tzimas might actually be signed and nurtured to the fore over the approaching years. Maybe he can develop into the best central ahead since Firmino, eclipsing Nunez.
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