Klopp could unlock Szoboszlai in Liverpool swoop for £39m “one-man army”

Liverpool decided to overhaul their midfield options over the course of the summer transfer window as a host of players moved in and out of Anfield.

Jurgen Klopp allowed the likes of Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, James Milner, Naby Keita, Fabinho, and Jordan Henderson to all depart, either on free transfers or permanent deals.

This opened up space for the Reds to revamp their squad in that area of the pitch and they moved to sign Dominik Szoboszlai, Ryan Gravenberch, Alexis Mac Allister, and Wataru Endo.

Their work in the transfer market has paid off so far as Klopp’s side are second in the Premier League after 17 games and are set to play Fulham in the semi-finals of the League Cup next month.

However, this does not appear to be the end of their midfield changes as the Reds are reportedly eyeing up a number of players in that position to bolster their squad in 2024.

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A report from CaughtOffside has revealed that Liverpool have held internal discussions over their plans for next year and that the defence and midfield are their priorities at this moment in time.

The outlet has claimed that they are interested in a deal for Portugal international Joao Palhinha, from Premier League rivals Fulham, and that it would cost the club a fee within the region of £40m to secure his services, whilst Bayern Munich are also in the race for his signature.

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The Anfield side could be set to revisit a deal for one of their summer targets.

It has also been stated that OGC Nice star Khephren Thuram and Borussia Monchengladbach prospect Manu Kone are also on the club’s shortlist of midfield targets.

However, it does not specify whether Liverpool are looking to bring in another midfielder during the upcoming January transfer window or if they are prepared to wait until the end of the season to swoop in on their targets.

Sky Sports Germany reporter Florian Plettenberg claimed in October that Kone will be allowed to move on from Gladbach next month if the right offer comes in.

His current valuation is said to be up to €45m (£39m) and this means that he would be ever so slightly cheaper than Palhinha in January.

Plettenberg stated that the central midfielder would like to take the next step in his career by next summer at the latest and Bayern Munich were named as one of the clubs eyeing him up.

The German journalist reported at the time that there were no talks or discussions over a possible move to Liverpool but this latest article from CaughtOffside suggests that they could be in the race to land the young gem’s services.

If Klopp can secure a deal to sign Kone from Gladbach in January then it could go a long way to finally unlocking the best of Szoboszlai in a Liverpool shirt.

The Reds would have a fantastic combative number six who can constantly cut out opposition attacks whilst also being able to progress the ball forward to his teammates.

Manu Kone’s style of play

The 21-year-old battler is a ball-winning midfielder who likes to get stuck in to win possession back for his side on a regular basis in the middle of the park.

However, that does not mean that he is not talented on the ball as the French whiz also has the ability to drive his team up the pitch through carries and passes.

Defensively, Kone is an outstanding number six who currently ranks within the top 13% of midfielders in the Men’s Big Five Leagues and European competitions over the last 365 days for tackles (2.80) and the top 24% for blocks (1.44) per 90.

The £39m-rated ace also ranks within the top 35% of his positional peers for interceptions (1.17) per 90 and these statistics show that he is an above-average performer in several key defensive metrics.

Kone is also able to make an impact on the ball as he is within the top 12% of midfielders for both progressive carries (2.53) and successful take-ons (2.43) per 90. He also ranks within the top 22% with his pass success rate of 87.1% over the last 365 days.

The former Toulouse whiz, who has made 5.3 ball recoveries per match in the Bundesliga this season, has the quality to make an impression at both ends of the pitch.

The statistics that show there is more to come from Szoboszlai

Kone’s attributes in midfield could help Klopp to finally get the best out of Szoboszlai from an attacking perspective as it would provide Liverpool with a strong defensive midfielder who can also progress the ball to the talented attacking players.

Whereas, Wataru Endo currently ranks below average for progressive carries (0.99), tackles (1.92), and interceptions (0.85) per 90 in the Men’s Big Five Leagues and European competitions over the last 365 days for the Reds and Stuttgart combined.

This suggests that the Gladbach star would offer more in and out of possession to allow the Hungary international to focus more on what he can do in the final third.

Szoboszlai has racked up two goals and two assists in 17 Premier League games – one goal contribution every 4.2 matches – for the Reds this season but his form for Leipzig suggests that there is more to come from him.

In two seasons with the German outfit, the 23-year-old wizard produced 12 goals and 16 assists in 62 Bundesliga outings – one every 2.2 clashes on average.

These statistics show that the impressive midfielder has the quality to produce goals and assists almost twice as frequently as he currently is at Premier League level.

As you can see from the table above, his form in several key attacking metrics has dropped since his move to Anfield from Leipzig over the summer.

Klopp could be looking for ways to unlock the talented gem’s goalscoring and creative talents and the signing of Kone could do just that, by taking on the bulk of the defensive work to free up the Hungarian dynamo to do damage in the final third.