The Liverpool and Manchester City duopoly in the Premier League continues. Arne Slot has taken the title from Pep Guardiola, ending four years of dominance and doing so in his first season at the helm.
As all of a Liverpool persuasion will be aware, it’s gearing up to be a significant summer for the Anfield side, with sporting director Richard Hughes and Michael Edwards, FSG’s chief executive of football operations, planning for a wave of first-team investment.
Last year, City enjoyed their record-breaking fourth Premier League title in succession, and most thought that they would retain their throne once more. Or, otherwise, fall against an Arsenal side that has been on the rise for several years now.
But it wasn’t to be. Liverpool, still bruised from Jurgen Klopp’s decision to step down from his long-held seat in the Anfield dugout, have been head-and-shoulders above their rivals since the early knockings.
Candidly, clinching the title has almost looked a formality since January, with the Darwin Nunez-inspired victory at Brentford lifting the Reds six points clear of second-place Arsenal, and with a game in hand at that.
But there’s been something missing. Nunez isn’t good enough and will be sold this summer, while various concerns relating to defence will call for change there too. However, Liverpool will jump on a new centre-midfielder if an opportunity presents itself.
The missing piece in Liverpool's midfield
In fairness, Liverpool’s midfield doesn’t need to undergo major surgery. Klopp’s dramatic rebuild of 2023 has proved a bona fide success, with Alexis Mac Allister, Dominik Szoboszlai and Ryan Gravenberch starting the lion’s share of Liverpool’s Premier League fixtures and Wataru Endo earning cult status for his combative cameos.
Curtis Jones, 24, has also enjoyed the outstanding season of his career thus far, starting 17 league games and earning praise from his manager for his “complete” take on the midfield game.
It’s remarkable that these players have stepped up and delivered England’s prized trophy after FSG failed to convince Real Sociedad’s Martin Zubimendi to leave the Basque Country and join this new project.
Liverpool opted against signing a different deep-lying midfielder and were met with frustration from supporters, derision from rivals. Gravenberch’s incredible rise from a previously middling role has been the core of Liverpool’s successful season.
Matches (starts)
26 (12)
34 (34)
Goals
1
0
Assists
0
4
Touches*
28.8
67.3
Pass completion
83%
89%
Key passes*
0.6
0.7
Dribbles*
0.9
1.0
Ball recoveries*
2.8
5.3
Tackles + interceptions*
1.5
3.6
Duels (won)*
2.8 (47%)
5.0 (58%)
Indeed, the owners’ decision has been vindicated now that Slot has sealed the club’s record-equalling 20th top-flight trophy.
There have been times when the engine room has looked a little tired of late, namely during costly defeats against Paris Saint-Germain and Newcastle United in the Carabao Cup final.
If the right player comes along, Liverpool will pounce, with one of the Premier League’s finest very much on Hughes’ radar.
Liverpool learn conditions for PL star
According to TEAMtalk, Liverpool have learned that it will take a mammoth fee of £80m to convince Crystal Palace to part with Adam Wharton this summer.
Liverpool are keen admirers of the deep-lying playmaker, who has been a revelation since joining the Eagles from Blackburn Rovers in the Championship last year for a £18m fee.
The 21-year-old is also on Man United’s radar, but given that he fits the profile to jockey with Gravenberch for that number six spot, it might be the perfect move for Slot’s fluid system.
Why Adam Wharton is perfect for Slot
Liverpool’s current midfielders have cemented their legacies and then some, joining the illustrious names of old: Fabinho, Gini Wijnaldum, Jordan Henderson, Steven Gerrard, Xabi Alonso.
Wharton has the talent to add his name too, hailed as an “unbelievable talent” by BBC analyst Raj Chohan after his incredible start to life in Oliver Glasner’s Palace team last season.
This term, despite injuries, he has played a big part for his London-based side, actually earning praise from respected journalist Henry Winter for being a “passing machine” as Aston Villa were comprehensively defeated in the FA Cup semi-final, also hailing him as “the best player on the pitch.” Big-game quality, confirmed.
As per FBref, he actually ranks among the top 8% of midfielders across Europe’s top five leagues over the past year for both progressive passes and ball recoveries, the top 12% for shot-creating actions and the top 15% for assists per 90, perfectly illustrating his passing prowess and an athleticism that Slot seems to desire so greatly.
Wharton still has much to learn, but with such exciting ball-playing skills, he could take the shape of a former Liverpool star like Alonso, slotting into a similar role for the Reds’ flourishing coach.
Alonso might be one of the most esteemed managers at present, leading Bayer Leverkusen to an invincible domestic double last year and now the firm favourite to succeed Carlo Ancelotti at Real Madrid, but he was once a superstar of a midfielder.
A Spanish maestro, Alonso starred across, winning the Champions League and FA Cup across five campaigns before walking that well-trodden path from Anfield to the Spanish capital, sold to Madrid in a £30m package back in 2009.
Gerrard once claimed that Alonso was his “favourite partner for club and country,” with the 43-year-old’s silky and cerebral approach to the midfield game something that opened up new lanes from which the robust Three Lions star could travel.
Wharton boasts a similarly high footballing IQ and could take the likes of Mac Allister and Gravenberch to the next level.
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Adding Wharton to the fold would certainly serve to elevate Slot’s existing midfield options, with the young playmaker operating in a deep-set role to influence and advance fluency in a similar vein to a former Liverpool hero named Alonso.
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