Many Liverpool supporters have been calling for a new midfielder for a long time but seeing as our last two senior signings for the club have been forwards, it appears that Jurgen Klopp prioritised the signing of Cody Gakpo this month for a different reason.
As reported by Chris Bascombe in the Telegraph: ‘Gakpo’s availability changed the plan as Klopp determined pressing from the front would help his midfield and defence… He is a long-term investment, but his arrival has done nothing to fix the here and now of midfield malaise’.
It does seem that our boss is fully preparing to complete a squad refresh in the summer and is aware that several signings need to be made in order to replace the players who will leave in the next few windows.
It’s clear that many supporters are prioritising the need for a midfielder but seeing that our new Dutchman was available for around £35 million, the decision was made to pounce and hope that his high pressing could aid the pressure on the midfield and defence.
Although many deemed that our new No.18 would be operating off the left, with the manager praising his defensive work and playing him in the middle – it seems that he may actually be a long-term replacement for Bobby Firmino in the deep-lying No.9 position.
This is a long-term deal for the former PSV man and he is likely to be joined by some more new faces in the summer but with the squad already full and Champions League squad places already fulfilled – there simply isn’t space for more men yet.
With the likes of Naby Keita, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Arthur Melo, James Milner and Bobby Firmino all in the final few months of their deals – it’s likely to be a summer of change at Anfield, with our gaffer hoping that a 23-year-old attacker can help in both the short and long-term.
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