Tuesday 21 April 2020 11:23, UK
Football Whispers look at two midfield targets who could strengthen Liverpool in the January transfer window...
It speaks volumes that, in what is fast becoming one of the more competitive Premier League title races in recent years, Liverpool can lay claim to being this season's most entertaining challengers.
Jurgen Klopp's side are playing exhilarating football and, after tearing through Watford last weekend in their 6-1 win, they appear to be marrying aesthetics with ruthlessness.
Without the distractions of European football, Liverpool may be better prepared than the likes of Manchester City, Arsenal and Tottenham for the hard slog that lies ahead, and their chances would only be boosted by further squad reinforcements in January.
Here, through the use of Football Whispers' transfer-rumour algorithm, we take a look at two players who may soon arrive at Anfield to boost Klopp's title hopes.
Club: Inter Milan
Position: Midfielder
Source: Goal Italy
Current Football Whispers Rating: 2.1/5.0
Highest Football Whispers Rating: 2.1/5.0 (November 8, 2016)
Liverpool's hyper-intense pressing scheme under Klopp requires a physical midfield presence. Currently, this is provided by captain Jordan Henderson and Germany international Emre Can. It's a strong pairing, but the team perhaps still lacks an out-and-out ball-winner.
With this in mind, rumours linking the club with a move for Inter Milan's Geoffrey Kondogbia make sense. Goal Italy recently reported the player could join Liverpool in January as Klopp is a big fan, and in turn the rumour's Football Whispers rating spiked at 2.1.
Previously linked with both Arsenal and Chelsea, Kondogbia would fit the physicality of the Premier League. His €40.5m move to Inter last summer came off the back of some sensational performances for Monaco in the 2014/15 Champions League, but the Frenchman has since failed to adapt to Serie A.
He hasn't been helped by a succession of managerial changes. Roberto Mancini oversaw Kondogbia's first year at the San Siro, before Frank de Boer took the helm at the start of this term. However, after a string of poor results, the Dutchman was sacked and replaced on Tuesday afternoon by Stefano Pioli.
It remains to be seen if Pioli will be able to find a way of fitting Kondogbia into a midfield that also contains Portuguese star Joao Mario, Argentine playmaker Ever Banega and Chilean battler Gary Medel. If he can't, Liverpool could be the ideal setting.
While not the most technically gifted player, Kondogbia is an exceptional athlete with a skill-set that could prove invaluable if utilised correctly.
Standing 6'2", he is powerful, dynamic, and capable of drawing and resisting the attention of markers. This not only makes him useful for breaking through lines of pressure, but for creating extra space for team-mates to exploit.
An average ball-player with reasonable technique, he has nonetheless completed 85.8 per cent of his attempted passes so far this season. But Klopp will no doubt be more attracted to the 23-year-old's tackling, ball carrying and stamina, all of which would thrive in Liverpool's high-tempo transition-based game.
Club: Borussia Dortmund
Position: Attacking midfielder
Source: Daily Mail
Current Football Whispers Rating: 3.5/5.0
Highest Football Whispers Rating: 3.5/5.0 (November 8, 2016)
Playing as an attacking midfielder for Borussia Dortmund is both a blessing and a curse. Thomas Tuchel's tactics enable creative players to flourish - BVB are the Bundesliga's top scorers after 10 rounds - but the abundance of options makes competition for places intense.
While just 18 years old, Pulisic has already tasted top-level football and appears bound for greatness, but his opportunities are also stifled by the presence of Marco Reus, Andre Schurrle, Mario Gotze, Shinji Kagawa, Ousmane Dembele and Emre Mor, all of whom play in similar areas of the pitch.
For further progress a move might be on the cards, with the Daily Mail suggesting Liverpool are in the hunt for the young American prospect.
The fluid attacking play implemented this season has often seen a front three of Roberto Firmino, Sadio Mane and Philippe Coutinho rotating and opening up opposition defences with their speed, guile and movement.
While there is no conventional number nine in this trident, the goals have flowed. Pulisic would fit right in.
A physically slight number 10 who prefers to cut onto his favoured right foot, the USA international is similar to Coutinho stylistically. With his sharp turns, quick feet, slaloming runs, combination play and acceleration, he is a difficult player to track between the lines and provides a cutting edge in the final third.
So far this season, Pulisic has scored two goals in eight Bundesliga appearances, which is a not-insignificant strike rate for a teenage attacking midfielder in a competitive league.
Yet, while clearly reasonably adept at taking chances, he is more inclined to make them; so far this term he has created 10 scoring opportunities for his team-mates.
