Having wrapped up the signature of Dominik Szoboszlai, Liverpool’s focus in the last month or so has been on the number six position. With Fabinho having departed, the club desperately needs an adequate replacement, but so far the Reds’ search has been to no avail.
Despite Liverpool having a bid accepted for Moisés Caicedo, the Ecuadorean preferred Chelsea over a move to Anfield. It seems like the Reds have now failed in their pursuit to sign the Brighton midfielder.
This leaves Jürgen Klopp once again having to go back to the drawing board. The market for holding midfielders in world football is a tricky one at the moment and many of the best players in the position have already moved to pastures new this summer.
But there is a player who could be available. Liverpool new boy Szoboszlai has already praised him in the past, naming him in his ‘dream XI’ in the number six position.
Speaking on Fabrizio Romano’s Here We Go show back in 2021, Szoboszlai was asked to name his dream line-up of players that he has played with in his career so far, and in the number six position, the Hungarian picked Leeds United midfielder Tyler Adams.
“Behind me, one of the two sixes would be Tyler Adams,” Szoboszlai told Romano. “He’s good, he’s good. He’s a leader.”
Szoboszlai and Adams know each other well from Leipzig, which would make them an appealing combination for Liverpool, just like Caicedo and Alexis Mac Allister would have been.
But what makes Adams an ideal candidate for the Reds is the same thing that made Szoboszlai so appealing. Just like the Hungarian, the USMNT international has been a Red Bull product from a young age, having come through the New York Red Bulls’ academy system before signing for RB Leipzig.
Ever since he was a child he has been ingrained in the gegenpressing system which should help him settle in at Liverpool a lot easier, compared to other players in the same position. Importantly, he is on the market and available.
With a release clause of $25m (£20m/€23m), he is available for a bargain. As per David Ornstein, Chelsea has also targeted Adams alongside Caicedo and Roméo Lavia, but that deal fell through, and now a number of top Premier League clubs are keeping an eye on the USMNT captain’s situation.
Adams is currently out injured, which does make things a bit trickier for Liverpool. However, for a measly sum of $25m, he is worth the risk.
Last season in the Premier League, he showed his quality and produced outstanding displays for Leeds United. It was only in his absence that the club was eventually dragged into the relegation zone and eliminated from England’s top tier.
Comfortable on the ball, capable of covering a lot of ground and very adept defensively, there are few better choices than Adams, especially at that price point. Paying such a modest fee, Liverpool would also have the option to sign another midfielder, which could bolster Klopp’s squad even further.
It’s a signing that clearly makes sense. Based on his past comments, Liverpool’s new signing Szoboszlai would approve too.
