It’s not often you see a red card within the first 20 minutes of a match. It’s even less common for it to be shown for two rapid-fire bookable offences.
Yet that’s what I saw unfold on my trip to watch Borussia Dortmund in the Bundesliga last season. Admittedly, I was there primarily to watch Jude Bellingham — back in those heady days when Liverpool looked favorite to sign him. And while he undoubtedly caught the eye, he was not the only impressive player on the day.
Right over on my side of the pitch at the Westfalenstadion, another player was stealing the limelight. Not only did Freiburg full-back Kiliann Sildillia get an unusually early bath, his two fouls were drawn less than two minutes apart.
His torturer? Karim Adeyemi. While never the subject of such intense Liverpool speculation as Bellingham, he is certainly someone to have appeared on the transfer radar, linked with Anfield before making the move from Red Bull Salzburg to Borussia Dortmund.
Now, his name has resurfaced, with Liverpool supposedly keen on him as an heir to Mohamed Salah (according to Italian Calciomercato, at least). From what I saw that day, there could hardly be a more exciting option.
It must be said that Adeyemi was on the ‘wrong’ side of the pitch against Freiburg, starting from the left flank. Ironically, Julian Brandt was patrolling the right (and had a very impressive game) — he could easily have ended up at Liverpool, before the Reds ultimately got Salah instead.
But the former Red Bull charge has all of the necessary characteristics to replace Salah. Crucially, he is a left-footer — and while most of his career minutes have actually come through the middle, he has reasonable experience on both flanks.
This versatility will be an added bonus for Jürgen Klopp, but there would be nothing to stop Liverpool from settling Adeyemi into a permanent berth on the right. A ruthless finisher with a consistent track record of outperforming his expected goals, he looks capable of eventually being the one to shoulder the considerable burden of replicating Salah’s elite wide threat.
I even saw him net against Freiburg — coming in from the right, as it happens. He showed exceptional composure to slot home after a quick exchange with Bellingham, passing it into the corner with his ‘weaker’ foot and restoring the Borussia Dortmund lead.
On the ball, he is more of a dribbler than Salah, perhaps boasting a little more in common with prime Sadio Mané. But he uses his talents effectively, rarely traveling down blind alleys. Sildillia can testify that he is a handful.
I didn’t know it at the time, but it turns out that I was witnessing Adeyemi break the all-time Bundesliga speed record in that game against Freiburg, clocking 36.7 km/h. That’s even faster than notorious speedster Alphonso Davies, who smoked Salah in a pre-season foot race.
Still just 21, Adeyemi has plenty of room to develop as well. It’s scary to think about how good he could become. His main room for improvement is undoubtedly in his creative contribution — but even with 16th percentile pass completion among attacking midfielders and wingers in Europe’s top five leagues, he has managed 74th percentile assists and 73rd percentile expected assists over the past year (FBref).
The one snag is that Borussia Dortmund knows how to monetize its assets. A conveyor belt of young talent, Adeyemi will surely be the latest to fetch a pretty penny. Bidding hopefully won’t reach Bellingham levels, but Liverpool will certainly need to stump up the cash: Sport Bild suggested a price tag of $86m (£69m/€80m) earlier this summer.
Yet if Salah leaves — even if it is next summer, with just a year left on his deal — he will surely net Liverpool a handsome sum. Assuming Saudi Arabia comes calling, the transfer kitty will be swelled.
I hope Salah is here to stay — this summer, the next, and hopefully until he is ready to call it a day. He still has records to break. But if he is to depart, I think I might have seen the ideal solution.
