A renovation job was very much on the agenda for Jürgen Klopp over the course of the summer, with the German coach in desperate need of a newly revitalized midfield department. For the 12 months prior, he had witnessed his Liverpool side struggle to compete at the business end of the Premier League table.
From week to week, the Reds got overrun in the middle of the park, with Klopp effectively punished for his loyalty to certain seasoned performers. He learned his lesson last term, and proceeded to allow as many as five of his midfielders to depart in the most recent window, including captain Jordan Henderson and vice-captain James Milner.
Fabinho, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Naby Keïta joined them out of the door, with Liverpool having to source replacements ahead of the new season. Alexis Mac Allister, Dominik Szoboszlai, Wataru Endō and Ryan Gravenberch all proceeded to join, with three of those players under the age of 25.
The trio of youngsters are all comparable in many ways, as they are all number eights, even despite Mac Allister’s usage in a deeper role so far. The three players are well-rounded and relatively complete on the field, painting themselves as multifunctional talents with attacking skill sets.
Alongside Curtis Jones and Harvey Elliott, Liverpool is well stacked for creative and expressive number eights, which explains why recent links with Jamal Musiala are curious. The Bayern Munich wonderkid is of interest to the Reds (via Christian Falk of German publication BILD) with the German international not currently having conversations about a new contract in Bavaria.
Musiala is undeniably special. He’s still just 20 years old, yet he’s already a regular starter for one of the biggest clubs on the planet, having established himself as a supreme technician who is very effective in the tightest of spaces. In fact, Gravenberch has tipped him for greatness since arriving on Merseyside.
Replying to supporters on the Reds’ subreddit just under three weeks ago, Gravenberch was asked to name the most talented youngster that he’s played alongside, and he said: “I’d go for Jamal Musiala. Jamal does crazy things in training and also in the game. He’s very good for his age.”
Musiala is good enough to be deserving of a starting spot at Anfield, but it seems highly unlikely that any move is going to transpire any time soon. Upon inspection of the system that Klopp and his assistant, Pep Lijnders, have been installing since April, Liverpool can only field two number eights.
Jones and Szoboszlai have dominated the roles so far, with Gravenberch also making an impression. Elliott is another who has been awarded a fair amount of minutes, with Mac Allister likely to play as a number eight more often as soon as Klopp sources a capable heir to Fabinho’s throne.
Musiala is a versatile and flexible attacker but based on Liverpool’s current system, it is reasonable to suggest that he’d be best deployed as a number eight, with those players expected to play like advanced midfielders whenever the Reds have possession under control.
The Bavarian talisman would be great under Klopp’s tutelage, but Liverpool has other areas of need at present. The Anfield outfit is in need of a new Fabinho, for example, and a new defender is also on the agenda considering Joël Matip has a contract that is due to expire in 2024.
Supporters will no doubt get excited about the speculation surrounding Musiala, but rather than waiting to see the Munich maestro on Merseyside, fans should instead dedicate most of their energy to Szoboszlai, who is doing a pretty good job at ensuring the club’s next midfield rebuild will not be happening any time soon.
