Jürgen Klopp has already left his Liverpool successor a major gift. He made huge strides with the midfield rebuild in the summer, and will now leave behind an engine room that is significantly more future-proofed.
Considering how well the summer signings have got on, and factoring in that Liverpool will probably need to look at refreshing the defense next, further midfield additions are probably a little way down the priority list. That being said, with Thiago set to leave in the summer, and with question marks over Alexis Mac Allister’s long-term role, there is scope for further business.
That will presumably now be the remit of Klopp’s heir. But Liverpool is still in a bid for silverware on four fronts, and there is a little bit of time remaining in the January transfer window if the German wants to strike one last deal to bolster his chances of bowing out in style.
Regardless of whether it’s a transfer for this regime or the next, someone who really fits into FSG’s transfer ethos is Jacob Ramsey. Nurtured by Steven Gerrard as he came through the system at Aston Villa and broke into the first team set-up, there are definitely some shades of the Liverpool legend in Ramsey’s style of play.
And he has been linked with a move to Anfield as well by Goal, with Neil Jones suggesting in the past that he is among a number of midfield players admired by the club. The picture at Liverpool has since changed — but so too has the picture at Aston Villa, with The Athletic reporting that suitors now believe the Midlands club would consider offers of $63m (£50m/€58m) amid FFP pressures.
A deal would need to be struck before June 30 to help with the current FFP accounting period. That could yet lead to some transfer deadline day drama.
Still young, Ramsey ticks a lot of boxes for Liverpool. He is one of Gerrard’s only Aston Villa success stories, with the Anfield stalwart full of praise for the midfielder:
“He is a top talent, I’m loving every moment of working with him,” he said in 2022, via Sky Sports. “He is getting stronger with each game because we’re giving him the platform to express himself. He is in a wonderful place. He is right up there let me tell you.”
Ramsey has the kind of energy and game intelligence which makes him the type of midfielder who could flourish in this Liverpool side. Of course, we don’t yet know what style will be favored by Klopp’s successor, but FSG are bound to be profiling those who offer a somewhat similar profile.
Not to mention he is a player who can make the difference in the final third, a trait any manager would welcome. Liverpool saw that first-hand last season, when Ramsey scored a stunning first-time finish at Anfield that even his former manager Gerrard would have been proud of.
His versatility and tactical intelligence coupled with his physical and technical quality gives him the perfect recipe to succeed at the pinnacle of the game. He’s got the potential to emulate the success of even his former coach Gerrard in the Premier League and Liverpool could help him take his game to the next level.
A late move by Klopp seems unlikely. But if Ramsey stays put until the summer, once Liverpool has a new sporting director and manager in place, then he is one to keep an eye on — there’s no longer a shortage of midfield talent at Anfield, but Gerrard knows the 22-year-old has the potential to be something special.
