McManaman says Liverpool don't need Saul & makes bold transfer call: 'A central midfielder is not the priority' 😱
That's a really bold statement to make... particularly after last season!
The links between Liverpool and Saul Niguez have died down to the barest of whispers of late.
With various reports suggesting that the club needs to step up its efforts to offload the deadwood, for reasons including and beyond financial gain, amidst the ever-approaching end of the transfer window tunnel, it’s understandable.
Yet, the common understanding (not to mention source of stress) held amongst a number of fans and club journalists alike is that the Reds need a new central midfielder above all else.
Or do they?
According to Steve McManaman, the whole thing has got rather out of hand and we’d be better off considering the options currently available to us.
“I’m not particularly bothered about that move if I’m being honest, though he is a really good central midfielder,” the former Liverpool winger wrote in a column for HorseRacing.net.
“Everybody is obsessed with replacing Gini Wijnaldum but Liverpool have a plethora of midfielders. You just need them to stay fit.
“They've got Henderson, Thiago and Fabinho. In addition to that they have Oxlade-Chamberlain, Keita, Milner, Jones and then the kids looking to break through. So a central midfielder is not the priority.”
Admittedly, a near-insurmountable number of words and space has been devoted to the unsolved Georginio Wijnaldum replacement conundrum.
To an outside eye without any understanding of how integral a cog the 30-year-old has been in Jurgen Klopp’s hard-working machine, nor any recollection over how the Dutch international was one of the few shining beacons of hope in a squad decimated by injuries last term, any doubts over the need for a new midfield signing could be allowed.
In fairness to Steve, this wasn’t an opportunity taken to bash the Spanish international as a player, though he was keen to highlight that the midfielder wouldn’t necessarily be an improvement on what Liverpool currently have at their disposal.
“Don’t get me wrong, I think Saul is a wonderful player.
“I watched him a couple of seasons ago against Liverpool when Atletico Madrid knocked them out of the Champions League.
“But from what I saw, would I say he’s a superstar midfielder? Probably not.
“He’s as good as what Liverpool have already got but not better. If he came in tomorrow I wouldn’t be singing from the rooftops, as Liverpool are already well equipped in central midfield.”
The problem with this argument is that it’s looking at our available options in terms of numbers rather than the underlying stats.
With roughly eight midfielders available for selection (potentially more if Shaqiri remains and/or you count some of Academy prospects), we theoretically should have enough bodies around to meet the demands of a campaign.
However, as last season proved exceptionally well, it’s not a risk backed up well by the available evidence.
With that in mind, let’s take a look at our first-choice midfield’s stats for availability:
Jordan Henderson – 21 league appearances = missed 55% of games (21% in 2019/20; 16% in 2018/19)
Fabinho – 30 league appearances = missed 21% of games (26% in 2019/20; 26% in 2018/19)
Thiago Alcantara – 24 league appearances = missed 37% of games (29% in 2019/20; 12% in 2018/19)
Now let’s take a gander at Saul’s tally over the last three seasons in La Liga:
2020/21 - 33 league appearances = missed 14% of games
2019/20 - 35 league appearances = missed 8% of games
2018/19 - 33 league appearances = missed 14% of games
The only midfielder in Liverpool’s lineup who has been more available for their respective side in one season is Thiago Alcantara, during his Bayern Munich days. In the Premier League - it’s Jordan Henderson.
Assuming we accept one of Wijnaldum’s most attractive traits (if not the most) is his availability, adding a player like Saul Niguez to the squad would certainly not harm Klopp’s chances of boosting his side’s durability in midfield.
The Colchoneros’ star’s best season for availability still falls short of our former Dutch No.5’s average percentage (just under 6%) across his entire Liverpool career but they’re hardly poor numbers in comparison to what is now perceived to be our first-choice midfield trio.
We get the argument around not signing a new midfielder.
The numbers are there, players like Harvey Elliott and Curtis Jones will get their chances, and if Naby Keita and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain stay fit, Klopp will be practically spoiled for choice.
But it seems like some have almost repressed their memories of the prior term and have set the starting point for the next campaign just after the historic title win of 2019/20.
Ultimately, we’ve not just lost some bit-part player in the squad, and anyone underestimating Wijnaldum’s importance will get one hell of a wake-up call should Liverpool experience anything close to the injury crisis suffered last year.
With injury-proness a defining feature of our midfield options, we need a player like Gini in the squad, even if it’s not necessarily going to end up being Saul Niguez.
If you’re of fan of this kind of content, all completely ad-free, then feel free to hit the subscribe button below and become an EOTK Insider. Dig into exclusive tidbits reserved only for our subscribers!