If Liverpool are seeking a new midfielder next season, they should look no further than Kalvin Phillips, according to John Barnes.
The 26-year-old returned to the bench for Leeds United's trip to Wolverhampton Wanderers on Friday after missing the past 103 days with a serious hamstring injury.
But the England international is rated highly by Jurgen Klopp and also former Kop hero John Barnes, who believes Phillips is just the man to give the Reds another dimension in the engine room.
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Speaking exclusively to BonusCodeBets, Barnes said: “Kalvin Phillips would suit Liverpool’s midfield. If you are a hardworking, strong midfield player who plays with high intensity – then you’ll suit Liverpool. If you’re more technical then you’d suit Manchester City [better]. He won’t necessarily sign for Liverpool because he’s at Leeds and is happy, but in terms of if he’d suit Liverpool – then absolutely!”
Now 58, Barnes was renowned in his Anfield heyday for delivering captivating performances as a winger, so it is no surprise that the ex-England international is a fan of Mohamad Salah. However should the Egyptian leave Merseyside in the summer, Barnes insists that Liverpool now have enough firepower to cope with him.
He added: “If Liverpool were to lose Roberto Firmino, Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mané, then they’d have work to do to stay atop the Premier League.
“When it comes to Salah, if he leaves then I don’t see Roberto Firmino leaving. Obviously, Liverpool would want to keep Salah, but if you look at what Luis Díaz has done since his arrival, with Diogo Jota and Mané being here, then that puts Liverpool in a stronger bargaining position [with Salah].
“They want him to stay, but they have cover and play consistently well without him but, the emergence of Jota and Díaz means that it isn’t imperative for Liverpool to keep Salah.”
Salah now has less than 18 months remaining on his contract and is yet to agree a new deal. Should the player and the club be unable to meet on terms that are agreeable to both parties then the 29-year-old could be sold in the summer, attracting interest from of European football's top clubs.
