It has taken Liverpool over half a decade of near-flawless transfer activity to build what is surely the strongest squad of players the club has ever possessed. If there is any potential downside to this reality, it’s that it will be incredibly difficult to maintain this sky-high level in the years ahead.
Fabio Carvalho is set to sign for the Reds this summer, though the 19-year-old is unlikely to immediately claim a regular starting berth in Jurgen Klopp’s starting XI in 2022/23. Kopites will hope he is followed by the likes of Jude Bellingham or Aurelien Tchouameni, two high profile midfielders who have been repeatedly linked with the club in recent times.
However, Paul Gorst has reported in these pages that: “It's not expected that Liverpool will make a move for an eye-catching addition in the centre of the park this summer.” That won’t stop rumours from continuing to circulate, and a new one on the block certainly has an air of plausibility about it.
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German news outlet Kicker have reported (via the BBC) that RB Leipzig midfielder Konrad Laimer is a target for Bayern Munich, Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur. The 24-year-old Austrian international is currently enjoying his fifth season in Germany, following three years with Salzburg in his home land. In other words, cut him and he probably bleeds Red Bull.
This immediately makes a move to Anfield seem plausible. Whether purchasing them directly from one of the RB clubs or not, the Reds have signed Naby Keita, Ibrahima Konate, Sadio Mane and Takumi Minamino after they have featured for Leipzig and/or Salzburg. The high energy style of those clubs translates perfectly to playing under Klopp.
Laimer has displayed this better than most. His average of 35.4 pressures per 90 minutes across the last 365 days is the highest of any midfielder in England, France, Germany, Italy, Spain or Europe’s three continental competitions (per FBRef). Whatever other statistics a player happens to have on their record, that’s one which will make Liverpool sit up and take notice.
While not at the very top of the tree for other stats, Laimer is also in the top four percent of big league midfielders for assists and non-penalty expected goals, with his expected assist average not too far behind. What makes his excellent form in 2021/22 more remarkable is the fact he missed almost all of last season thanks to a combination of knee and ankle injuries. It can often take players time to get back to top form, yet Laimer appears to be better than ever before in many respects.
This was particularly evident last month, when he scored two goals and assisted the third to put Leipzig 3-0 up at Borussia Dortmund, in a match his side eventually won 4-1. It was the first time Laimer directly contributed to three goals in a Bundesliga match and there are very few better stadiums in which to reach this particular landmark.
It’s worth looking at Statsbomb’s list of the 10 midfielders to whom the Leipzig man is most similar, not least as his former team-mate and current Red Keita is among them. The group also includes Florian Neuhaus and Pedri, no strangers to followers of Liverpool transfer rumours, but it’s the player at the top who immediately draws the eye.
Dortmund midfielder Bellingham heads the list, and Laimer returns the favour on the England international’s own set of statistically similar players. Could the latter prove to be a more affordable version of the former?
As Laimer only has one more season remaining on his current contract whereas Bellingham has three, that would certainly be the case. He might not be particularly eye-catching in a headline generating sense, but if Laimer were to head to Liverpool he would surely continue the club’s fine record in the transfer market, particularly when dealing with the Red Bull group.
