Get all your news in one place.

100’s of premium titles.
One app.

Start reading

Get all your news in one place.

100’s of premium titles. One news app.

Start reading

Liverpool Echo

Sport

Andrew Beasley

Liverpool may have £20m answer to midfield riddle with Pep Guardiola seal of approval

Douglas Luiz Pep Guardiola Arthur Melo Jurgen Klopp Arsenal Villa Aston Villa EPL

With the transfer window about to close for the summer, Liverpool need to move quickly if they are going to secure a midfielder to bolster Jurgen Klopp’s options. They have likely left it too late to sign their ideal choice but that does not mean there are not players who could add something to the squad.

The club clearly won’t just sign anyone, they will stick to the principles which have served them well. Klopp might have admitted that he “would be ready to risk a bit more,” but he knows how the process works at Liverpool.

The Reds will be looking for someone who is nearing the end of their contract, so who won’t cost too much. If they can address their lack of midfielders aged between 21 and 27, all the better.

It seems as though a loan move for Arthur Melo is progressing at pace, with suggestions he has now flown over to seal the deal. But are there any other potential targets who may be available for Liverpool before the deadline?

Someone who was on Manchester City’s books and Pep Guardiola described as “a guy who's clever with the ball, so physically strong,” might fit the bill. A player who in November 2020 was “ready to be one of the best midfield players in the Premier League,” in the view of Ian Wright could be a solid addition, wouldn’t you say?

This praise was bestowed upon Douglas Luiz, midfielder for Aston Villa and the latest player to be linked with a move to Anfield. Journalist Matheus Leal has even reported that Liverpool have made an offer of £20million for the 24-year-old Brazilian.

Reports today have also indicated Arsenal are in for Luiz. Sky Sports claim sources told them "four clubs - Atletico Madrid, Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool - were interested in signing Luiz ahead of the transfer deadline". Villa boss Steven Gerrard even admitted last night that the midfielder's future is a "touchy situation".

Whether the Liverpool links are true or not, Luiz certainly profiles as the type of player the Reds might look to sign. His current deal expires next summer and his estimated weekly salary of around £33,000 ( per FBRef ) would be unlikely to dissuade Liverpool. With over 100 Premier League appearances for Villa, he is well versed in the rigours of English football too.

Kopites will remember his previous league goal, as it came against their side in May. More recently, Luiz scored directly from a corner in a League Cup win at Bolton. He repeated the feat again last night in a 2-1 defeat at Arsenal.

But he is not in the side primarily to score goals but more often to prevent them. This has been an issue for Liverpool, particularly in their first three league matches this term, with opposition teams profiting from swift moves directly through the centre of the team.

Luiz is not error prone on the ball, making one mistake leading to a shot since his first start in the Premier League and none for over two years. However, there would be a concern that his defensive numbers are mostly lower than those of his potential teammates, and while playing for a team which enjoys far less possession on average.

For instance, the strongest defensive metric in his profile is interceptions, with 1.98 per 90 minutes over the last year. This puts him below Thiago (2.46), Fabinho (2.12) and James Milner (2.09) though. The other problem Luiz has is that many of his positive statistics going forward are for set pieces, and he likely wouldn’t get as many opportunities to take them at Liverpool.

If the Reds are to sign a player they were not previously planning to, it needs to be someone who can add something to the team without too much of a bedding in period. A player who has appeared with the spine of Klopp’s side in the past might stand a better chance of settling swiftly.

Luiz, who won an Olympic gold medal in Tokyo last year, has nine caps for Brazil’s senior side. In a Copa America match against Ecuador 14 months ago, he started in midfield with Fabinho, while Alisson was in goal and Roberto Firmino was in Tite’s front three. At the very least, the trio can give Klopp the lowdown on whether Luiz would be a good fit as a person.

In almost every sense, the Villa man would be a relatively low risk signing in light of his reported fee, age, and potential resale value. But whether he would be a beneficial addition, that’s for Klopp and the transfer analysts at Liverpool to decide.

READ NEXT