Several years back, the Premier League was known for goalscoring midfielders and the impact they had on their teams. Just see the likes of Steven Gerrard at Liverpool and Frank Lampard at Chelsea. But, has the game moved beyond this?
Now, this type of midfielder is difficult to find and tricky to build into the kind of top teams seen today. Man City have the luxury in having the best in the world in that position in their side with Kevin De Bruyne, but it is something Liverpool arguably lack, albeit there are slightly different roles played by the men in the centre at Anfield.
More than a week has now passed since Liverpool were beaten in Paris in the Champions League final by Real Madrid. What was evident from the performance was how the Reds lack the option for a little something extra bursting into the box from midfield.
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Steven Gerrard, who was working in the BT Sport studio for the match, mentioned after the match that Liverpool need to sign a midfielder who is capable of getting into the box. A player who can drive forward and arrive late to score, much like the former Reds captain used to do himself.
A common theme in the match was, for all of Liverpool's possession, there was rarely a time when the Madrid defence was flustered in this manner - and they seemed comfortable with the Reds having the ball in front of them where they can be controlled.
With the guile of Thiago Alcantara, the steel of Fabinho and the energy of Jordan Henderson, the Liverpool midfield is one that possesses a lot, but adding an extra dimension is what Gerrard was getting at in the Stade de France. When the front three don't deliver, like they didn't in the Champions League final, a midfielder needs to take the game by the scruff of the neck.
Now, it's easy to write all of this down, but the question is, who can come into this Liverpool midfield and make it better? The Reds were monitoring the situation with Monaco star Aurelien Tchouameni, but it looks as though Madrid have got their noses in front on that score.
However, there is one man who fits this position in the Liverpool midfielder better than anyone - and that is Jude Bellingham. The youngster has lit up world football since joining Borussia Dortmund from Birmingham City and is only going to get better and better. His tally of six goals in 44 games in all competitions last term could feasibly increase were he to ply his trade at Anfield.
The 18-year-old is one of the most sought after young talents around, but he is also one who fits the profile of this Liverpool team and, most importantly, FSG. It is rumoured Dortmund would demand around £80million for Bellingham, but it is a signing that could be transformative should the Reds be in a position to act on their interest. Much like the big-money signings of Virgil van Dijk and Alisson Becker. If there are any doubts, then just look at how those deals ended up.
