Liverpool’s obvious need for midfield reinforcements means they are being linked with a whole host of possible signings, from the sublime to the ridiculous. With some, it’s easy to draw imaginary connections which may not exist in reality.
There has been much made recently of Pep Lijnders’ supposed growing influence at the club. As the Reds have been signing players who are either Dutch or playing in Portugal, two markets he knows well, the logic goes that Jurgen Klopp’s assistant manager has been the main driver of the deals.
True or not, Liverpool are now being linked with another countryman of Lijnders, Teun Koopmeiners. "I saw the links and stories about Liverpool — nice to see that but I’m 100% focused on Atalanta, I’m so happy to play here,” he said, in a quote shared by journalist Fabrizio Romano. Settled in Serie A he might be, but there are several strengths he has which can be of use to the Reds.
READ MORE: Klopp interview hinted at a major problem that puts Liverpool back to square one
READ MORE: Graeme Souness has already summed up deepest Jude Bellingham fear amid Liverpool problems
The 24-year-old had an interesting World Cup. He only started one game and wasn’t heavily involved in an attacking sense, but when he did contribute it tended to be significant. In the opener against Senegal, Koopmeiners created a chance for Memphis Depay which in turn led to the second goal.
More notable were his involvements in the 2-2 draw with Argentina. He assisted Netherlands’ sensational equaliser and picked up the pre-assist for their first goal, as well as scoring a penalty in the shootout (unlike Virgil van Dijk). With an eye on a potential future at Liverpool, it’s worth noting that although Koopmeiners only had two shots in Qatar, both chances were created by Cody Gakpo.
The Atalanta man has been far more productive in Italian football this season, in both attacking senses. Last week, he assisted a 92nd minute equaliser in a 2-2 draw against Spezia. Koopmeiners created eight chances which were collectively worth 1.15 expected assists in the match (per Understat). For context, Trent Alexander-Arnold has reached that xA figure three times in the Premier League, Andy Robertson twice while Mohamed Salah never has.
Of course, this is an extreme figure for Koopmeiners too, though he did top it in a win at Cagliari 14 months ago. However, when a player has passing stats at his level, a game of this elite nature is always a possibility. Per FBRef, the Netherlands international is in the top five per cent of midfielders in Europe’s big five leagues for both passes and crosses into the penalty area over the last year. Anyone with those numbers should be in the upper echelon for expected assists, as indeed he is.
Koopmeiners also offers a goalscoring threat from outside the box, something which Liverpool somewhat lack. He has scored three league goals from further than 18 yards out in 2022/23, putting him second only to Federico Valverde among players in England, France, Germany, Italy and Spain, and only by a single goal. The Atalanta midfielder is also only one behind the Reds’ total for the campaign too.
One of their four players who has netted from beyond the edge of the penalty area this season is Harvey Elliott (as have Alexander-Arnold, Luis Diaz and Salah, for the record). The Liverpool youngster is among the 10 big league midfielders with whom Koopmeiners is most statistically similar according to FBRef’s scouting report.
This might initially suggest the Reds have little need for the Dutchman. However, he could add a steel to their midfield which Elliott’s diminutive stature means he will always struggle to provide. Where he checks in at 170cm – making him the joint-second shortest player with at least 12 Premier League starts this season – Koopmeiners stands 186cm tall.
As Jurgen Klopp knows, his side have struggled with winning duels this season. Elliott has the worst success rate (43.7 per cent) among his five midfielders who’ve played at least 450 minutes this season, while Koopmeiners has been 5.5 per cent better in Serie A. With added strength in that area as well as elite creativity and a long-range goal threat, the Atalanta midfielder makes for a very intriguing Liverpool link.
READ NEXT
- Klopp interview hinted at a major problem that puts Liverpool back to square one
- Roberto Firmino decision with Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Naby Keita shown Liverpool exit
- Graeme Souness has already summed up deepest Jude Bellingham fear amid Liverpool problems
- Liverpool's unseen Jude Bellingham advantage as chase for huge signing heats up
- Liverpool sale as PSG owners QSI takeover stance explained after PL meetings
