It's no secret that Liverpool will be targeting multiple midfielders this summer with Alexis Mac Allister, Manu Kone and Khephren Thuram three of the reported main targets.
A move for Mac Allister is the closest to being completed, with Liverpool hoping to seal a deal with the Brighton & Hove Albion man before he joins up with the Argentina squad for international duty. With midfield trio James Milner, Naby Keita and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain all departing the Reds, more than one midfielder is expected to arrive, with Kone and Thuram both heavily linked with a move to Anfield.
Borussia Monchengladbach's Kone has been linked with Liverpool in recent weeks, with the midfielder's former coach Reda Bekhti claiming the Reds are the 22-year-old's favourite club. And according to L'Equipe, Nice's Thuram is a target for Klopp's side who have been in talks with the Frenchman for weeks.
So, if the Reds were to sign Mac Allister, Thuram and Kone in the summer, could they help the Reds get back to their best next season? We simulated the 2023/24 season with the trio in Jurgen Klopp's side to find out.
We 'signed' Alexis Mac Allister, Khephren Thuram and Manu Kone for Liverpool
To set up this simulation, we used Football Manager 2023 to arrange for Mac Allister, Thuram and Kone to all sign for Liverpool, linking up with the squad on July 1, 2023. We then simulated the 2023/24 season to see what sort of impact they could have.
All three evolved into favourites under Klopp, with the trio quickly establishing themselves as starters and forming one of the strongest midfields in the Premier League. At the end of the 2023/24 season, Mac Allister, Kone and Thuram were the best-performing midfielders at the club, showing how much of an improvement they made on Klopp's side.
Thuram averaged the highest rating per game out of the midfielders (7.13), whilst Kone (7.11) and Mac Allister (7.09) closely followed. The Frenchman also scored the most goals out of the midfielders (9), whilst Kone grabbed the most assists (10) and made the most appearances (50).
Mac Allister was limited to fewer appearances after suffering a few injury issues, but when he played, he was a standout. And when compared to the Reds' current midfield options, they outperformed each midfielder easily, with only Harvey Elliott and Jordan Henderson coming close.
At the end of the 2023/24 season, Football Manager 23 put together an overall best Liverpool XI, based on performances, statistics and other metrics. This is what it looked like:
Full Liverpool best XI: (4-3-3): Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Van Dijk, Konate, Robertson; Kone, Mac Allister, Thuram; Salah, Nunez, Diaz.
Kone, Mac Allister and Thuram were included in the Liverpool best XI for the 2023/24 season, with Fabinho, Henderson, Elliott, Thiago and Sefan Bajcetic all playing second string to the trio. Darwin Nunez started in the front three alongside Luis Diaz and Mohamed Salah, meaning Cody Gakpo and Diogo Jota missed out on the best XI, despite the Dutchman scoring the same amount of goals as the Uruguayan.
Liverpool's results with Mac Allister, Thuram and Kone in the squad
The addition of the midfield trio saw Liverpool become a much-improved side compared to the previous campaign, and that was reflected in the Premier League, with the Reds rediscovering their dominant ways. A 14-game win streak between November and February saw Klopp's side run away at the top of the table, and it stayed that way as Liverpool won the Premier League title.
29 wins, seven draws and just two losses saw the Reds earn 94 points in the 2023/24 season, 11 more than Manchester City in second as they won the league with ease. The two defeats came away to Chelsea and Wolves, meaning they went the whole season unbeaten at home in the Premier League once again.
Liverpool also ended the season with 74 goals scored and 24 goals conceded, giving them the best attacking and defensive record in the league. The success didn't stop there though, with Klopp's new midfield trio helping the Reds to a further two trophies to win the treble.
Darwin Nunez scored the only goal of the game as the Reds beat Manchester United 1-0 in the Europa League final, and a 2-0 win over Man City in the FA Cup final made it three trophies for the season. It wasn't to be in the Carabao Cup though, with a shock penalty shootout defeat seeing the Reds lose in the third round of the competition to Peterborough.
If Liverpool were to sign Mac Allister, Thuram and Kone, Football Manager 2023 predicts that the trio could rejuvenate Klopp's side, playing a big role in the Reds winning a treble. All three were the best performers in their position, and Liverpool were rewarded for finally refreshing the midfield as they dominated across three competitions.
Would you like to see Liverpool sign these three midfielders? Let us know in the comments!
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