Liverpool are reportedly interested in bringing Sofyan Amrabat to Anfield in the January transfer window
Amrabat has been one of the standout players in the 2022 World Cup with the midfielder playing a pivotal role in Morocco's incredible journey to the semi-finals of the competition. The 26-year-old has been a rock in the heart of the Moroccan side and his performances have drawn plenty of attention ahead of the window reopening.
Liverpool are said to be one of the clubs chasing the Fiorentina midfielder after their scouts have apparently been left "amazed" by his performances in Qatar. So, if the Reds were to sign the 26-year-old next month, could he replicate his World Cup form on Merseyside? We simulated the remainder of the season with Amrabat in Jurgen Klopp 's team to find out.
We 'signed' Sofyan Amrabat for Liverpool in January
To set up this simulation, we used Football Manager 2023 to arrange for Amrabat to sign for Liverpool in the 2023 January transfer window. We then simulated the remainder of the 2022/23 season to see what sort of impact he could have.
Klopp utilised Amrabat from the go, with the Reds boss opting to start the Moroccan over Fabinho in the holding midfield role. Despite starting the majority of games during his first few months at the club, Amrabat didn't majorly impress, dropping below-average performances regularly.
He made 24 appearances across the rest of the campaign, 20 of them starts, with 16 in the Premier League, six in the FA Cup and two in the Champions League.
Amrabat isn't known for his goal contributions and that was shown after signing for the Reds as he failed to register a single goal or assist. He had a pass completion of 86%, a tackle success of 75% and an average rating per game of 6.85 - all relatively low compared to the rest of the Liverpool midfield bar the tackle success.
Rating-wise, Amrabat averaged the fifth best out of the Reds' midfield, with James Milner, Harvey Elliott, Jordan Henderson and Thiago all higher. Only Naby Keita and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain had a lower pass success rate, while Thiago was the only midfielder with a higher tackle success rate.
At the end of the 2022/23 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, Matip, Robertson; Thiago, Henderson, Elliot; Salah, Nunez, Diaz.
Amrabat failed to make Liverpool's best XI after six months at the club, with both the Moroccan and Fabinho missing out on a spot in the midfield. Thiago, Elliott and Henderson made up the midfield three, with the trio all registering higher average ratings than Amrabat and Fabinho.
Liverpool's results with Amrabat in the squad
Despite not being the most influential player, Amrabat did add more defensive stability and competition to the Reds midfield - and that was reflected in the team's Premier League performance. A fantastic second half to the season saw Klopp's side surge up the table, ending the campaign in third place.
Liverpool lost just one game between the restart after the World Cup and April in the Premier League, winning 19 of 24 games.. The Reds ended on 81 points, just five fewer than Arsenal in second, who dropped off form toward the end of the season. Manchester City won the title with 97 points, while Chelsea finished 14 points behind Liverpool in fourth.
The Reds did win a trophy in the simulation as they defended their FA Cup trophy success from last season. Darwin Nunez scored the only goal of the game as Liverpool beat Arsenal 1-0 in the final to win the trophy for the second successive season.
The Reds were eliminated by Bayern Munich in the Champions League quarter-finals after losing 3-2 on aggregate, while they also lost 2-1 to Chelsea in the Carabao Cup quarter-finals.
If Liverpool were to sign Amrabat in January, Football Manager predicts that he may not be able to replicate the form shown during the World Cup under Klopp's guidance. Stats-wise, Amrabat was very similar to an out-of-form Fabinho, potentially showing he may not be the signing that the Reds need for their midfield.
Would you like to see Liverpool sign Amrabat in January? Let us know in the comments!
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