Liverpool’s search for a midfielder could take a dramatic turn as Bayern Munich’s £58M midfield star is reportedly unhappy at Bayern.
The Reds have some serious midfield issues to contend with and next summer is looking like an extremely important one in terms of re-building.
Even with the deadline-day signing of Arthur Melo, there is still plenty of work to be done – especially given that James Milner, Naby Keita and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain are all out of contract next summer.
One potential midfield alternative could be Bayern Munich’s Leon Goretzka who has fallen out of favour at the club, despite all he’s achieved in Germany.
Julian Nagelsmann on Leon Goretzka in his first Bayern Munich press conference: "He is one of the best goal-scoring midfielders in the world."
Is Nagelsmann right? 💪pic.twitter.com/oiJH4hl62i
— GOAL (@goal) July 7, 2021
An unsettled Goretzka could be good news for Liverpool
According to a report from Kicker, Goretzka is putting pressure to get more playing time with a view to the World Cup. Nevertheless internally, Sabitzer is seen as a better defensive stabilizer. Joshua Kimmich also prefers the option with Sabitzer as he complements his game more.
The German earns around £197,000/week which is not an absurd amount of money for a player of his ability.
There could be an issue if Goretzka doesn’t get the minutes he desires ahead of the World Cup and it could fracture his relationship with Naglesmann – but only time will tell.
Goretzka has seen a downturn in fortunes in the last year or so; he’s lost his place in the team to Marcel Sabitzer despite all of those good seasons previously.
Although, he has had injury issues in recent times and Julian Naglesmann still sees him as a hugely important player at the club.
His deal doesn’t run out until 2026 which means he could prove to be quite expensive, especially considering his reported wages of £197k-a-week. Liverpool had moved for him back in 2020, but he turned them down because of Bayern.
Leon Goretzka. That's it. That's the tweet.pic.twitter.com/ZmdFqTZ7VI
— GOAL (@goal) October 8, 2021
What could he bring to Liverpool’s midfield?
The German midfielder has made his name as being a powerful but also technically shrewd midfielder who can contribute at both ends of the pitch.
Fans will remember seeing his insane physical transformation from a leaner skinnier frame to a powerful, strong build that compliments his 1.89M frame.
He would bring experience; at 27 he’s been around the block and been involved in big games for club and country.
Last season was very much an off-year with only three goals and three assists but the 2019/20 season saw him record eight goals and 11 assists in all competitions as Bayern won the sextuple – in which he was a key player.
Looking at his stats, he offers a strong attacking threat for a midfielder – he registers in the 99th percentile for shots total and non-penalty xG.
However, he also registers between the 80th-94th percentile for progressive carries, aerials won, assists, progressive passes and shot-creating actions. He’s a really effective midfielder when on form.
Liverpool have lacked someone with that attacking intent in midfield for a long time now and he could be a great solution to their midfield problem.
