Liverpool can sneak past the Premier League’s rule on non-homegrown talent if they sign Jeremy Doku and I’ll explain how.
The Echo’s David Lynch raised an important point on the Blood Red podcast back in July when he said that the delay on new signings had to do with the Premier League’s rules and not with a lack of funds.
He said: “It’s a case of seeing where opportunities are. I’m sure they’re ready to pull the trigger on a couple [of signings] but it’s just a case of knowing what the squad is going to look like later in the window.
“Too much gets made of the idea that they need to generate funds through sales. I don’t think that’s necessarily the case.
EVIAN-LES-BAINS, FRANCE – AUGUST 06: (THE SUN OUT. THE SUN ON SUNDAY OUT) Xherdan Shaqiri of Liverpool during a Table Tennis Tournament at Their Pre-Season Training Camp on August 06, 2021 in Evian-les-Bains, France. (Photo by John Powell/Liverpool FC via Getty Images)
“It’s a case of knowing what the squad looks like for those spots for foreign players.”
Xherdan Shaqiri previously said that he wanted to join Lazio and after being left out against La Liga opposition Osasuna on Monday due to a bid from Lyon, it would seem his time at Anfield is drawing to a close.
However, if the Reds want to sign a midfielder and an attacker, they would need to sell two non-UK players as they would have 16 out of the maximum 17 non-homegrown players in their squad for the Premier League.
There is a way out of that, however, and I believe it could see Liverpool sign Jeremy Doku and potentially Atletico Madrid midfielder Saul.
¿🤔🎮? pic.twitter.com/Qaup5kUzVS
— Saúl Ñiguez (@saulniguez) August 9, 2021
According to Sky Sports, due to the fact that speed machine Doku is 19 years old, the Premier League’s rules don’t apply and he can be registered by the Reds until he’s 21 without the rule applying to him.
Therefore, if Liverpool sell Shaqiri in time and retain their interest in Saul as recent reports suggest they do, a double swoop could be on the cards for Jurgen Klopp and his trusty sidekick Michael Edwards.
The Spaniard recently seemed to tease Liverpool fans with a cryptic tweet about Dragon Ball Z which may or may not reference tweets that Ibou Konate share when he joined the club.
Sport suggests that it will take €50million (£42.3m) to recruit Saul this summer but it’s doubtful Liverpool will offer that until they can actually sign him.
MUNICH, GERMANY – JULY 02: Giovanni Di Lorenzo of Italy battles for possession with Jeremy Doku of Belgium during the UEFA Euro 2020 Championship Quarter-final match between Belgium and Italy at Football Arena Munich on July 02, 2021 in Munich, Germany. (Photo by Sebastian Widmann – UEFA/UEFA via Getty Images)
Voetbal24 say that Liverpool want Doku, who would cost €45million (£38.1m) and combined, the pair could cost the Reds as much as €95million (£80.4m).
Of course, this all hinges on Edwards selling Shaqiri as there is no chance Klopp would let him or any other of his non-UK players rot in the reserves just to sign a new player.
Potentially exciting times ahead…
