Liverpool FC: Liverpool will not be adding to their forward options in the January transfer window, barring a last-minute change of heart.
Jurgen Klopp is counting on Diogo Jota, Roberto Firmino, and Takumi Minamino to step up and deliver with major goal scorers Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane away at the Africa Cup of Nations. Divock Origi’s impending comeback from a knee injury could help relieve the goal load until the cavalry arrives from Cameroon in early February.
However, Liverpool will be aiming to improve their striking department in the summer.
There is a lot to find out. Not to mention Salah, Mane, and Firmino, who may be nearing the end of their current contracts by then. Unless Origi plays enough games between now and May to earn an extra year on his contract, he will be a free agent as well, and the Belgian backup will have to be replaced. Two years after leaving Red Minamino has shown glimpses of brilliance two years after joining from Red Bull Salzburg, but has yet to establish he can consistently bring the goods.
Kaide Gordon is an amazing prospect, but he is still just 17 years old, and it would be unfair to put too much pressure on him.
Harvey Elliott, who is about to return to play after missing four months due to injury, is just a year older but farther along in his development. However, Elliott has been used in midfield by Klopp rather than up top.
Mane will turn 30 in April, Salah will be out of his twenties in June, and Firmino will be 31 in October. Liverpool is aware that they must guard against too many important players ageing at the same time and needing to be replaced. Their front line must be steadily replenished.
They seek a player who can have the same impact as Jota after his £45 million move from Wolverhampton Wanderers in the summer of 2020.
Rather than buying the finished product, Liverpool is more likely to target players aged 25 and under who they think have enormous potential. Klopp also values adaptability and hard ethic in his strikers. We may evaluate the credentials of three different solutions based on the data.
Bowen, Jarrod
Last summer, The Athletic learned that West Ham United Wideman Bowen was on Liverpool’s shortlist of offensive targets. However, in the lack of an acceptable offer for Origi, Klopp was forced to continue with what he had on the table.
Liverpool has kept an eye on Bowen’s progress since then, and he is having a fantastic season so far, with six goals and seven assists in 22 league games. In all competitions, including the Europa League, he has 17 goal involvements (nine goals, nine assists) – one every 141 minutes.
Bowen has the ideal age profile at 25, and, like Jota at Wolves, he already has some elite-level experience. He ranks highly on the recruitment measures used by Liverpool.
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Thuram, Marcus
Attacker for Borussia Monchengladbach Thuram is the most versatile of the three players on our radar.
The 24-year-old has four France appearances and has played all over the front line for the Bundesliga club.
Due to a knee injury, he has only made four league starts this season, with an additional eight appearances off the bench, and he has yet to score. However, his 0.4 non-penalty anticipated goals (xG) per 90 minutes and 0.13 expected assists (xA) per 90 are nearly identical to his figures from last season, suggesting that now may be a good time to purchase low.
Noa Lang
For the previous two seasons, Netherlands international Lang has been one of the finest performers in Belgium’s Jupiler Pro League.
In 20 league games thus far, the Club Bruges winger has six goals and ten assists. He has only missed two games due to suspension.
When looking for a new attacker in the summer of 2020, Liverpool had a three-man shortlist.
After being turned off by Watford’s appraisal of Ismaila Sarr, they sought a deal for Jota. Jonathan David, who joined Lille from Gent in Belgium during that transfer window and helped the French club defeat PSG in the championship in his rookie season, was also closely watched.
It will be interesting to watch where they will go in 2022.
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