Liverpool have their eyes on an “amazing” defensive midfielder who could be a difference-maker in the Premier League title race, according to journalist Dean Jones.
Liverpool linked with Andre Trindade
Much was made of the Reds’ struggles in midfield throughout last season, with Fabinho and Jordan Henderson a far cry from the players they used to be when they sealed title glory in 2019/20. It was clear that major surgery was needed in the middle of the park, so Jurgen Klopp focused exclusively on that area, offloading dead wood and bringing in four new signings.
The difference has been immeasurable to date, with Dominik Szoboszlai the star addition to date, but Alexis Mac Allister, Ryan Gravenberch and Wataru Endo all providing more energy.
There have been calls from some supporters to sign a proper No.6 like Fabinho at his peak, though, with Mac Allister largely doing well in the deep-lying role, but naturally more of a No.8. Fluminense ace Andre has been talked about as an option for the Reds, but those rumours do appear to have quietened of late.
Liverpool have their eyes on Joao Palhinha
Speaking to Give Me Sport, Jones said Liverpool are interested in signing Fulham midfielder Joao Palhinha, claiming it could help turn them into Premier League champions:
“I’m surprised Liverpool haven’t already made their move on Palhinha if they were going to do it. They’ve had their eye on him for the past year and it seems very clear to me that Palhinha is a player that they could do with.
“If Palhinha was playing number six for Liverpool, I think that they would have a much better chance of going on to win the league this season than they would without him. Certainly when you see Alexis Mac Allister having to play that role. There doesn’t seem to be a defined person right now at Liverpool who can play that role.”
There is no doubt that Palhinha is an impressive midfielder who can be so dominant in the middle of the park, standing out so often in a Fulham shirt. In fact, no Premier League player has made more tackles so far this season than Palhinha, and exactly the same applied last term, when his tally of 147 was 47 more than second-place Moises Caicedo (100). His teammate Alexsandar Mitrovic is a huge admirer, too, saying of him in the past:
“I think this year there’s been some sensational [signings] that we have made. For me personally, [Joao] Palhinha is the signing of the season so far, amazing, amazing [player].”
That being said, Palhinha is now 28 years of age, so he could drift past his peak relatively soon after joining Liverpool, and the money that Fulham will demand could make it a risk.
Klopp isn’t one to sign players of this ilk, especially midway through the season, so it feels far more likely that he will end up sticking with the midfielders already in his squad, hoping they can do enough to get over the finish line in the title race.
