Alexis Mac Allister has been a revelation for Liverpool this season. Jürgen Klopp and Michael Edwards thought they had a transformational player like him in 2018.
Liverpool has not missed the mark often in the transfer market in the last few seasons. Just last summer, Jörg Schmadtke snapped up Alexis Mac Allister and Wataru Endō for roughly the same price that he sold an underperforming Fabinho and Jordan Henderson.
This season, Liverpool’s midfield ranks have been completely rejuvenated. Dominik Szoboszlai cost more and Ryan Gravenberch is yet to show a level of consistency that will need to come in time, but both of that pair could easily become two more steals.
Naby Keïta, who cost $65m (£52m/€60m) in 2018, was one that didn’t live up to the billing. Largely because of injury, the Guinean didn’t prove to be good value for money despite Liverpool being willing to wait 12 months for him to arrive.
In many ways, the excitement that built after Michael Edwards agreed the deal for Keïta was unhelpful. Every week that he did something special for RB Leipzig, the expectations rose. Ultimately, they were never achievable.
The reason that Liverpool was so keen to sign Keïta was that the Bundesliga talent, then 22 or 23, was showing up highly in all of the numbers. He appeared to excel in every aspect of the game and was a true all-rounder.
Keïta was highlighted as being exceptional in possession and he could dribble and pass the ball up the pitch. Off the ball, he was a pressing monster who could win it back in all areas. While that didn’t happen at Anfield, there is a player now who is fulfilling that role.
Mac Allister, signed for around two-thirds of what Keïta cost, is doing what Liverpool wanted. The Argentine has transformed Klopp’s midfield this season and there is simply no weakness within his game.
The former Brighton star has begun to produce regular goal contributions lately, scoring or assisting seven times in his last six Liverpool appearances. But he has also been crucial to winning the ball back, knowing exactly when to snap into tackles. His game intelligence means he has the anticipation required to overcome what he lacks in physical standing.
FBref has Mac Allister in the 95th percentile for assists compared to other midfielders in Europe’s top five leagues and he has spent most of the campaign playing as a number six. He is in the 88th for the total number of shots and the 85th for tackles, showcasing just how rounded a midfield player he is.
That kind of all-action, world-class presence in the center of the pitch was what Liverpool thought it was getting when Keïta arrived. Five years later, Mac Allister has been the man to turn the Reds’ midfield department from more of a functional unit to a dominant, goal-getting weapon that is among the current side’s biggest strengths.
