Liverpool have been linked with a move for Middlesbrough midfielder Hayden Hackney
Liverpool completed a well-documented £150m midfield revamp last summer, but their engine-room overhaul might not end there.
The Reds signed Alexis Mac Allister, Dominik Szoboszlai, Wataru Endo, and Ryan Gravenberch, while waving off Jordan Henderson, James Milner, Fabinho, Naby Keita, and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain.
Such surgery left Jurgen Klopp with eight senior midfield options, courtesy of the aforementioned incoming quartet, Curtis Jones, Havey Elliott, Thiago Alcantara, and Stefan Bajcetic. However, with the latter pair missing most of the campaign with long-term injury, the German has, at times, had to look elsewhere.
Trent Alexander-Arnold and Cody Gakpo have made a number of appearances in midfield this season to help bolster options, with the debate regarding the former’s long-term position ongoing. Meanwhile, academy graduates James McConnell and Bobby Clark have been handed a handful of outings themselves, with highly-rated 16-year-old Trey Nyoni also included but unused in three senior matchday squads.
Throw in the likes of Tyler Morton and Fabio Carvalho, currently on loan in the Championship with Hull City, and Klopp has options both this season and beyond – even if injuries have at times depleted the numbers of those available at his disposal. But that doesn’t mean Liverpool’s engine-room surgery is necessarily complete.
Thiago, who hasn’t started a match in nearly 12 months because of a hip injury, will celebrate his 33rd birthday in April and is out of contract at the end of the season. Unlikely to be offered an extension, the Reds will arguably need a replacement.
Meanwhile, having unexpectedly lost Fabinho and Henderson to big-money moves to Saudi Arabia, the debate regarding Klopp’s long-term options at holding midfield continues. Mac Allister has grown into the role since being utilised deeper by Klopp, while Endo has also showcased his talents having previously been written off after signing from VfB Stuttgart.
But that doesn’t take away from the fact that the World Cup winner’s strongest position is at number eight, while the Japan captain will turn 31 next month. A cut-price solution after Liverpool missed out on Moises Caicedo and Romeo Lavia to Chelsea, no matter how well he does, he is not a long-term answer.
Of course, Bajcetic could emerge as a natural successor following his eye-catching breakthrough last year. It was the Reds’ desire not to block his pathway that made it such a quandary when weighing up replacements for Fabinho in the first place.
But the Spaniard is still just a boy, having only turned 19 last October. Suffering a season-ended adductor injury last March, he has been limited to just two appearances this season after again falling foul to such setbacks. While Bajcetic is an obvious talent, he is not yet ready to be first-choice out for Liverpool.
Consequently, despite that £150m revamp, the Reds’ midfield overhaul is not yet complete. Rather, it has been put on hiatus after club sources dismissed the possibility of Liverpool strengthening in the position in January.
With Thiago currently set to depart at the end of the summer, time will tell if it will be revisited once the season ends.
For what it’s worth, the ECHO reported earlier this month that the Reds’ recruitment team are continuing to monitor Genoa’s Morten Frendrup. The 22-year-old Dane is enjoying an impressive season in Serie A, after helping the Italian outfit win promotion back to the top-flight last season.
