Liverpool revamped its midfield in 2023, but while Jurgen Klopp successfully got his side back on track with a summer that saw four signings for the center of the pitch come in, the work doesn't appear to be done .
It was reported by The Athletic earlier this week that Liverpool has identified a holding midfielder as a major priority before August 30 when the transfer window slams shut. Supposedly, a target - playing outside of the Premier League - has been picked out, though it remains to be seen exactly who that is.
Arne Slot needs an elite option at the base of his midfield and bringing someone exciting in would be a huge boost on the eve of the new season. Not only that, though, but it could make one of the best Liverpool players of last season even more brilliant.
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Alexis Mac Allister , who arrived from Brighton just over 12 months ago for a relatively modest fee of $45m (£35m/€41m) , was a contender for Liverpool's Player of the Season award in his debut campaign. In the main, though, he was deployed as a lone number six.
At times, it worked a treat. There is a common consensus, however, that the Argentine could be even better with someone more combative alongside him, giving him a bit more freedom to attack. At his previous club, he had Moises Caicedo there to offer some more protection and help cover ground and when Wataru Endo was at his peak last year, Liverpool had a similar dynamic.
The evidence of this summer points to Endo being less of a feature in the team in 2024/25 but adding a younger, more dynamic and more technically gifted number six into the mix would elevate the Liverpool midfield substantially. That has always been true but the only concern has been a lack of genuine contenders to be bought. The money is there; until now, at least, the profile hasn't.
But it appears that may have changed, and if Liverpool can bring in a mystery upgrade to hold things together at the base of its midfield, that would free up Mac Allister to do exclusively what he does best. He can play the number six role much better than many give him credit for but there is no doubt that he is even better when he has a bit more support.
It was Klopp who brought Mac Allister to Anfield with the new-look, refreshed roster that Slot inherited a very strong group thanks to the work that was undertaken last summer. On the evidence of the last year, however, there has been no better addition made in 2023 than Mac Allister - and it should be Slot who gets to fully unleash him.
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