3 Jul 2016

Deal Close? Liverpool still determined to seal summer transfer for 'amazing' £14m playmaker

The end is nigh? Joe Allen has played an integral part in Wales' march to the Euro 2016 semi-finals, but this doesn't appear to cut any ice with Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp, who appears to be determined to sell the Midfielder this summer.

According to Sky Sports:

"Liverpool have placed a £14m valuation on Joe Allen following his performances at Euro 2016. Swansea City have already had an £8m bid turned down by the Reds".

Over the last few months, Liverpool have been linked with countless central midfielders, which suggests that Klopp simply doesn't rate Allen, and is intent on bringing in a different style of player.

Some will argue that Allen's performances at Euro 2016 prove that he's good enough to be a regular first-teamer for Liverpool, and whilst there's merit to that view, what exactly is his best position?

Is Allen a better defensive midfielder than Can (or Neves, Kante, Camacho etc). Is he a superior box-to-box midfielder to Henderson? Is he a better central attacking midfielder than Coutinho? The answer is clearly no.

Allen is great at short-passing, retaining possession, and pressing the ball, but Liverpool need positional specialists in midfield, and in my view, Allen doesn't excel in any one midfield role.

It's a different story for Wales, where Allen has a defined role, with the midfield built around him, but Liverpool don't play in the same way, which means a different type of player is needed.

Allen is a great squad player to have, but if Liverpool have ambitions of qualifying for the Champions League and/or winning the league, then a superior *starting* player is needed in his position.

^ Hailed last week by Gareth Bale as 'amazing'.

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