20 Jul 2016

Transfer Update: Liverpool fighting to sign 'extraordinary' €30m playmaker who's 'like Kaka'

Last month, Gazetta dello Sport journalist Emanuele Giulianelli claimed that Liverpool were 'close' to signing allegedly incredible Real Madrid midfielder Mateo Kovacic, and new reports this week add further weight to this ongoing transfer rumour.

According to Sky Sports:

"Our colleagues at Sky Italy have reported that the Reds are in a battle to sign Kovacic for 30m euros".

I've made this point a lot recently, but it applies again here: Kovacic is not a positional-specialist, which is what Liverpool need. During his career, he has operated as a deep-lying midfielder; a number 10; central-midfielder; DM, and a winger (!) but failed to hold down a regular spot in any one position.

At Madrid last season, Kovacic played in four different positions last season, which suggests that he's seen as a utility man, filling-in wherever he's needed. He is basically Madrid's Joe Allen, and I see little value in selling one 'multi-functional' midfielder (Allen) and signing another (Kovacic).

Ultimately, there's no point signing Kovacic unless he has a specific, well-defined role in the team, and that means playing in one position the majority of the time. With that in mind, what is his best position? According to the man himself:

"I'm most comfortable as a defensive midfielder, but it's up to the coach to decide."

Kovacic rarely plays as a DM for Madrid, and I doubt that Klopp sees him as a dedicated defensive-midfielder. If Liverpool are genuinely interested, perhaps Klopp sees him as a deep-lying playmaker, a position the Reds urgently need to fill (IMO).

Is Kovacic a better option than Wijnaldum?

^ Described by Giovanni Trappattoni as 'like Kaka'.


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