FSG join Liverpool in ‘world class’ £79m star signing race

I might really feel the thrill radiating off the pitch like ripples. It was apparent. It was a reminder of what this group can do towards the very best groups on the planet. Liverpool defeated Actual Madrid within the Champions League for the second yr in a row.

Head coach Arn Slott should have felt his group had turned a nook after ending a four-game dropping streak within the Premier League with knowledgeable win over Aston Villa, however final weekend’s heartbreaking loss to Manchester Metropolis confirmed the Reds had been simply going spherical and spherical.

Liverpool might be outclassed in each nook of the Etihad Stadium, and Slott might be disillusioned to have misplaced to Josep Guardiola on the tactical chessboard. Certainly, he’s not the primary supervisor to lose such a battle with the Spaniards.

Nevertheless, the Reds have struggled to do the fundamentals and are removed from the extent they had been final season, after they dispatched so many opponents and received the league title with relative ease.

The tactical imbalance has been evident all season, with Liverpool clearly with out Luis Dias, who has been in nice type for Bayern Munich this season.

If the slot issues proceed, FSG may very well be pressured to signal a brand new model of the Columbia version.

Liverpool intention to interchange Dias

Florian Wirtz’s struggles since leaving Bayer Leverkusen to affix Liverpool for £116m this summer season have been well-documented.

The 22-year-old German playmaker is among the most gifted footballers within the recreation, however has but to search out the physicality or fluency to achieve the Premier League and will need to take a web page from Dias’ guide in that regard.

Apart from Diaz’s capacity within the last third, he has relentlessly elevated his workload and pace, including width and dynamism to the flanks. Liverpool want a chunk of that and it seems like they’ve discovered the candidate.

Certainly, sources in Spain have revealed that sporting director Richard Hughes has confirmed that Liverpool are keen on Actual Madrid star Rodrygo, who has fallen considerably down the pecking order below supervisor Xabi Alonso.

Arsenal and Chelsea are additionally eager on the Brazil worldwide, and Manchester Metropolis’s plot was confirmed by Fabrizio Romano this summer season.

Florentino Perez needs €90m (about £79m) for the versatile ahead, however given his diminished position at Actual Madrid over the previous yr or so, FSG are more likely to transfer to cut back that hefty price ticket.

What Rodrygo gives Liverpool

Rodrigo ended the 2024/25 season in a droop. A number of seasons in the past, the 24-year-old was thought of top-of-the-line wingers on the planet, however his restricted position at Actual meant he was unable to take care of that tag.

This season, Alonso has given Rodrygo simply three begins throughout La Liga and the Champions League. Though he’s but to attain a purpose, he has supplied two assists on the continent. All this factors to a divorce from Santiago Bernabéu. As a result of he is among the most enjoyable and gifted vast forwards in Europe and he ought to have a task within the wing that displays that.

Liverpool might provide this to him. Slott wished to supply Rio Ngmoja a path to the primary group through the summer season, which is ostensibly why he didn’t make Dias a direct substitute.

This turned out to be a mistake, because the 17-year-old remains to be not trusted to start out video games and make an impression.

Rodrygo has the maturity and world expertise to not solely problem Wertz and Codi Gakpo for a beginning spot, but additionally to stake his declare to a starring position on the pitch at Anfield.

Typically statistics should be seen in a broader context. Contemplate Rodrygo’s struggles in Spain’s prime flight final yr, when he scored simply six objectives and supplied six assists in 30 video games.

Are you poor? Now, Rodrygo has been given simply 12 begins by supervisor Carlo Ancelotti, and SofaScore’s information suggests he missed only one huge likelihood, underscoring his scientific nature.

What’s extra, the South American maverick scored six objectives and supplied an help on the left wing final yr, regardless of being given simply 12 appearances in all competitions. The left wing beckons at Liverpool, the place he might reshape the world-famous standing that has seen him on the largest stage to this point.

And even after this testing interval, Rodrigo’s underlying qualities don’t lie, as evidenced by the numerous tactical similarities with Diaz over the previous 12 months.

Apparently, the tactical variations between the 2 usually are not that nice. And that is regardless of Rodrygo having fallen to the fringes of Los Blancos lengthy earlier than this summer season’s managerial change.

With Alonso in cost, it is clear that Rodrygo will not have the ability to benefit from the common taking part in time that his expertise deserves. In any case, Luka Modric as soon as described him as one of many membership’s “world-class superstars”.

Dias has been extremely prolific since becoming a member of Bayern from Liverpool in August, a stage hardly ever maintained within the notoriously troublesome Premier League, however there is no such thing as a denying that Liverpool are lacking Dias and his athleticism.

Rodrigo may very well be the proper tonic to show the ship round. In any case, Alonso does not appear to need him, Liverpool solely want his profile.

Nobody is aware of whether or not the Reds will have the ability to pull off their daring winter swoop, however with their Premier League rivals additionally within the hunt, Hughes must ship one thing if this season is to be thought of successful.