Having picked up four points from their first two games of the Premier League campaign, Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool are off to a decent start this season but the manager is not yet done with his transfer business. The club is in danger of losing their best player in Philippe Coutinho to Barcelona and has not been able to land two of their top transfer targets in Naby Keita and Virgil van Dijk this summer.
However, they are still looking for a midfielder and it is now reported that they are close to landing Mateo Kovacic.
Liverpool verbally agree terms:
The Croatian international is one of the most established midfielders in Europe at the moment but is not guaranteed first team football in the league or the Champions League under Zinedine Zidane and is reportedly ready to quit the club this summer.
Arsenal have been long term admirers of the player but Spanish news outfit Dario Gol now claim that Liverpool have agreed on verbal terms with the player and will land him before the deadline day. So what will Kovacic add to the squad at Anfield?
Kovacic and his attributes:
Born and brought up in Linz, Austria, Kovacic tasted senior football for the first time with Croatian giants Dinamo Zagreb, where his performances earned him a place at San Siro with Inter Milan. He established himself as the first choice straight away in Italy and just two years and 80 appearances later, he made a stunning move to Real Madrid.
In his two years in Spain, he has only been used as a backup to the likes of Toni Kroos and Luka Modric and is not expected to be the first choice anytime soon. A central midfielder by trait, Kovacic is one of the best players in Europe in controlling the tempo of the game and turning defence into attack and his energy and technical ability in the midfield is exactly what the squad at Anfield lacks at the moment.
The 23-year old, who already has 36 appearances for the Croatian national side, is an established star who now has 132 top flight appearances in Europe to add to 38 appearances in European competitions. He is a super star in the making and will be a sensational addition to the squad at Anfield.
How will he fit in?
Klopp has used Jordan Henderson as the deepest of the midfielders while Emre Can is the only other option in this role. Georginio Wijnaldum, Adam Lallana and even Philippe Coutinho have played in the midfield but in more advanced positions and Kovacic can play in both those roles.
He is actually an upgrade on each of those names except the Brazilian, who is more of an attacking player. The balance Kovacic brings to the squad is immeasurable and if Liverpool do manage to land him this summer, he can turn into a genuine match winner, even in his first season at Anfield.
The Croatian may not be a like for like replacement for Coutinho but will surely reduce the impact that the squad will have if they lose their talisman. Can Klopp lure him to England?
