Liverpool are heading in an exciting direction under Jürgen Klopp, so don’t be surprised if you see the rumour mill filled with speculation linking the club with players who suit the German’s free-flowing style of play.
Liverpool are only second to Manchester City if you consider goals scored in the Premier League this season and have scored more Champions League goals than anyone else, 28, so if you’re a Liverpool fan, you’re probably accustomed to the club getting linked to fleet-footed wingers, à la Sadio Mane or Mohamed Salah.
Recent reports indicate that the Reds are eyeing a move for Sporting Lisbon winger Gelson Martins. Bayern Munich and Barcelona are also interested in securing his services, so Liverpool won’t find it easy signing the 22-year old who has been in pretty good form this season.
Sporting have supposedly added a release clause of £53 million but the clause expires in the summer, so he could cost more late on.
Gelson Martins – fact file
After making the transition from the Sporting B team to the senior team, Martins has improved with every season. In his first full season, he scored four and assisted one, but the experience was vital as he didn’t look back.
The 2016-17 season has been the most productive for him yet, as he scored six and assisted 13 goals for his side and helped them finish third in the league table.
So far this season, he has managed five goals and three assists in the league.
What will he add to the team?
More pace and dribbling ability in the wide areas. Like Salah and Mane, Martins can take on a defender and beat him all ends up owing to his pace and trickery. Though he might take some time to acclimatise to the pace and the physicality to the Premier League, he could be a good addition despite the high release clause.
Martins isn’t just a player who likes to show off his tricks and flicks as he has mustered a passing accuracy of 84.5%. One of the areas he’ll have to improve on is the tracking back and doing his bit defensively for the sake of the team.
Liverpool’s bench strength could do with a boost as the likes of Danny Ings and Dominic Solanke aren’t the players who can change a game if the side isn’t doing so well. If they want to end their wait for a league title, they’ll have to add players like Martins.