One of the most promising starlets in Liverpool’s arsenal is their midfielder Marko Grujic. Having emerged through the youth ranks of Red Star Belgrade, Grujic was promoted to their senior side. In the January transfer window of 2016, Jurgen Klopp made him sign on the dotted line as he made a move to the Anfield. For the remainder of the 2016-17 campaign, he was shipped out on loan to his former employers.
He spent the second half of the previous campaign on loan with Cardiff City. The Bluebirds carved a second place finish in the Championship standings and impliedly, they are due to ply their trade in the Premier League this season. In the process, Grujic played an instrumental role as in 13 appearances he scored 1 goal. Besides, he made 1.8 tackles, 1.8 interceptions, 2.8 clearances and 0.3 blocks per game on an average.
Owing to the plethora of stars Klopp has under his command at Liverpool, it would take some more time for the 22-year-old to garner regular game time with the Reds. Klopp will surely not want to lose him permanently to another club and hence a loan move is the only plausible option.
According to a recent report by Wales Online, Neil Warnock is keen to bring Grujic to the Cardiff City Stadium for the 2018-19 season. Warnock is familiar with the ingredients he has on offer and has put him on his wish-list. However, Crystal Palace have also emerged as contenders to lure him to the Selhurst Park.
The report by Wales Online states that Roy Hodgson wants Grujic as a replacement for Ruben Loftus-Cheek as the Chelsea midfielder returned to the Stamford Bridge after his loan spell last season. If Cardiff City manage to beat the Eagles in their pursuit of signing Grujic, it would be a big win for Warnock’s camp, for the Serbian international would be a handy asset for them in navigating the process of finding their feet in the top flight.
He did himself a lot of favours during his loan spell last term and is also accustomed with the tactical nous of Warnock. Grujic is good in the air, is a tough tackler and his positioning is top notch. A loan spell with Cardiff City would also give him the taste of the Premier League which would keep his developmental process in the ascendancy. Something Liverpool will have no issues with at this stage!
Statistics Credits: WhoScored
