Incredible, Andoni Iraola has landed Liverpool their dream midfielder

Andoni Iraola has landed Liverpool their dream midfielder. What a fantastic job he's done already.

Liverpool needed a new midfielder in the summer but quite emphatically didn’t sign one. That emphasis was largely brought through not only avoiding any incoming midfielders but also selling Curtis Jones.

So in a summer where it was clear that the current group of senior options didn’t work, Liverpool simply reduced the numbers. A strange one, admittedly, and we really didn’t see it coming.

Especially as this season has shown wonderfully well that Liverpool lack control in the middle of the pitch. That was abundantly clear from matchday one, with Newcastle United twice easing their way through the Reds’ core to score twice.

It’s a trend that has continued even if the results have been okay. Liverpool are soft in the middle and it means teams can always get at them, with a heavy reliance on their defence to stop counter-attacks.

But despite not actually signing anyone in the summer, it does feel as though Andoni Iraola has found Liverpool their midfielder anyway. And what a job that is.

Trey Nyoni is the real deal

Liverpool have often used Trey Nyoni at the base of midfield when looking to rotate this season. That differs from how Arne Slot used the player - he typically pushed him further forward and closer to goal.

Perhaps that's merely a sign of how Slot didn't like to trust young players with lots of responsibility. Or perhaps he simply viewed Nyoni differently. Either way, we're seeing a very different player this season.

And importantly, we're seeing one who can play the exact role that Liverpool are missing. Nyoni offers that controlling style of play, seeing lots of the ball and completing his passes into good areas.

In fact, Nyoni typically has more touches than any other player when he features. That was again the case against Chelsea on Wednesday evening - the 19-year-old went off with 10 minutes to play and still had 22 more touches than any other midfielder on the pitch.

The only other midfielder to complete more passes into the final third was Jordan Henderson, too, and this is exactly the kind of trait Liverpool have needed. Someone willing and able to find players in advanced areas and regularly.

Add in four recoveries and two tackles and you can see how Nyoni is fitting the role well. Not that things are perfect, however.

He was still wayward with some longer passes, while he was dribbled past twice - a match high. But the building blocks are as clear as day here and Nyoni quite plainly has the skills to keep improving in the role.

And that's down to Iraola. He's got him playing in a position that suits Nyoni and, importantly, affords the teenager regular minutes in this Liverpool team. Combine the two and there's a fantastic chance that he actually does fulfill his incredible potential.

Something we weren't at all sure about this time last year.