‘The answer is simple’ – Journalist explains why Liverpool don’t intend to sign Jones replacement
One reporter has explained why Liverpool don’t intend to sign a replacement for Curtis Jones in the final few days of the summer transfer window.
The 25-year-old completed a £30m move to Inter Milan on Friday, with the deal also including a 10% sell-on clause for the Reds (Sky Sports), thus reducing the quantity of midfield options available to Andoni Iraola.
Despite persistent rumours of a swoop for Adam Wharton, Lewis Steele indicated in recent days that FSG have no intention of paying £100m for the Crystal Palace powerhouse and aren’t planning to enter the market for a midfielder prior to the deadline on Tuesday week.
Liverpool view Trey Nyoni as Jones’ replacement
Transfer insider Graeme Bailey outlined to TEAMtalk that Liverpol assessed numerous midfield options earlier this summer (including Elliot Anderson, Sandro Tonali and Wharton) but concluded that none of those targeted were worth the outlays which would’ve been required to sign them.
He added that Iraola was blown away’ by the performances of Trey Nyoni in pre-season to the extent that the head coach believes the 19-year-old is now ‘first-team ready’.
Bailey explained: “A lot of Liverpool fans wondering why they are not seeing a new midfielder, even with Jones’ exit, the answer is simple – the club say they don’t need it.
“I would point out the club said the same about a defender and then moved for Ronald Araujo, but I believe they do think they are in good shape in terms of midfield because of Nyoni’s progress.”
It’s a very risky outlook by Liverpool
It’s a testament to how brilliantly Nyoni has done that he’s now regarded as a genuine first-team option by Iraola, and The Athletic’s Gregg Evans and James Pearce recently indicated that the teenager ‘may be on the verge of a bigger role’ for Liverpool this season.
We’re all for the promotion of academy talent at Anfield, and the hope is that the 19-year-old’s progress will ultimately negate the need to spend big money on a new recruit, but such a strategy carries a significant risk for the Reds.
The issue with our midfield isn’t quality – Ryan Gravenberch, Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai are all top-class operators – but quantity after the exit of Jones.
Behind that trio, the only first-team options for the middle of the park are Nyoni (who’s still learning his trade) and Wataru Endo (a trusted backup but now approaching his mid-30s and coming off the back of a lengthy injury).
At present, Iraola is heavily dependent on the likely starting three to remain fit and on form throughout a hectic season. Even then, Liverpool still don’t have a top-tier number 6 option to address the glaring issue of how easily opponents continue to play through our midfield.
We’d be delighted if Nyoni goes on to vindicate the club’s reported stance on not signing a midfielder, and we’ve every faith in the youngster to prove his worth over the coming months and years, but we still feel that abstaining from the market could backfire horribly on the Anfield hierarchy.
