Liverpool plotting to sign their best CM since Thiago in £314k-p/w talent

Liverpool were quite clearly tired against Tottenham Hotspur in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday evening, and you could maybe say the same for their Premier League draw against Manchester United last weekend.

Arne Slot’s side have been fantastic this year, mounting a title challenge that has seen them outplay their rivals to take a six-point lead (with a game in hand) at the campaign’s midpoint.

Sometimes in football, things don’t go to plan. Liverpool’s 24-match unbeaten run was snapped at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in controversial circumstances, but the plain truth is that the Reds were toothless in attack and wobbly at the back.

Perhaps a good way to counter these problems and restore the feel-good factor would be to work somewhere in the middle and strengthen Liverpool’s midfield this month.

An opportunity for a new number six might have emerged. Ryan Gravenberch has been sensational this year though has started all 15 matches across the Premier League and Europe, and needs support.

Liverpool eyeing another midfielder

As per German reporter Christian Falk, Liverpool are interested in signing Joshua Kimmich this year, with the Bayern Munich star out of contract at the end of the season.

The 29-year-old midfielder is engaged in discussions with his employers to extend his £314k-per-week deal, but Liverpool are now in a position to canvass their proposal and could tempt him to try his hand outside his homeland for the first time.

If FSG are serious about their interest, it might be wise for them to act prudently and bring him in this winter, for Manchester City are also sniffing around and keen on landing him this month for a bargain £10m fee.

What Joshua Kimmich would bring to Liverpool

Typically, Liverpool like to sign players before their prime, identifying exciting talents and shaping them into elite-level superstars. Typically. FSG do make exceptions, Thiago Alcantara being the most salient.

In 2020, Thiago joined Liverpool from Bayern Munich (what d’ya know) in an eye-catching £25m deal. The Premier League champions saw an opportunity and grabbed it, the Spaniard being one of the eminent midfielders of his generation.

It wasn’t a skillset that Liverpool were used to under Jurgen Klopp’s tutelage, but Thiago was arguably the most technically talented midfielder in Europe and added something different to the team.

Indeed, the Reds were treated to some incredible football with Thiago at the centre, but unfortunately, injuries limited him to partial success, less so than his thrilling years with Bayern and Barcelona, winning Champions League titles with each and many lifting many league trophies too.

Back to Kimmich. FSG might be wary about repeating the move with a player of a similar age from the same stadium, but the German’s fitness record is far better than his one-time teammate’s. Moreover, he could replicate the ball-playing quality in a Slot system that is better tailored to it.

The now-retired Thiago only started 51 Premier League matches across his four-year stay at Liverpool, averaging out at around 13 per term. The fact that he left such an indelible impression on the Anfield fanbase despite his fitness struggles suggests that Kimmich could have an incredible effect.

TalkSPORT pundit Tony Cascarino has actually hailed Thiago as “maybe the most gifted player I’ve seen in the Premier League.” Liverpool are grateful for the time they spent with the distinguished Spaniard, but it could have been so much more.

Certainly, there are tactical similarities between the players. Comparing Kimmich’s statistics from this term against Thiago’s in 2021/22, when he received the aforementioned praise from Cascarino and was at his ostensible Liverpool peak, you can see that his quality is indeed recognisable through elements of Kimmich’s skill set.

It’s food for thought. Slot would relish the opportunity to enhance his team with a different variety of “world-class” deep-sitting midfielder – as hailed by Julian Nagelsmann – one who differs from Gravenberch, to be sure.

Looking at the two players, you can see that both bring the gold standard when it comes to pulling strings with their influence, threading an obscene number of progressive passes each match while showcasing athleticism through their ball recoveries.

A pass is considered progressive if the distance between the starting point and the next touch is at least 10 meters closer to the opponent’s goal or any completed pass into the penalty area.

Furthermore, Kimmich may not be as active a defensive force in the Bayern first team but he’s still more than reliable in that regard, having won 66% of his ground duels in the Bundesliga this season, as per Sofascore.

Given that Thiago is regarded as, perhaps, the most technically gifted player to have graced the Premier League, and that Kimmich is able to go punch-for-punch with him across similar metrics, there’s a solid case to be made that Liverpool would get their mitts on their best midfielder since the Spain star, should Kimmich be brought in.

Slot’s long-term project could prosper with him in the mix, jockeying with Gravenberch for that number six spot, but it could also be that FSG launch a £10m move this month to give Liverpool that added something in the centre. It might make all the difference.