LFC legend thinks potential new signing would take Wijnaldum’s spot

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Steve Nicol was, by all accounts, an extremely good footballer – and one who not only won multiple titles with Liverpool, but the Football Writers Player of the Year award in 1989.

But when it comes to offering his opinion on the club, he doesn’t half come out with some strange stuff!

The Scot has claimed that he’d bring James Maddison in from Leicester to eventually replace Gini Wijnaldum, completely ignoring the options of Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Naby Keita already at Jurgen Klopp’s disposal.

“Maybe a starter, for me [he would be] a starter, James Maddison,” Nicol told ESPN FC.

“He’s a player who does in my opinion all the things that Klopp wants his middle three to do right now. 

“You put him in the middle. I’d suggest because Jordan Henderson’s the captain right now it’d have to be ahead of Gini Wijnaldum. 

“I think Wijnaldum starts right now because he has a goal or two in him but for me Maddison would take over that because he has a goal or two in him [as well]. 

“He’s a guy that gets around, does the hard work, can get from box to box and has an eye for a pass. 

“You’ve got a player coming in [in Maddison] who makes the starting eleven better already.”

So where do we begin?

Firstly, we’d argue that Wijnaldum is not in the side to provide goals, as Nicol suggests. The fact the Dutchman has 13 in 137 Liverpool appearances proves that.

Secondly, while Maddison is a potentially top player – the price Leicester would ask for would be astronomical – based on their £85m valuation [Metro] for Harry Maguire!

Lastly, we don’t need him! as mentioned at the start of the piece, we have a fit again Ox raring to go, a settled Keita, Wijnaldum and captain Jordan Henderson fighting for two positions.

Not to mention James Milner and Adam Lallana.

This won’t happen.

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