Liverpool are on the verge of wrapping up a deal for Newcastle’s best player Georginio Wijnaldum, with respected Telegraph correspondent Chris Bascombe suggesting the club could finalise a transfer this week.
The Dutch midfielder plies his trade for Championship side Newcastle, managed by Liverpool’s former boss Rafa Benitez – whose word is still very much respected on Merseyside following his six year stint with us from 2004 to 2010.
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Benitez rates Wijnaldum highly, it’d be fair to say – and these quotes from a few months ago are enlightening for Liverpool supporters. Firstly because they outline the 25-year-old’s best position, and secondly because of how brilliant Benitez clearly thinks the Wijnaldum is.
“That is the problem: because he is so good, he can play everywhere and do well,” he told reporters in March, when asked about Wijnaldum’s best position.
“We were thinking about where to play him the other day, and we said: ‘His best position could be behind the striker’.
“But because he is doing well he can play on the right, he can play on the left.
“On saying that, he is so good up front because he can create and score goals.
“I think that his best position is behind the striker but we need quality now out on the pitch, so he can help in any position.”
So if we complete a deal of Wijnaldum, we have a dynamic option for the midfield double-pivot, an option on the right or left flank and a stand-in, goalscoring no.10.
What’s not to like…?
Fans are perhaps rightly questioning the rumoured price-tag, anywhere between £20m and £27m says the Telegraph, but in this day and age – transfer fees should be taken with a large pinch of salt. Every Premier League club has money and prices for players with years left on contracts will be premium.
Providing we’re acquiring the ‘right’ players, fees are less important. And in Wijnaldum, we have, in our opinion, an upgrade on Piotr Zielinski as he can play in more positions and is physically much better.