Former Arsenal midfielder Stewart Robson, who is a pundit for ESPN, claims that the Reds will not go in for Leicester City midfielder James Maddison this summer because Jurgen Klopp doubts his defensive work-rate.
Fellow ESPN man Steve Nicol claimed that Maddison should replace Gini Wijnaldum in the centre of the pitch – but Robson says Maddison simply isn’t a grafter which is what Klopp likes.
Via the Daily Express, he said: “Maddison is an out-and-out number 10. I’m not sure he would be able to press the ball and close down like Klopp wants him to. That’s his one weakness.”
We think that’s very harsh on Maddison – he’s a top player with a lot of quality and he seems to work hard enough for the Foxes. He’s an intelligent player and could surely adapt.
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It’s more likely the real reason the Reds are not in for Maddison is that the midfield area is already well-stocked. With Wijnaldum, Jordan Henderson, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, James Milner, Naby Keita, Fabinho and Adam Lallana, that’s already a lot of options.
Given Leicester want £80 million for Harry Maguire, the price-tag would also be enormous.