Brighton podcaster Charlie Haffenden told the Under the Radar podcast that he was fearful of the prospect of Liverpool adding Yves Bissouma to their first-XI, as reported by the Echo.
The Malian has been previously linked to the Reds, with some claiming that the midfielder would be particularly well-suited to filling the potential gap left by Gini Wijnaldum, should the Dutchman depart in the summer as expected.
“I’m not surprised that Potter is likening Bissouma to the Champions League because he is of that level,” said the founder of BHA Today. “He can link defence to midfield but he can also do the job of the number 10 and create – he does everything and even if the team does not play well, he is the stand-out player.”
“Roberto Firmino, if I’m not mistaken, has started to come a lot deeper this season,” Haffenden added. “Bissouma would allow him to stay forward more and really excel and alongside Thiago as well – it scares me to be honest to think of Bissouma in that team.”
Our No.5 is yet to provide an answer on the club’s latest contract offer, which he is reportedly still unhappy with.
Ideally, we’d much rather keep a player of the 30-year-old’s calibre at the club for a few more seasons, but the longer the terms are left officially unaddressed, the more likely it would appear that Wijnaldum is considering a more lucrative move elsewhere.
Should the worst come to pass, however, Haffenden’s assessment of Brighton’s star man would suggest that Liverpool could immediately find a suitable replacement.
“He is not a headline-grabber and there is not much in terms of goals and assists but he does a more protective role in that 3-4-3 or 3-4-2-1 type formation,” the Brighton podcaster said. “He has great mobility and he looks after the ball really well, dribbling out of tight spaces. He is press resistant and there is a lot to like about him.”
It’s a lot to ask of the 24-year-old to be an exact, carbon-copy of the Dutch international, but if the necessary foundations are there, you’d think Jurgen Klopp would be more than tempted to pursue the option in the summer.