John Aldridge has suggested that Jurgen Klopp ‘could look’ to sell one Liverpool midfielder this summer, even with several others already set to depart.
James Milner, Naby Keita and Alex Oxalde-Chamberlain will all be out of contract next month, while Arthur Melo is returning to Juventus after his abortive loan spell (Transfermarkt).
However, given the resurgence of Curtis Jones and the successful repositioning of Trent Alexander-Arnold, on top of the likelihood that new midfielders will be signed during the off-season, the former Reds striker believes one current option may become disposable.
In his latest Liverpool Echo column, Aldridge wrote: “Important decisions must be made this summer as we prepare for a midfield shake-up. Liverpool have still got Stefan Bajcetic to come back next season, though our other injured Spaniard is someone whose future may not be as certain.
“With Trent now moving into midfield positions and potentially two or three signings coming in during the transfer window, I am wondering whether Thiago will go.
“He has only played roughly half of our games again and is getting older. Klopp could look to move him on to bring someone younger in and, given the way we work as a club, we have to bring money in somehow.
“As good as Thiago is, you need players who are fit all the time, young and get about the pitch. Curtis Jones and Trent could be about to save the club £100million this summer, but we still need two top midfielders.”
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The logic behind Aldridge’s suggestion that Thiago could be jettisoned over the summer is understandable, with the Spaniard now 32 and suffering a multitude of injury problems during his three years at the club so far (Transfermarkt).
However, with so many current midfielders already on their way out, any thoughts of dispensing with the £24m-rated (Football Transfers) ex-Barcelona man should be set aside until at least a couple of high-quality additions are made.
Even though he’s only started 14 Premier League games this season, he’s still shown his value to the team with a squad-high 2.4 tackles per match, while his interception average of 1.2 per game is the joint-third highest at Anfield (WhoScored).
Furthermore, Thiago’s former Bayern Munich boss Niko Kovac once called him a ‘coach’s dream’, adding that ‘he’s the heartbeat of our midfield, a player who can do everything with the ball’ (Planet Football).
Trent’s new role, Jones’ revival and the return from injury to Bajcetic all serve to bolster Liverpool’s midfield options from within, but the 32-year-old must be retained until such time that new faces of sufficient quality arrive and Klopp feels the Spaniard may no longer be essential.
Depressing to say it, but since Thiago got injured we’ve won seven on the spin. A settled run for Curtis has shown he offers far more out of possession than Thiago offers in possession.