The Redmen TV presenter Paul Machin has named one English player he feels Liverpool should pursue as a ‘smart’ option to help fill their homegrown quota.
The man in question is James Ward-Prowse, with whom the Reds were linked earlier this month amid a potential £50m departure from Southampton following their relegation from the Premier League (Daily Mail).
James Pearce later outlined for The Athletic that the 28-year-old ‘doesn’t fit the profile’ of player Jurgen Klopp would want to bring to Anfield, but Machin has now played devil’s advocate.
Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, he said: “If a good value deal could be struck, Liverpool need homegrown players. This is the kind of deal that Chelsea and Manchester City have picked upon over the years.
“He’s good enough to come in to a variety of games and is very much good enough to play at the Europa League level. James Ward-Prowse could actually be a smart squad option for Liverpool.”
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We can certainly align with Machin on this one, having seen the level of performance Ward-Prowse has displayed in the Premier League over a number of years.
He’s netted 49 goals in 343 top-flight appearances, one for every seven matches (Transfermarkt); and in a summer which has seen James Milner depart Liverpool, the Southampton skipper could offer an exceptional level of dedication with which the 37-year-old has become synonymous.
At 28, the Saints midfielder hits that sweet spot of being greatly experienced at a high level but still young enough to have plenty more to offer – the aforementioned Brighton veteran was 29 when he came to Anfield in 2015, and look at how he turned out for the Reds.
Machin also makes a pertinent point about Ward-Prowse’s homegrown status, with two players who fit that billing last season having now left Klopp’s side (Milner and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain), and even then LFC couldn’t name a full 25-man Premier League squad.
A potent Premier League-proven player who could be yearning for a return to the top flight and a crack at Europe, and at an ideal age in terms of the balance of youth versus experience, a move for the Southampton midfielder would make plenty of sense.
It’s just a case of whether the Liverpool brokers may reassess their opinion of him and view him as a viable option.