Bukayo Saka to Liverpool? It seems a highly unlikely link-up, even should the Reds be set to benefit from a mammoth bid between the winter window and the following opening of the market next summer.
Saudi Arabia categorically will return to test the Merseysiders’ resolve once again, though the question remains as to who the side could look to replace not only an output monster but a bona fide modern great who has outstripped the likes of Kenny Dalglish, Robbie Fowler and Steven Gerrard in the club’s all-time top-scorers chart.
Andy Jones and Mark Carey explained that agreeing a deal with Arsenal (terribly unlikely as it is) will nonetheless hinge on Jurgen Klopp’s men proving that their potential lies higher than the Gunners.
“To be more position-specific, Arsenal’s Bukayo Saka profiles perfectly. The left-footed right-winger has grown into one of the best attackers in the Premier League and he is only 22,” the journalist wrote for The Athletic.
“He was a major catalyst in his team’s title challenge last season with 14 goals and 11 assists, and is only going to get better.
“Any transfer fee would have to be at least the equivalent of the money quoted for Salah — if not more as Saka penned a four-year contract in May, is nearly 10 years younger (so his potential and room for development is huge) and Arsenal would surely be vehemently opposed to any possible sale.
“Saka himself would also have to be convinced to move away from his boyhood club — key to that would be Liverpool’s trajectory projecting higher than Arsenal’s.”
That’ll be quite the task for us this summer should we not only remain in Arsenal’s shadow in the league table but also fail to return to the heralded top four spots.
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10 points accumulated from a possible 12 in our opening four league games of the season suggest a return to Europe’s premier competition for 2024/25 is far from being outside the realms of possibility.
That said, with Arsenal very much a side on the up under exciting young manager Mikel Arteta and Jurgen Klopp only committed at Anfield until 2026, the question remains: could we pull off a transfer only less unlikely than snatching Vinicius Jr. from Madrid?
Common sense dictates that we’re far more likely to dig deep into the data available and source a name less well-known to the fanbase; a name that may inspire scratched heads and whispers of ‘who’ or ‘why’ (as much was the case in some quarters over the initial signing of our “Chelsea-reject” Egyptian King).
Saka would be welcomed at L4, though we’ve no problem with the club thinking outside the box again if need be.
#Ep89 of The Empire of the Kop Podcast: EOTK Insider with Neil Jones🎙️