It’s telling of Arne Slot’s quality as a head coach that he’s managed to build on the more than solid foundations left by his predecessor, Jurgen Klopp, at Liverpool.
Ryan Gravenberch, for certain, has to be considered the former AZ Alkmaar boss’ crowning achievement thus far.
Just look how quickly the disappointment of missing out on Real Sociedad’s Martin Zubimendi was forgotten about. The solution? The Dutchman helped transform his compatriot into one of the most reliable holding midfielders in the Premier League.
Putting aside Roy Keane’s downplaying comments, we can all agree that praise for the 22-year-old’s strong start to the 2024/25 campaign is very well deserved.
Curtis Jones mention went under the radar
In fairness, there’s hardly a shortage of footballers in Liverpool’s current setup who are worthy of mention on these kinds of panel shows.
Mo Salah has been a revelation in the forward line, registering 20 goal contributions in 17 games (across all competitions). Then there’s Ibrahima Konate who has been arguably our most formidable centre-back this season. And who can overlook Caoimhin Kelleher who has utterly excelled in the absence of Alisson Becker in goal?
Paul Scholes, likewise, raised a worthwhile shout in namedropping the £14.9m-valued (according to Football Transfers’ player valuation system) Curtis Jones.
“Has Curtis Jones not been as good as him?” the former Manchester United midfielder spoke on the latest instalment of The Overlap.
“Curtis Jones has been good too, yeah. Very good,” Gary Neville agreed.
“He started to play a little bit at the end of last season.”
Jill Scott pointed to the Liverpool midfielder’s remarkable debut for England: “His goal was good for England, wasn’t it? That little flick. Just showed a player high on confidence, didn’t it?”
What do the stats say about Jones in 2024/25?
There’s been plenty to like about Jones’ contributions this term, with Sofascore handing him an average rating of 7/10 in the Premier League.
Based on his performances over the last calendar year, FBref have awarded the midfielder remarkably high rankings with regard to his use of the ball.
Player | Pass Completion Rate | Progressive Carries | Successful Take-Ons |
Curtis Jones | 93rd percentile | 83rd percentile | 94th percentile |
Dominik Szoboszlai | 43rd percentile | 97th percentile | 78th percentile |
Alexis Mac Allister | 65th percentile | 58th percentile | 27th percentile |
Top rated betting sites on BookiesBonuses.com seem to be in agreement – BoyleSports keeps track of Jones’s stats for the season and shows the record of 212 passes in total, 198 of which successful, netting him a 93.4% success rate.
Of jones were Hungarian do you think he would be captain instead of szobo, not a chance, not in same class👍