Arne Slot is working hard to set Liverpool’s problems to rights.
The Reds have enjoyed something of a mini-revival since that pitiful 4-1 defeat to PSV Eindhoven at Anfield, winning two and drawing two. However, there is much still to be done.
Having smoothed out some of the creases by making Liverpool more compact and less porous in recent weeks, Slot has ceded a creative spark that needs to be rekindled if the Premier League champions are to not just survive but succeed this season.
Liverpool’s xG (past 5 matches)
Opponent
Result
xG
Inter Milan
1-0
1.42
Leeds
3-3
1.91
Sunderland
1-1
1.45
West Ham
2-0
1.24
PSV Eindhoven
1-4
2.50
Data via FBref
This tactical tweak may yet pay off for the Merseyside club, but regardless, Liverpool could do with a few new recruits, especially in the midst of the Mohamed Salah situation.
Liverpool begin search for Salah successor
Slot sat down for his pre-match presser on Friday morning, Brighton travelling to Anfield on Saturday afternoon, and confirmed that he would speak to Salah later in the day and ascertain the route to be taken after the Egyptian’s outburst after last week’s draw at Leeds United.
Salah’s calculated comments were born from an accretion of the developments since the Premier League title was lifted and so much changed at Liverpool. To see him bow out in acrimonious circumstances would be as unfitting a departure as could be for the greatest player of this modern age at the club.
But Salah, 33, has lost his mojo on the field this season, no doubting that. There is a reason that a vested interest has been taken in Bournemouth star Antoine Semenyo, but with Manchester City also keen on the £65m-priced winger, FSG and sporting director Richard Hughes have found an exciting alternative.
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According to Spanish sources, Liverpool are emerging as contenders in the race to sign Arda Guler from Real Madrid, joining Arsenal and Manchester United, with that trio all said to have ‘made moves to try and sign’ him.
Previous reports suggest Guler could have a £88m price tag.
Liverpool’s Premier League rivals are understood to be in the front row for the 20-year-old, but FSG have entered the bidding and could now make contact with Los Blancos ahead of the winter transfer window, especially if Salah leaves.
Why Liverpool want Arda Guler
Guler has established himself as a regular starter at Real Madrid this season, Xabi Alonso putting the Turkish international ahead of Rodrygo in the pecking order.
Guler established wonderkid status during his fledgling days with Fenerbahce, and Madrid snapped him up for €30m (£26m) sum in 2023. He was 18, and he was billed as a future superstar.
Two years into his career in the Spanish capital, the 20-year-old has done little to suggest the contrary, even if he has been somewhat reduced by the tide of the La Liga giants’ excess of world-class quality.
A move to Liverpool might be perfect for him, replacing Salah and thus earning an opportunity to become a talisman. He would be perfect in Slot’s system. An effortless playmaker, Guler might actually prove the better pick when pitted against Semenyo, who is athletic and powerful and direct, but maybe lacks the Turk’s grace and potential.
Antoine Semenyo vs Arda Guler (past 12 months)
Stats (per 90)
Semenyo
Guler
Goals scored
0.36
0.20
Assists
0.20
0.41
Shots taken
2.73
2.53
Shot-creating actions
3.57
6.08
Touches (att pen)
4.87
2.94
Pass completion (%)
72.9
85.4
Progressive passes
3.48
7.91
Progressive carries
3.79
2.00
Successful take-ons
1.78
1.06
Ball recoveries
4.46
4.57
Tackles + interceptions
1.87
2.37
Data via FBref
Guler is far less active in the box than Semenyo. He does not blitz into the danger area, but instead lingers, waits for space. Versus Semenyo, he outstrips him across creative metrics while still progressing the ball forward himself. Far fewer touches in the box to underscore the difference between the two, but with Alexander Isak and Hugo Ekitike in the box, this profile could actually be the better pick.
Analyst Ben Mattinson has even said that the rising talent “could become Ballon d’Or level”, with his incredible technical strengths and application in defensive and deep build-up phases setting him apart from many other up-and-comers.
This is an exciting talent, for sure. Liverpool need to make improvements after a wretched first half of the season, and Guler would help steer Slot’s side into clearer waters and keep them there for so many years.
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