In an attempt to revive the team after last season’s poor performance, Liverpool began to replace its midfielders. The departure of James Milner, Jordan Henderson, Fabinho, and others who supported Klopp’s first regime signalled the end of an era.
In the midst of all this attention, the first addition to Liverpool’s midfield reinforcements was Argentine midfielder Alexis Mac Allister, who had been playing for Brighton until last season.
He is a dexterous player who has done superb work both offensively and defensively, and contributed greatly to his country’s victory at the World Cup in Qatar.
He has been used in the depths of midfield for some time now, but he has steadily filled that role and continues to live up to the expectations of his manager and coaches.
However, former Liverpool forward Jermaine Pennant insists that the Argentine midfielder can develop further with the addition of France U-21 midfielder Manu Koné.
“I’d like to see Liverpool sign a proper enforcer in January. For me, that player would be Manu Kone. I think he would be a great number six and encourage Mac Allister to move further forward,”
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The Borussia Monchengladbach midfielder was once considered a top target, along with Khéphren Thuram and others, but the acquisition of Dominik Szoboszlai has put a damper on that talk, and the additions of Wataru Endo and Ryan Gravenberch have almost eliminated him from joining Liverpool.
With the development of youngsters such as Curtis Jones and Harvey Elliott, the team is making progress toward Klopp’s second regime. The only possibility is if Thiago Alcantara, who is likely to leave next summer, is released, but even then, there is not much of a future where Manu Koné is the top priority.
Pennant’s argument would be that the former Brighton midfielder should be used as an inside half, and that they should take someone because Wataru Endo is not strong enough. However, when looking for a defensive midfielder, only Moises Caicedo and Romeo Lavia were mentioned, and interest in the French U-21 midfielder was waning.
It is unlikely what the former Liverpool winger says will develop in the same way, but it would not be surprising if they move to secure a defensive midfielder in his early 20s. Could it be that he will defy expectations and play at Anfield…?