After assessing the players throughout pre-season, Liverpool manager Arne Slot decided that the defensive midfielder was the most important reinforcement point and focused all his attention on Spanish midfielder Martin Zubimendi from Real Sociedad.
After agreeing to pay a release clause, the final decision was left to the player, but the 25-year-old midfielder decided to stay in Spain. La Real did not perform well in the early part of the season and there are still many media reports of Liverpool’s interest, with rumours circulating that they want to make a move next January.
Referring to the series of news surrounding Zubimendi at a press conference, the Dutch manager revealed his heart that he could have rotated his rotation more, but said that the club is moving forward as a club without sticking with the Spanish defensive midfielder.
“If I could have bought him then maybe I could have rotated a bit more… but there is no point talking about Zubimendi any more because he stayed with Real Sociedad and we’ve moved on.”
Although the wounds of the failed acquisition have been lessened by the great performance of Dutch midfielder Ryan Gravenberch, who has been converted to the ‘No.6’ position by Slot, we still need one more player at the bottom of midfield to be a regular contender for the long season.We need another player at the bottom of midfield who can join the regular contenders.
Japanese midfielder Wataru Endo has not won the trust of his manager, coming off the bench in the Premier League game against Bournemouth in the fifth round, and young midfielder Tyler Morton has yet to get a chance.
How will he use his appointments to overcome difficulties in cup competitions and when injuries start to occur.
It will be interesting to see how the 46-year-old new manager manages to get the job done.