Liverpool have already been linked with a bunch of wingers forward of the switch window, and their method to rumours tells us quite a bit concerning the seek for Mohamed Salah‘s successor.
As has been the case for a number of purported targets already this summer season, it didn’t take lengthy for hyperlinks to Newcastle‘s Yankuba Minteh to be quashed by trusted Liverpool sources.
Clearly, the Reds have no real interest in seeing their identify deployed for the advantage of brokers within the coming window, or as a instrument to help their rivals by way of their PSR considerations.
However whereas studies flattening thrilling hyperlinks with gamers can typically really feel like they’re sucking the enjoyable out of the switch window, they will additionally provide small insights into what Liverpool really plan to do.
And that’s significantly true within the case of Minteh, who felt just like the one hundredth left-footed proper winger to have been linked with a transfer to Anfield in current months.
Who hasn’t been dominated out
PSV Eindhoven starlet Johan Bakayoko is essentially the most outstanding instance of this phenomenon and, crucially, there was no try and dismiss these hyperlinks but.
The identical goes for Brentford‘s Bryan Mbeumo, who has all of the hallmarks of a Michael Edwards-era signing within the mould of Diogo Jota.
And each have been joined on the alleged shortlist by Dario Osorio, who has simply loved a improbable debut season with Midtjylland coming off the precise wing onto – you guessed it – his left foot.
Whereas not each hearsay can have substance to it, it feels telling that hyperlinks with such an analogous profile of attacker have continued to seem of late.
Why curiosity leaks
If this can be a market that Liverpool are monitoring, then they’re required to make tentative contact with brokers to evaluate the situations of a number of offers earlier than making any selections.
And it’s at this level that info begins to leak out, providing supporters a clue as to what positions the membership’s recruitment workers want to strengthen.
In fact, the indicators {that a} proper winger is likely to be focused have been in all probability there within the barely unbalanced squad Arne Slot will inherit this summer season.
For starters, the Dutchman has a humiliation of riches on the left-hand facet, with Luis Diaz, Cody Gakpo, Jota and even Darwin Nunez all able to enjoying on the market.
That will nonetheless be true even when both Barcelona or Paris Saint-Germain firmed up their curiosity in Diaz, although that has but to occur.
The following Mo Salah
In contrast, choices on the precise wing are comparatively sparse, a undeniable fact that owes a lot to Salah having been a digital ever-present since his arrival in the summertime of 2017.
Prior to now, leaving that place solely to the Egyptian made sense given his outstanding availability file and world-class performances.
Nonetheless, with query marks over his future having arisen of late, it will be sensible for Liverpool to begin the future-proofing course of now.
• READ: 25 targets, 14 assists…and 12 months left – What awaits Mohamed Salah?
There could also be zero probability of Salah departing this summer season, however negotiations over a brand new contract with a participant who earns £350,000 per week and who is not going to desire a pay minimize aren’t going to be simple.
What’s extra, there have been small indicators of decline in the course of the latter a part of final season that underlined why the Reds are normally so cautious of handing out offers to gamers on the incorrect facet of 30.
As such, there may be an argument that, even ought to an settlement over contemporary phrases be discovered within the coming months, an addition on the precise wing is a necessity this summer season.
What ought to we count on?
Beforehand, the position of backup to Salah has fallen to Harvey Elliott, however his lack of electrical tempo and rising affect from a central place make a powerful case to finish that experiment.
As a substitute, the best candidate for that job could be a teenager who profiles equally to Liverpool’s No. 11, and who’s able to changing him in the long run.
In fact, with the beginning of the Reds’ summer season having been outlined by a endless flurry of hyperlinks to such a participant, figuring out precisely who is likely to be focused is just not simple at this early stage.
However essentially the most encouraging facet of those countless rumours is that they recommend the membership have recognised a necessity most followers would have had down as a precedence for the approaching window.
