Less than 24 hours after Liverpool’s Champions League defeat to Real Madrid, the Reds’ hearts were broken for the second time.
With the news of the alleged departure of Sadio Mané from Anfield, the club’s fans have been forced to say goodbye to a player who has been the favorite of the Kop terraces fans for more than half a decade.
Never recognized as much as Mohamed Salah, Mané was almost always just as reliable. He had suffered a fall during the 2021 calendar year, but recovered strongly in 2022 and was the club’s best performance at times in the second half of the 2021/22 season.
Liverpool may have replaced him on the left with the arrival of Luis Diaz in January, but that does not mean that Mané’s departure will not significantly weaken the squad. Mané will leave a big gap, a gap that must be addressed this summer if the FSG is taken seriously when it comes to keeping Liverpool’s career with its main rivals.
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However, as Díaz’s departure solves the problem of Liverpool’s left, the money recovered from Mané could be invested in another area of the squad.
In the Champions League final, Liverpool struggled to break a tough Real Madrid low-block defense. Speaking after the game, Steven Gerrard highlighted at BT Sport the only area he would like Liverpool to strengthen this summer.
“For Liverpool, if you think about the next five, six, seven years, they will need a midfielder, an eight, who can score goals, who can get double figures. They depend a lot on the first three … or the top five if they include Diogo Jota and Roberto Firmino.
“You always need one of those midfielders who will come into the area and score goals.”
Gerrard is right. This type of midfielder is the only area where the club’s rivals, Manchester City, have dominance over Liverpool. If there are additional funds to invest in the team after the departure of Mané, the FSG should do everything possible to incorporate this type of midfielder, the type, in short, personified by Gerrard himself.
In the club’s quest to do so, FSG’s first destination should be RB Leipzig, where the perfect candidate could be Christopher Nkunku. The French international is not only able to play in midfield, but also feels comfortable playing in any of Liverpool’s top three roles, making him an attractive target.
Nkunku’s teammate Dominik Szoboszlai could be another excellent option. The Hungarian international has already spoken highly of the club and Jürgen Klopp. He is a midfielder who could be tailored for a role in Liverpool’s top three and has previously been compared to Kevin de Bruyne for his ability to score and create from midfield.
Staying in the Bundesliga, another option could be Florian Wirtz. A hard-working midfielder, Wirtz is capable of creating and scoring chances and is of the same type as Philippe Coutinho with his diminutive stature and explosive style of play. Wirtz’s only drawback is that he has not played football since March and is not expected to return to action until mid-September, after suffering an injury in the ACL. On the other hand, it may cost less for Liverpool this summer given that there will be fewer suitors for him while he is on the sidelines.
Finally, Nicolò Barella could be another intriguing candidate, with the midfielder not only able to score goals but also to create opportunities. He has not enjoyed his personal best season, but has still contributed directly to 17 goals with Inter Milan, far surpassing any Liverpool midfielder this season.
Mané’s best ‘replacement’ could be someone else in the role of Gerrard. Liverpool certainly have options.
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