Liverpool have become the best team in the Premier League again in 2024/25 under the leadership of new manager Arne Slot, but a lot of the groundwork for this great season was already put in place by Jurgen Klopp and the preceding regime at Anfield.
Much of the improvements were done in the middle of the park, with Liverpool bouncing back from a Europa League finish to legitimate Premier League title contention in 2023/24 after the signings of Dominik Szoboszlai, Alexis Mac Allister, Wataru Endo, and Ryan Granveberch – though Gravenberch wouldn’t break out until this season under Slot.
Despite a bevy of midfield upgrades, Liverpool are still in the market for another star or two to further boost their personnel in midfield as they look to capture the near impossible under Slot – a treble.
Martin Zubimendi, Real Sociedad
Martin Zubimendi’s “will he or won’t he” saga has been followed by Arsenal, Liverpool, and Barcelona fans, as these three European footballing powerhouses are all keen on taking the Basque Country’s finest midfielder out of one of the most talent rich regions of the world.
The best No. 6 on the transfer market, Zubimendi has such massive value because it is so difficult to find a single pivot, anchoring midfielder. That is the biggest need Liverpool crave, as they were never quite able to get the best out of Thiago Alcantara in that role consistently due to injuries.
Zubimendi is extremely loyal to Real Sociedad, and if he were to move, he may choose to stay in Spain. But if he doesn’t want to play against La Real, Liverpool could have a unique advantage to recruiting the most in-demand defensive midfielder on the planet.
Aurelien Tchouameni, Real Madrid
That said, Zubi’s status as the most wanted defensive midfielder could completely flip in an instant if Real Madrid are actually serious about shopping Aurelien Tchouameni, which is what Relevo initially floated around about a month ago.
It’s difficult to envision Real Madrid selling one of the best No. 6’s in the world just because of a poor start to the season, as Florentino Perez generally isn’t reactionary like that, especially since Tchou was an extremely important player to their Champions League run last season, including at center back.
But if Real Madrid make a foolhardy decision, which even they aren’t immune to, then you had better believe Liverpool will be all after this world-class midfield general, particularly since they were involved in the race for Tchou after losing to Real Madrid in the 2022 Champions League Final.
Florian Wirtz, Bayer Leverkusen
For the most part, Liverpool will be after defensive midfielders to add a true anchor to their side, but if they are unsatisfied with Mac Allister or Szoboszlai in the playmaker role, then they could really make a bold play for Florian Wirtz.
Since there’s a sense that Wirtz will follow Alonso next, Liverpool may be behind the eight ball after the former Liverpool midfielder apparently rejected them last summer, likely with a view towards replacing Carlo Ancelotti at another former club of his.
But the thing is, other reporting has indicated that only Slot was considered for the Liverpool coaching job; Liverpool never actually asked Alonso to be their manager.
That might be more true than just the Reds trying to save face through the media or make themselves look good, because, well, they don’t actually need to do any of that with Slot performing so well.
Real Madrid are, therefore, the media favorites to land both Wirtz and Alonso, but as Real will be the first to tell you, transfer battles aren’t won through mildly trashy paper stories.
Wirtz is also being linked closely with Barcelona, and you have to figure Liverpool stand just as good of a chance as they do, particularly since they have more vast economic resources these days.
Nico Paz, Como
For a more underrated playmaker with a bit of Real Madrid flavor, Liverpool could swoop for Como standout Nico Paz, who could theoretically be bought back by Los Blancos for cheaper than what other teams would have to spend.
But Real Madrid knew how talented Paz was and still sent him to Como, simply because they didn’t have space for him in their attacking midfield. Heck, they barely have any space for their most touted young players, Arda Guler and Endrick.
Paz has looked like a major star in Serie A, fitting the league perfectly, and he is much more talented than last season’s breakout “loanee”, Matias Soule of Juventus (now at Roma).
The 20-year-old is averaging 2.5 key passes and 2.3 dribbles completed per game for one of the three worst teams in Serie A and would cost pennies on the dollar in comparison to Wirtz.
Tom Bischof, Hoffenheim
Every year, the Bundesliga produces a hidden gem in midfield, and while Liverpool should be interested in last season’s breakout star, Angelo Stiller of Stuttgart, they should be even more intrigued by Hoffenheim’s Tom Bischof.
The versatile 19-year-old midfielder should not be negatively affected by any shenanigans going on at Germany’s second most famous plastic club, as Bischof if putting up jaw-dropping numbers in multiple phases of the game.
Capable of functioning as both a defensive or attacking midfielder, the elite German prospect is averaging a whopping 4.8 combined tackles and interceptions per game in the Bundesliga with 1.8 key passes per contest. He is the next big thing in German football.
