For a lot less money than Dominik Szoboszlai’s release clause, Liverpool might have acquired a “class” midfielder, but he might not have worked with the strategy.
The Premier League transfer season appears to be kicking off as Liverpool quietly plans its next move (and a deal for Dominik Szoboszlai is imminent as of this writing).
Declan Rice, a midfielder for West Ham, was acquired by Arsenal on Wednesday for a British record-breaking $132 million (£105 million/€122 million). This appears to be the most high-profile trade of the summer.
But just down the road, Tottenham’s bitter rival paid Leicester $50 million (£40 million/€46 million) for James Maddison in a transaction that went unnoticed during the fuss around Rice, suggesting that they may have gotten a better deal.
After a shocking relegation from the Premier League, Leicester was forced to sell its finest players, and Maddison was set to reach the final year of his contract there. However, $50 million still seems like a good deal.
In 163 top-flight games while playing primarily in midfield for Leicester, Maddison has scored or assisted 77 goals, which are exceptional numbers at this level.
It’s not shocking that a few pundits have called for Liverpool to make a move.
Former Reds defender Glen Johnson said to Betfred that James Maddison is most likely the only player from the demoted clubs with the class to play for Chelsea or Liverpool. Former England international Carlton Palmer stated in a different article for Football League World that Maddison “would be a tremendous signing for Liverpool’.
In Szoboszlai, though, Liverpool might have to pay a little more, but would be getting a player more suited to the pressing style of play that the Reds use. The Hungarian is also four years younger.
That probably explains why Liverpool didn’t jump at the chance to snap up Maddison as it did with Alexis Mac Allister for $44m (£35m/€41m) when a cut-price deal looked like a similarly inviting opportunity.
Ultimately, though, it’s clear that Liverpool thinks that it can find better value elsewhere, otherwise it would surely have entered the race for Maddison.
One common thread uniting many of the Reds’ midfield targets this summer is youth — strongly-linked players like Szoboszlai, Gabri Veiga, Manu Koné, Khéphren Thuram, Ryan Gravenberch and Roméo Lavia are all between the ages of 19 and 22.
Maddison certainly isn’t at an age where you would fear that a decline is imminent. Rather, with his 27th birthday coming up in November, he’s probably just entering his prime.
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