Liverpool reportedly want Rúben Neves in a move that would push them very close to being Jurgen Klopp’s Borussia Dortmund 2.0. The Reds are already heading in that direction.
Sport in Spain claim that Liverpool made moves to sign Rúben Neves at the transfer deadline. The player wasn’t willing to move, potentially preferring Barcelona, but that doesn’t mean the Reds will give up.
With one year remaining on his contract next summer, the possibility of a cut-price deal is there. There are reports that Wolves have offered him £100k-a-week to stay, per The Times, but that doesn’t seem to have been finalised. Liverpool certainly do need a new midfielder, too, and Neves could be a great signing.
But it would be a strange one, too. It’s a move that would further push Liverpool in a different direction and one that looks very similar to Jurgen Klopp’s Borussia Dortmund side.
Liverpool could be Klopp’s Dortmund
Klopp had a lot of success with Dortmund. He won back-to-back Bundesliga titles, after all, having picked up a team in eighth place. Ridiculously, those titles are the last time anyone other than Bayern Munich finished as champions.
And so it was notable that Klopp didn’t try to recreate his side at Liverpool. The Reds have almost exclusively played 4-3-3 under the German, despite his system at Dortmund being 4-2-3-1.
Personnel played the biggest role there. Klopp didn’t have a reliable striker when he joined Liverpool, nor did he have the midfielders he wanted. Instead, he build around Roberto Firmino as a False 9 and Jordan Henderson as a pressing midfielder.
But recent moves by Liverpool suggest that 4-2-3-1 is actually on the way. Instead of using a False 9, for instance, Liverpool invested in Darwin Nunez – an out-and-out striker who looks to constantly run in behind. He has a long way to go before being Robert Lewandowski but the profile is relatively similar.
And in midfield, Liverpool are now using no.10s like Harvey Elliott and Fabio Carvalho. Far more attacking midfielders than we’ve seen in the middle under Klopp. He used Shinji Kagawa as a proper playmaker with Dortmund and that slight, agile frame is something he seems to want in midfield again.
Which brings us to Neves. The Wolves midfielder is someone who sits a little deeper and dictates tempo while offering some threat from the edge of the box. There isn’t an obvious place for a sitting midfielder in the 4-3-3 but there is in the 4-2-3-1, where Neves could offer extra protection for a no.10 to move forward.
Again, it’s how Klopp use Nuri Sahin and Ilkay Gundogan at Dortmund. Players who have attacking threat but are primarily there to be on the ball in the middle.
Nunez is a sign that Liverpool already want to move in this direction. Suggestions they wanted Aurélien Tchouaméni in the summer is another – someone who made most sense alongside Fabinho. A move towards attacking midfielders also hints at change.
As Liverpool look to evolve, it really could mean Klopp bringing in elements of his past.
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