Liverpool signing Jude Bellingham is undoubtedly risky. Here are three reasons why they need to think twice.
Liverpool want to sign Jude Bellingham – that’s not exactly a secret. Everywhere reports the same thing, with the Daily Mail the most recent.
There are plenty of reasons why the deal would make sense. But it would also carry a lot of risk. This isn’t exactly a routine transfer, after all, and it’ll require bravery to get it done.
Here are three reasons, then, why this is such a risk.
Liverpool signing Jude Bellingham is risky
One-and-done
If Bellingham cost £5m, there wouldn’t be any doubt about signing him. If he cost £50m, there still wouldn’t really be any. But the Athletic are one of several outlets putting his value at £130m.
That’s an awful lot of money and almost certainly drains the entirety of Liverpool’s transfer funds for 2023. And there lies the problem.
The Reds look short in midfield as it is and certainly need to sign some quality. But with Naby Keita, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, and James Milner all out of contract next year, one doesn’t seem like enough. That’s three first-team players who are set to depart, leaving a gaping hole that no single player can fill.
Will Liverpool have the money to sign Bellingham and another midfielder? We doubt it.
The Sancho warning
If you spend big on a teenager, you’re taking a massive risk. Yes, Bellingham has smashed every challenge in front of him but can he handle the pressure of a record transfer fee? Can he adapt to life in Liverpool? Is he actually going to improve?
All are questions where the answer is probably ‘yes’ but there’s no guarantee. We’ve already seen one young English talent leave Borussia Dortmund and struggle in Jadon Sancho. He looked like a sure-thing but failed to even make the World Cup squad after a £73m transfer.
Sometimes, things just don’t work out how you planned. Bellingham feels like a very safe bet but £130m is a lot of money to bet on anything.
There are other options
Bellingham is the best possible midfield signing right now but he’s not the only one. There are other options out there – and we’ve been through them before.
It would be one thing if Liverpool had no one to turn to and Bellingham was the only one who fit. Having options like Enzo Fernández and Moisés Caicedo out there does eliminate the need to place all your eggs in the Bellingham basket, though.
The ‘safe’ option would be to take multiple smaller risks and hope all come off. Liverpool may even secure a better overall squad that way.
But saying that, we still absolutely hope Liverpool sign Bellingham.
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