Jurgen Klopp would turn down the chance to bring PSG superstar Neymar to Anfield.
That’s the view of TalkSPORT pundit Darren Bent. Speaking on the radio station yesterday, Bent suggested that Klopp wouldn’t start Neymar over any of his current options.
“He’s [Neymar] a world class player but I’m looking at Jurgen Klopp’s perspective and looking at that front three and he’s probably thinking ‘I like the front three I’ve got. They’re organised, they work hard, they score goals. Hmm, probably not,'” said the former England striker.
Neymar not suited to Liverpool role
Bent’s suggestion may prompt ridicule in some sections of the football world. But he’s absolutely bang on the money.
In terms of pure quality, Neymar probably outshines all of Liverpool’s attackers. The Brazilian has been one of the best players in the world for a decade. When he’s on his game he’s virtually unplayable.
But there’s absolutely no way he would fit into a Jurgen Klopp forward line. In fact, we can’t think of a team he’d be worse suited to.
Klopp loves forwards who are incredibly athletic. With a remit to press from the front and break on the counter when needed, you have to have legs aplenty to even get a sniff.
Running isn’t something Neymar is generally known for. Get the ball to his feet and the 31-year-old can work some magic. He probably isn’t going to chase a defender down himself all too often, though.
As a result, players like Darwin Nunez, Cody Gakpo and Mohamed Salah suit Klopp and Liverpool far more. That’s Jurgen’s preferred front three at the moment, and we can honestly say we’d take them all over Neymar. You can chuck Luis Diaz and Diogo Jota into that bracket while you’re at it.
For all the attackers at Klopp’s disposal currently, the one who you could make a case for Neymar replacing is Bobby Firmino. Given license to be a little cuter than his colleagues, that central role would perhaps suit Neymar more than the others.
But then, we wouldn’t swap Bobby for anyone. We’d rather see our No.9’s beaming grin than Neymar’s sulking face at Anfield any day of the week. Good call, Benty.