Liverpool could sign a new midfielder this summer as they look to settle what became a big issue for Arne Slot last season.
A number of more defensive-minded players have been linked, including Lille’s Ayyoub Bouaddi, who is currently starring at the World Cup for Morocco.
But while Bouaddi would be an excellent signing, he is not the only World Cup midfielder who could easily improve Liverpool. On Wednesday, the Reds were shown why Sunderland and DR Congo youngster Noah Sadiki could actually be the answer they’ve been searching for all along.
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Noah Sadiki could be a good fit for Liverpool
Had you tuned in to watch DR Congo face England with no prior knowledge of the players on display, you would think Sadiki was the £100m midfielder on show.
Up against the £216m pairing of Declan Rice and Elliot Anderson, it was the Sunderland man who came out swinging, rattling into tackles and setting the tempo for the Africans.
In truth, that is what he has been doing all season at Sunderland, having joined the newly-promoted Black Cats for £15m from Union Saint-Gilloise last summer.
33 Premier League appearances later, and having helped drive Sunderland to European football, Sadiki’s price has surely trebled at the very least. Nevertheless, he is unlikely to go for the massive fees the likes of Anderson, Mateus Fernandes and Sandro Tonali have been costing this summer.
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Liverpool’s need for a new midfielder is not as such that they would want to pay £85m plus for a player like Fernandes, who has just been relegated with West Ham.
But should Sunderland be accepting of a bid anywhere up to the region of £60m, say, for Sadiki, it could prove tempting for Liverpool.
Sadiki looks like an Iraola player
One thing that is expected of Andoni Iraola’s midfielders is that they cover a lot of ground. Though this should not be a problem for Dominik Szoboszlai, and, to a lesser extent, Ryan Gravenberch, Alexis Mac Allister may struggle with this, and is the player most in need of replacing.
Sadiki is exactly the kind of player Liverpool are looking for to plug that gap. He is all-action, combative and has a brilliant engine on him.
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Turning 22 in December, the Congolese still has plenty of room to grow into, but already looks like an established Premier League midfielder who could go right to the top.
If Liverpool wait before sticking in a good bid, Sadiki’s price-tag could sky-rocket after another big season with Sunderland.
After his star-turn for his country at the World Cup, his name is now likely to be on the shortlists of every big club in Europe, and as Liverpool look to give Iraola the right tools for his engine room, the Sunderland man is a viable option.
Bouaddi may be the one everyone wants right now, but if Liverpool are smart, they will turn their attention to the man who almost toppled England in Atlanta.
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