It is amazing what a game of football can do to settle the nerves of a fanbase.
Heading into Saturday’s friendly against Sunderland, Liverpool supporters were starting to get that twitchy feeling that a lack of movement in the summer transfer window can bring.
By the end of the match, though the need for a new centre-back was heightened after injury to Joe Gomez, things were looking a lot more positive, with a number of fringe Liverpool players showing that they have the potential to go up a level under Andoni Iraola.
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There were some eye-catching performances in Nashville…
One area where fans have been demanding some more strength in depth is in midfield, where Liverpool have been linked with an £80m move for Adam Wharton.
The Reds had looked favourites to sign Wharton at one stage, but drew some confusion – and some annoyance – from supporters after seemingly cooling interest in the Crystal Palace star. On Saturday, it became perfectly clear why Liverpool do not need to spend so big on Wharton, with young Trey Nyoni once again underlining that he can do the exact same job without the Reds needing to spend a penny.
Nyoni can be Liverpool’s midfield dictator
On paper, Liverpool already have a good midfield which, if Iraola drills them correctly, does not necessarily need anything added to it.
As he showed on Saturday, the Basque is likely to deploy a three-man midfield for the Reds, with two sitters and a more attacking No. 10.
In terms of the Liverpool squad, it is easy to see Ryan Gravenberch and Dominik Szoboszlai playing behind Florian Wirtz as part of the Iraola’s best XI, with Alexis Mac Allister and, for now, Curtis Jones in reserve.
Jones could leave, though, and Mac Allister could too, leaving some fans concerned that Liverpool simply do not have enough.
That is to discount Nyoni, however, who came on and absolutely ran the show during a 45-minute display in Nashville against Sunderland.
Now 19, Nyoni is ready for a bigger role, and if Saturday is anything to go by, Iraola would be foolish not to hand it to him.
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Everything Liverpool did in the second-half went through the teenager. He completed 86% of his 49 passes, created four chances, including what was deemed as one ‘big chance’, and won three out of four ground duels.
Though Nyoni is not the defensive midfield destroyer some Liverpool fans think Iraola needs, neither is Wharton. What both are is tempo-setters who are clever with their passes and look forward with the ball as much as possible. Without Nyoni, Liverpool don’t have that, but with him, they have a player who could even develop past the Crystal Palace man.
Liverpool must keep Nyoni and use him
Arne Slot drew plenty of criticism for his perceived reluctance to hand Nyoni more meaningful minutes last season, but the Dutchman clearly thought a lot of the former Leicester City prospect.
It has been clear ever since his signing in 2023 that Nyoni was being seen as a potential first-team player, and Slot helped build that feeling up slowly over the past two seasons.
Now, however, Nyoni does need to play more. He has the talent to make an impact in this Liverpool team, and though a loan to play every week would make some sense, there is no reason he should not be looking at 25-35 appearances for the Reds this season.
Finding a player who can look after the ball while also providing a creative attacking threat is rare, and is part of the reason why Wharton would be such an expensive buy. But Liverpool have that in Nyoni, and with Iraola keen to use the young players at his disposal as much as possible, next season looks like it could be a big one for the Reds’ No. 42. Whatever comes next, it has at least started off in the most impressive way possible.
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