FSG like bang for their buck. Liverpool fans live in a cycle of bemoaning the boring nature of their summer transfer windows – for lack of a better term – only for hindsight to present the strategy in a glowing light.
While certain Premier League outfits employ a scattergun approach when making improvements to their first team, Liverpool launch prudent moves from the blue, surreptitiously identifying targets before tidily wrapping deals up.
That said, fragments do find their way into the stream of discourse, with Japan winger Takefusa Kubo mooted for a move to Merseyside, if reports from his homeland are to be believed.
Ever more pragmatic, the Liverpool Echo has since quashed rumours that a transfer is imminent, with newly-appointed head coach Arne Slot currently implementing his tactics and drawing conclusions on where exactly transfer attention needs to be made.
With Mohamed Salah out of contract at the end of the season, rumours surrounding Kubo fit that prudent nature. However, the Real Sociedad sensation isn’t the only one to be linked with a move to Anfield right now, with more reports filtering through that Slot and Co are gearing up to sign a creative new midfielder.
Liverpool transfer news
As per TEAMtalk, Liverpool will have to pay a Scottish Premiership record fee to sign Celtic’s Matt O’Riley, with the creative midfielder fiercely linked with a move away from Parkhead this summer after claiming the clubs’ Player of the Year award.
Previous Hoops sales of Kieran Tierney to Arsenal and winger Jota to Al-Ittihad in Saudi Arabia – both £25m – speak of the kind of fee the Reds would have to part with – a figure of £26m has been mooted around.
Serie A side Atalanta are looking to sign the Denmark international, with Teun Koopmeiners expected to sign for Juventus, so Liverpool will need to act swiftly if they are to complete the signing.
Matt O’Riley’s style of play
O’Riley is a talented midfielder with a sharp eye for goal and a playmaking ability that’s sharper besides. A product of Fulham’s academy the London-born talent failed to break into the Cottagers’ first team and ended up with MK Dons in League One.
His performances in this division swiftly established him as a cut above his peers and prompted Celtic to secure his services for a shrewd £1.5m, having triggered his release clause.
121 appearances, 61 goal contributions and six trophies later, the 23-year-old has attracted the attention of a range of Premier League and European outfits, with his potency from midfield marking him as one with high-level qualities.
Talent scout Jacek Kulig has even lauded him as a “magician“, for he can do things with a football that most simply cannot comprehend. Last season, as Celtic won the league and cup double – again – O’Riley scored 19 goals and added 18 assists across all competitions.
But what if this fizzles out in a division like the Premier League, at a higher level and in more rigorous circumstances? There is always an element of risk that comes with such a bold venture but O’Riley isn’t just a contribution poacher.
Combative out of possession, he averaged 2.3 tackles, 1.2 interceptions and 1.5 clearances per Champions League game last year (WhoScored) as Celtic crashed out of the continent with a fourth-place finish. O’Riley can hold his head high, hemmed into a more defensive position but showcasing his wide range of defensive skills superbly – of course, he also notched three assists, naturally.
That is why Liverpool are interested in acquiring his services. After all, he’s even been said to be a “wee bit like Frank Lampard” by pundit David Healy, with legendary former Chelsea sensation scoring 211 goals and adding 147 assists across his Blues career, the ultimate multi-talented attacking midfielder.
This robust level of midfield play would be a brilliant addition to a Liverpool side in transition, and they must now move to sign the sought-after Celtic star.
Why Liverpool are interested
Liverpool might seem well-stocked in the centre of the park but there is space for another multi-functioning midfielder. Thiago Alcantara has retired, and though he didn’t really feature last season, wrecked by injuries, a long-term replacement of sorts would be a good thing.
Curtis Jones is talented and homegrown but he’s still yet proven himself to be a deserving starter with constancy. His impressive start to the 2023/24 campaign was ruined by injury, but Liverpool need to make headway under Slot and O’Riley could prove to be a tremendous upgrade.
|
League Stats 23/24: Matt O’Riley vs Curtis Jones |
||
|---|---|---|
|
Statistics |
||
|
Matches |
37 |
23 |
|
Goals |
18 |
1 |
|
Assists |
13 |
1 |
|
Pass completion |
83% |
91% |
|
Key passes per game |
2.5 |
0.5 |
|
Dribbles per game |
1.0 |
0.7 |
|
Tackles per game |
1.7 |
1.2 |
|
Duels won per game |
4.6 |
2.7 |
|
Stats via Sofascore |
||
O’Riley, as you can see, is performing at a level above Jones at present, in regard to his prolificness at least, but the Liverpool man does have his qualities, ranking among the top 6% of midfielders across Europe’s top five leagues over the past year for pass completion, the top 13% for progressive carries and the top 7% for successful take-ons per 90, as per FBref.
Certainly, these are noteworthy metrics, demonstrating the 6 foot 1 technician’s progressive nature and crisp passing process, serving effectively as a metronomic presence in the Liverpool engine room, but O’Riley, who can operate in the No. 8 role, could eclipse the Scouser if welcomed to Slot’s project.
Indeed, the two-cap Denmark star’s meteoric rise in Scotland has been a thing to behold, and perhaps he would continue to go from strength to strength with a valued place in Liverpool’s new system. Celtic’s much-vaunted dominance in Scotland is down to the machine, but O’Riley makes them tick, proving to have the trappings of something properly special.
Signing him wouldn’t be a bad thing at all for the Reds. FSG love a bargain, and O’Riley might just prove to be a really astute signing.
Related
Their best LW since Mane: Liverpool among the favourites to sign £60m star
Could FSG finally be ready to lift a finger in the transfer market?
