There will be those who deem new Liverpool boss Arne Slot to be walking into something of an impossible job this summer, the relatively unknown Dutchman having been tasked with trying to fill the shoes of departing legend, Jurgen Klopp.
It's fair to say that following in the footsteps of such a managerial titan never usually ends well for the new arrival, with the likes of David Moyes and Unai Emery clear examples of that – the pair lasting just ten and 18 months, respectively, after replacing Sir Alex Ferguson and Arsene Wenger.
That said, Klopp has at least given his predecessor a fighting chance after passing on a youthful and exciting squad to work with, with the German making a particular point of refreshing the midfield ranks last summer.
With Fabinho, James Milner, Jordan Henderson and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain sent packing, in came Wataru Endo, Alexis Mac Allister, Dominik Szoboszlai and Ryan Gravenberch – a quartert whom Slot will likely be licking his lips to work with next season.
That's not to suggest that the Feyenoord boss won't want to put his own stamp on proceedings with a marquee midfield addition over the coming months, however, with the Reds believed to be looking at a high-profile figure who can represent the long-term solution in front of the back four.
Liverpool's search for a midfielder
While Endo, to his credit, has impressed following his £16.2m move from Stuttgart last year – having been dubbed a "machine" by Klopp – at 31, the Japanese international was only ever seemingly a stop-gap, short-term option to replace Fabinho, hence the need to bolster that central berth once again this time around.
According to Spanish outlet, AS, the Merseysiders could well have identified a dream target in the form of Newcastle United talisman, Bruno Guimaraes, with the Anfield side joining Arsenal and Manchester City in the battle for the Brazilian.
As the report outlines, the 26-year-old does have a €115m (£100m) release clause in his current deal at St James' Park – which expires on 24 June – although it is claimed that any suitor could attempt to negotiate a lower fee at around €80m (£68m) instead.
While still a significant outlay, that latter fee would represent a far more reasonable deal, with the club looking to make a big splash after missing out on leading target Moises Caicedo a year ago – as AS stated.
How Guimares compares to Endo
Newcastle certainly won't let go of Guimaraes willingly, yet why on earth would they, such has been the playmaker's impact since arriving from Lyon on a £40m deal back in January 2022.
Since that switch from France, the all-action asset has recorded 33 goal involvements in 107 games across all fronts, a particularly impressive return considering that he has typically operated as the deepest point of a midfield three.
Despite the Magpies enduring a difficult 2023/24 campaign that has seen them miss out on European qualification altogether, Guimaraes has again dazzled with his all-round game, scoring seven times and racking up eight assists in 37 league games.
To put that into context, Endo, for instance, scored just once and failed to register a single assist in his debut Premier League season, having seemingly been more of a steady eddie than a gung-ho, midfield monster.
Remarkably, however, the Newcastle man is able to combine that attacking threat with a far superior defensive nous, having averaged 3.3 tackles per game this season, while recovering 6.4 balls per game – Endo, by contrast, averaged just 2.4 and 3.7 for those same two metrics, respectively.
That immense mix of defensive prowess and a box-crashing nature has unsurprisingly led to comparisons with Arsenal hero, Declan Rice, with journalist Dean Jones suggesting that he is "quite similar to Rice in the way he plays now and would like to play in coming years".
Like Guimaraes, Rice dazzled for the Gunners this season after contributing seven goals and eight assists, while his return of nine 'big chances' created and average of 1.2 key passes per game, as per Sofascore, was only just behind that of the 20-cap Brazil international (who created 12 'big chances' and averaged 1.7 key passes per game).
Stat
Rice
Guimaraes
Games
38
37
Goals
7
7
Assists
8
8
Pass accuracy
91%
85%
Big chances created
9
12
Key passes per game
1.2
1.7
Tackles & interceptions per game
3.4
3.3
Total duels won
52%
57%
With Rice having been a central part of an Arsenal side that ran champions Manchester City close in the title race, the hope would be that landing an Endo upgrade like Guimaraes could lead to a similar story occurring at Anfield.
Why Guimaraes' signing could benefit Mac Allister
On the occasions in which Klopp opted not to go with Endo as his number six – with the experienced figure having started just 20 league games – the onus fell to fellow new arrival, Mac Allister, to offer the defensive protection in front of the back four.
In truth, that role does not appear to get the best out of the Argentine, scoring five goals and contributing just five assists in the top flight this season – a fall from his ten goals and two assists from the previous campaign at Brighton and Hove Albion.
Somewhat ill-suited to operating in a deeper role, the World Cup winner was also dribbled past twice per game in 2023/24 – having only been dribbled past once per game in the previous campaign at the Amex.
Jones suggested that if Arsenal were to sign Guimaraes it would "unlock Rice", yet the same could be said of Mac Allister for Liverpool, with the latter man also deemed to be a comparable player to the former West Ham United skipper, according to FBref – as well as comparable to Guimaraes himself.
1 – Declan Rice
2 – Conor Gallagher
3 – Bruno Guimaraes
4 – Exequiel Palacios
5 – Angelo Stiller
6 – Hakan Calhanoglu
7 – Pierre Lees-Melou
8 – Youssouf Fofana
9 – Federico Valverde
10 – Douglas Luiz
In a sense, Slot could then have almost two Rice's at his disposal in the form of Mac Allister as a number eight and Guimaraes as the number six – the two roles the Arsenal man has taken on under Mikel Arteta to date.
Having that combination of Guimaraes and Mac Allister alongside each other would certainly be a menacing one, with the ex-Brighton man able to do what he does best and impact the game at the top end of the pitch – a role he can thrive in as shown by his stunning strikes against the likes of Sheffield United and Fulham this term.
Winning the battle for the Magpies star is another matter entirely, although what better way would there be to kick off a new era at Anfield than with such a statement addition.
Liverpool make move to seal "incredible" signing who's like Bellingham
He could cost Liverpool as much as £51m this summer.
ByJoe NuttallMay 29, 2024