Why Has Liverpool's Transfer Business Been So Chaotic?
After the departure of Mo Salah this summer, Liverpool have looked far and wide in the Premier League and beyond for a replacement, but haven't found the right one yet, with the question being - what do they actually want? Sarr’s output and speed, Minteh’s width and directness or a superstar to replace a superstar? Jacob's here to look at the future of Liverpool's right wing and why Barcola might not be the answer. liverpool transfers barcola Buy the latest FourFourTwo magazine here ➡️ https://www.amazon.co.uk/stores/FourFourTwo/author/B0GSRRXJWK?ref=srnttsrchlnk1&qid=1786984945&sr=8-1&shoppingPortalEnabled=true ⚽ FourFourTwo - At the heart of football since 1994 - in print - online - on video ⚽ 📰 SUBSCRIBE: https://bit.ly/3ErE4ai 💻 WEBSITE: https://bit.ly/3GFXMC0 Follow FourFourTwo on: Twitter/X: https://x.com/FourFourTwo?lang=en Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fourfourtwouk/?hl=en TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@fourfourtwoofficial Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FourFourTwo/?locale=enGB 📥 Sign up below for 𝗘𝗫𝗧𝗥𝗔-𝗧𝗜𝗠𝗘 @FourFourTwo's FREE weekday newsletter 🤝: Transfers 🛒: Deals 🎥: Videos 💡: Quizzes ✍️: Opinion ➕: 𝙈𝙊𝙍𝙀 𝗦𝗶𝗴𝗻 𝘂𝗽 👇 https://t.co/Yn3AQUt7b6
Transcript
Liverpool appear to be in chaos mode. Mohamed Salah leaving this summer seems to have left a massive gap on their right-hand side. But, what is it they actually want on that right wing? Is Malo Gusto's output and speed, Yankuba Minteh's width and directness, or a superstar to replace a superstar? Well, I'm Jacob Ospold, 442's resident tactician, and this is why Liverpool's summer has been so chaotic. >> LOOK FOR CODY GAKPO! IT'S A BANGER! >> To understand why Liverpool have chased the players that they have, we first got to look at how Iraola has been looking to use that right winger. Against Newcastle, we saw the two wingers have widely different roles. Here, you can see the right winger is wide by the touchline, rather than coming into this inside space with the ball on the left-hand side. And, in fact, we saw the left winger actually be the one who would drift narrow with the ball in that wide left space. The goal was to ideally leave the striker 2 v 1 between the two Newcastle center-backs, whilst occupying the left-back with the right winger. Meaning crosses to the back post were 1 v 1 battles, or midfielders could arrive in the space on the outskirts of the box unmarked. However, Liverpool had a box entry problem down their right-hand side. When Rio Engamou received on that right-hand side, he was unfamiliar with the dribbling angles. And, he doesn't have that proper burst of acceleration to hit the byline, which is what that right winger kind of needs to do for Iraola. In fact, Engamou actually registered the lowest touches of any Liverpool starter, with just 21 in that game. And, I don't think that necessarily falls on Engamou. He's a top talent, he's a top player, but he's a top player at left wing, not off the right. Now, when Munoz came on, he was a better fit. Here, he's still one of the widest players on the pitch, but he has that burst of acceleration to burst past his marker, gets the ball, and then his first intention is to go direct, straightforward toward the goal. And, obviously, in this instance, he ended up winning a penalty. But, Munoz is still young, and he's come off the back of his first ever full season of professional football. One in which he scored seven goals in 36 appearances across all competitions. So, that output isn't enough to replace what Mohamed Salah brought to Liverpool for so many years. Which leads us to the Reds' recruitment. Liverpool have gone from Yandy Amande to Yankuba Minteh to Ismaïla Sarr, who are all wildly different profiles. So, I want to really look into all three of them and try to identify what Liverpool seem to actually be looking for. The player traits diagram of all three wingers are entirely different. Sarr is a high-volume shooter and goalscorer. Minteh is a hard worker who creates chances through take-ons. And Yandy Amande is a chance creation machine who fashions his own shooting opportunities. Ismaïla Sarr wants to get into these central areas between the opposition's full-back and center-back, whilst his wing partner comes high to occupy the opposition defense, allowing Sarr to remain on the center-back's blind side and act as almost a poacher inside the box. But, when it comes to him, it seems that Liverpool have potentially left it too late, and Palace aren't going to be open to letting him go. Yankuba Minteh is then a little bit different. Instead, he stays wide and uses body feints to engage his defender, then beats him and delivers early balls into the box. Again, this one feels like Liverpool have come in too late yet again, and therefore, it's unlikely that Brighton let him leave. Then, Yandy Amande, who drifts relatively freely between the wings and the central space, but will try, receive, and carry inward toward goal, skipping past multiple players to find his own angle for a shot. In this case, Liverpool simply lost out because Real Madrid came in, and that's completely valid. There's no There's no shame in losing out on a player to Real Madrid. However, there is some shame in the fact that all three of them targets that we've mentioned are entirely different profiles. So, finding the logic behind who they are trying to find is actually quite hard. Yankuba Minteh would be perfect as the sort of wide width-holder as he is for Brighton here. because of Iraola's football being so vertical, Minteh would get himself into these 1 v 1s consistently. And he has the ability to skin his man and get into big spaces inside the opposition's box. However, the fact that it's Brighton and we're in the stage of window we are means that Yankuba Minteh would cost a ridiculous amount of money, or maybe Brighton wouldn't even sell. But I do think he would be worth it for Liverpool. Only Illiman Ndiaye and Jeremy Doku completed more take-ons than the Gambian winger last season. Whilst only Spurs and City attempted more take-ons than Iraola's Bournemouth. So, off that right wing, holding the width and combining with Frimpong or one of those midfielders in a beautiful trifecta would be lovely for Liverpool. Now, the other option that is realistic right now, because we know Yan Dhanda went to Madrid, yada yada yada, but Ismaila Sarr has come out as today, as the time of recording, as the favorite for that move. And to me, it screams panic buy. As we've established, he's someone who finds himself on the inside, operating as a second striker, really. In fact, last season, for every 17 touches Sarr took, he had one shot on goal. And that's his bread and butter. Minimal touches, maximum shots. Now, Sarr and Salah have their own similarities, I think. Both of them find themselves in a sort of center forward poacher position here, where they can latch onto rebounds and score. But the problem is, and I'm not comparing them quality-wise, but we're saying in sort of those box instincts, the minimal touches, maximum shots sort of way of playing, Salah and Sarr do have them similarities. But the problem is, Liverpool don't need a Mo Salah type player anymore. And don't need Iraola's football. It's built for something different. Instead, we need someone who's going to be explosive, can be really, really secure with the ball, but also direct 1 v 1 threat. And obviously, the goals, the output, is also of importance as well. For me, Sarr in that right wing position just doesn't make sense, because then they'd have him and Gakpo, who are both wingers who, for me, don't move the needle in possession. Instead, they're both basically second strikers once they get in the final third. So, it just wouldn't make sense. Which gives us the question of well, what should they do? With the window closing shortly, I do expect Liverpool to wrap up a deal for someone in the coming days. Now, someone like Bradley Barcola has been consistently mentioned throughout this full window. And in fairness, I do actually think someone like Barcola plus Ismaïla Sarr would work really, really well. But, I do get the feeling it's one or the other. Throughout Barcola's career, he's been a left winger, playing over 60 of his 120 games at left wing. But, he has also featured at right wing 25 times. And with his technical level being so high, and his ability to have a smash home on his left foot or bend one into the corner on his right foot, it does mean he can be an asset off of either wing. And I think as a pure footballer, he would be one of the best attackers in the league. Now, this position will be slightly new to him, where he finds himself as the width holder on the right. But, he can also identify the space that opens up the direct passing angles that Eray Cömert loves to be played. Once also, as we've established with Barcola by that touchline, we've seen it so many times, he can beat almost anyone in the dribble. He's so secure technically, he's still got that burst of acceleration, that I think he would really work out there for Eray Cömert. However, Barcola is a left winger, and for what would be over 120 million euros, why would you play him out of position? Surely, you want him as that left winger in his best position for that sort of fee. It just won't make sense to throw him out on the right, WOULD IT? THE problem Liverpool have is that in the right wing market right now, trying to find a relatively young, pacey, goal-scoring, direct, good in the dribble winger is either impossible to find, or them players are costing you ridiculous fees. Clubs like Man City found market opportunities in Rayan Cherki. Arsenal invested in one of their own through Bukayo Saka. But, Liverpool weren't necessarily able to do that because I feel like they were almost blindsided or maybe caught off guard by what happened to their long-standing right-winger. Before last season, Mohamed Salah was still on top of the world. His decline, combined with the off-the-pitch issues with Arne Slot, meant they probably were losing someone who they thought they would have for another 18 months yet. So, their preparation for his departure was probably scheduled to start this summer. But, because they thought he was staying and he's left, they're now in no-man's land. So, now this team and its serious quality that it does have in certain positions like Jeremy Doku and Van Dijk, if you want to talk about Dominik Szoboszlai, I still think Florian Wirtz potentially has something to offer long-term. But, it doesn't have a feasible right-winger. It doesn't have a right-winger that can get them competing at the top table again. And that makes them vulnerable. Palace and Brighton know that Liverpool are scrambling a little bit. They know that Liverpool are in chaos mode. So, they're going to ask for more for Yankuba Minteh or Ismaïla Sarr. And that leaves Liverpool in a tough position. So, who do you think they are going to get before the end of the window? Will it be Yankuba Minteh through the door? Ismaïla Sarr? Will it be Bradley Barcola at right wing? Let me know because whoever it is, we will more than likely be here on the 442 channel to analyze them and let you know how they fit into Andoni Iraola's plans. So, if you have enjoyed today's video, leave a like and subscribe. We really do appreciate it. As I say, we'll be back again next week with more Maguire analysis.