Liverpool’s anchor in midfield, Fabinho, has suffered a knee ligament damage and is expected to miss at least the entire month of December. Knowing that Klopp has played the Brazilian on 11 out of 14 occasions in Premier League, on an average of 91 minutes per game, it is no surprise that Jurgen will have to reevaluate Liverpool’s starting lineup.
During the last game versus Brighton, Henderson has taken Fabinho’s position as a central midfielder and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain started on the right with Georginio Wijnaldum on the left. This pattern is expected to repeat itself in future games. However, It also makes sense for Jurgen Klopp to play James Milner, Naby Keita, Xherdan Shaqiri or Adam Lallana more often than usual in the absence of Fabinho.
The transfer window is round the corner and since Reds have been previously linked with Genk’s defensive midfielder Sander Berge. It is no wonder that rumors about Norwegian prodigy joining Liverpool during January transfer have intensified once Fabinho got injured.
However, Liverpool is not the only club that is interested in Berge. Napoli and Chelsea are also keeping an eye on the promising talent. Although, the Blues are still under a transfer ban and would be able to sign players in January only if Court Arbitration for Sport satisfies Chelsea’s appeal and lifts the ban.
On top of that, Norwegian talent is under contract with Genk until 2021 and it would be wise for the Belgian club to wait for summer transfer window if they want to get a more lucrative deal on their table.
Yet another option for Reds to strengthen their positions in midfield is by signing Bayer Leverkusen attacking midfielder Kai Havertz. A 20 years old creative midfielder that can play well with both of his feet is hard to come by and Klopp understands that perfectly. The only problem is that the player himself admitted that for the moment Bayer Leverkusen is the best place for his future development.
As it stands, Liverpool has no issues when trying to convert opportunities up front having scored 53 goals in all competitions after having played 23 games. Nevertheless, having an additional talented forward on the team would not hurt. Apparently, Jadon Sancho might be that forward.
After having a stellar 2018-2019 season with Dortmund (12 goals and 14 assists) as well as performing well at the start of the current season with 5 goals and 6 assists in Bundesliga, English youngster was ordered not to speak to reporters. He was dropped from the starting lineup versus Barcelona at Nou Camp due to lack of focus, as stated by Dortmund’s manager Lucien Favre.
Knowing that Jurgen Klopp knows a person or two in Dortmund’s management it would be no surprise if Reds will try to convince promising winger to join the team during the upcoming transfer window. Sancho is an English international, with high dribbling power and speed that would rival a stallion in the Kentucky Derby horse race.
However, it is unlikely that Germans will agree on such transfer midseason unless Liverpool makes an offer that Dortmund can’t refuse.
During the last transfer window, the Reds have spent £1.6 million. If we were to compare those numbers to the 2017-2018 season when £173 million were spent as well as the 2018-2019 season (£182 million), coupled with the fact that Liverpool has won the Champions League, it becomes clear that the Merseyside team will eventually spend and spend big.
However, it is unlikely that this will happen during the winter transfer window. First of all, it is expensive, since no team would be willing to lose their key player mid-season without significant compensation. Secondly, it is difficult for the newcomer to get playing time on a team that is performing so well. The only case for a major signing happening for Reds in January is if the injuries of Matip or Fabinho aggravate or someone else from the starting lineup gets severely wounded.