Klopp Talk: “We Are Looking for a Holding Midfielder”

Photo by Alex Livesey/Getty Images

Jürgen Klopp says Liverpool transfer needs are no secret but insists that even as the search continues he has options.

Liverpool kick off the Premier League season today with a glaring hole in the squad as Jürgen Klopp has no senior players with experience at the six, or holding midfield position, to call on and so far the club’s efforts in the transfer market haven’t borne fruit.

Drawn out negotiations for Southampton’s Roméo Lavia saw the Reds make a bold pivot and attempt to sign Chelsea target Moises Caicedo this week, but while that saga remains unresolved it appears the likeliest outcome will only be to inconvenience the Blues.

“It’s not surprising we are looking for that position,” Klopp said when asked about the club’s search for a new holding midfielder ahead of the opener—against Chelsea, naturally. “It’s clear and would be great if we could do something but for now we can do a lot of things.

“We can play a double six or double pivot as well and Stefan [Bajcetic] is coming back. He played that position exceptionally well so we have options, we have Curtis [Jones], we can adapt the system and have options. But yeah it would be absolutely great if we could.”

With kickoff fast approaching and Chelsea having spent the past two days leaking to their agents in the press that a bid matching Liverpool’s British-record £110M offer for Caicedo is coming, Liverpool remain the only side to have actually submitted a bid to Brighton.