4 months ago
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Photo by Massimo Insabato/Archivio Massimo Insabato/Mondadori Portfolio via Getty Images
Liverpool are supposedly circling for Arne Slot’s first transfer at the helm.
We are now, sadly, towards the part of the summer calendar when news must necessarily be pointed towards squad construction broadly and transfers more specifically. We’d been blessed with the convergence of both the Euros and the Copa America taking place this summer - and with the Olympics on the horizon - but with both competitions in the latter stages, we’ve gone past the frenzied pace of two-three matches a day and are now days in between competitive football.
Which means the rumor mongers are getting busy. In this installment, Liverpool’s need for a defensive midfielder comes up against the availability of Atalanta and Brazil six, Ederson. The midfielder’s name has come up more than once this summer and this new report via the Liverpool Echo indicates that the Reds now know what it will take to bring him to Merseyside from Bergamo: £42.5m.
Now, obviously, the Reds have a need at this spot - Wataru Endo is no spring chicken and Stefan Bajčetić is a chicken that has in fact just sprung. Finding a capable player in-between those ages would benefit the club and allow for a real transition plan.
All of these things are, however, still being regarded under our understanding of the most recent iteration of Jurgen Klopp’s system. We still have no experience for what Arne Slot sees in terms of current players at the club - and given that many of them were involved in international play, it’s unlikely he’ll get a super close look until at least next week - and don’t have a sense for how he’d feels each player could best contribute.
Which is to say: Ederson might make sense now, but we won’t get a better understanding until we start seeing the lads involved in pre-season matches. Let’s see what happens between now and the first set of friendlies.
