Rumour Mongering: Liverpool Have Head Turned by Ederson

Photo by Massimo Insabato/Archivio Massimo Insabato/Mondadori Portfolio via Getty Images

This is like that time I went to the supermarket for soy sauce and bought something completely different.

According to Calcio Mercato, Juventus are leading the race for Atalanta’s Teun Koopmeiners. No Premier League club, including Liverpool FC, have made moves, ensuring the Old Lady has moved into pole position.

However, in news that will please LFC Twitter, it seems Liverpool has moved on to another Atalanta midfielder, Ederson. While not a pure number six, Ederson’s box-to-box style of play has a solid defensive side and could be developed into a full-time defensive midfielder over time. This would fill a glaring need in Liverpool’s midfield and provide another option to fill that position other than Wataru Endo.

The 24-year-old Brazilian has a great engine, and fans saw him man-mark Bayer Leverkusen’s Granit Xhaka out of the game in the Europa League final. Here are some of his stats from this past season:

wins 1.08 aerial duels per 90 minutes, placing him in the 65th percentile for midfielders across Europe’s top five leagues, tackling – 2.32 per game, 72nd percentile interceptions – 1.40 per game, 85th percentile makes 1.43 blocks per 90 and wins the ball 5.1 times per game

The fit is definitely easier if Liverpool chooses to move for Ederson. With no elite defensive midfielders on the market, a solid option with lots of potential upside left could still be the direction the Reds take.