{"id":1178199,"date":"2026-08-31T01:42:12","date_gmt":"2026-08-31T01:42:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/1178199\/"},"modified":"2026-08-31T01:42:12","modified_gmt":"2026-08-31T01:42:12","slug":"how-can-liverpool-solve-their-midfield-crisis","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/1178199\/","title":{"rendered":"How Can Liverpool Solve Their Midfield Crisis?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Watching Liverpool’s<\/strong> opening two games in the Premier League<\/a> this season has led to a common consensus amongst fans; it is imperative that the Reds correct the problems that are present in the middle of the park.<\/p>\n

Since Fabinho<\/strong> left Anfield in 2023 in a deal worth \u00a340 million<\/strong> to Al-Ittihad<\/strong>, there has been a problematic gap in the Liverpool midfield – and they are still yet to have effectively replaced him.<\/p>\n

So far this season Ryan Gravenberch<\/strong> has taken the role of holding midfielder, but has flattered to deceive – leaving gaps in front of the back four as he attempts to contribute higher up the field.<\/p>\n

The former champions clearly need a man to sit in front of their now unformidable back four whilst in transition, in order to sweep up any attempted counter attacks and occupy space.<\/p>\n

So the question begs; how can Liverpool solve this midfield crisis and help boost their chances of success this season?<\/p>\n

Transfer Options<\/strong><\/p>\n

With Lamine Camara<\/strong> now looking set to join Chelsea<\/strong> after the North London side reached an agreement with Monaco<\/strong> to sign the Senegalese international, there don’t seem to be many names swirling around the rumour mill regarding Liverpool midfield options.<\/p>\n

However, there are some remaining alternatives that the Redmen could look into.<\/p>\n

Adam Wharton<\/strong><\/p>\n

One man who has been in demand this summer is Crystal Palace’s Adam Wharton<\/strong>, and for many fans he will be the most popular pick to bring balance to this midfield.<\/p>\n

After being left out of the England<\/strong> squad for the World Cup<\/strong> this summer, the 22-year-old has a point to prove this season.<\/p>\n

He has been linked with a move to Anfield this summer, however the Eagles do not seem keen on letting the former Blackburn<\/strong> man seek greener pastures – and if the Englishman was to move this summer, it would take a monster transfer fee to lure him away from Selhurst Park<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

It is unlikely that a deal will be struck between the clubs on deadline day, but he is one to keep an eye out for long term as he has been on the Merseyside club’s radar for a long while now.<\/p>\n

Wharton would be ideal to slot into holding midfield, as his coolness on the ball and willingness to sit back from attacks is exactly what Liverpool require at this moment in time.<\/p>\n

Manu Kon<\/strong>\u00e9<\/p>\n

Similarly to Wharton, Manu Kon<\/strong>\u00e9<\/strong> is a player that the Reds have been rumoured to sign for some time now.<\/p>\n

The 25-year-old would bring some much needed energy into this lacklustre midfield, and is clearly a world class talent having had links to clubs such as Real Madrid<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

So far this season Liverpool have looked as if they lack physicality across the pitch, and Kon\u00e9 would most definitely solve this issue with his intensity.<\/p>\n

Roma<\/strong> have been pretty firm on the fact that they are not looking to sell the Frenchman, but he does seem to be within the club’s long-term plans as a Fabinho replacement.<\/p>\n

Alex Scott<\/strong><\/p>\n

Bournemouth’s Alex Scott<\/strong> has continued to impress his former boss Andoni Iraola<\/strong>, as Liverpool have been rumoured to make a move for the promising midfielder this summer.<\/p>\n

He has also been linked with Chelsea<\/strong> throughout the transfer window, and it is unlikely the 23-year-old will be with the Cherries for much longer after rejecting a contract extension earlier this year.<\/p>\n

It doesn’t seem as if the Englishman will leave this summer however, but he could be part of the long-term project at Anfield.<\/p>\n

He would brilliantly slot into this Liverpool midfield, and would bring his elite composure into the middle of the park.<\/p>\n

Could It Be Fixed In-House?<\/strong><\/p>\n

With a deadline day move for any of the previously named players looking more and more unlikely, it is probable that the twenty-time champions of England will have to solve their problems in midfield using their current squad.<\/p>\n

But the question begs as to how this can be done.<\/p>\n

Wataru Endo<\/strong> is the only player at the club whose profile exactly fits what Liverpool require, however there are doubts that he is good enough to start week in week out for the club.<\/p>\n

Trey Nyoni<\/strong> impressed in his cameo against Nottingham Forest<\/strong> on Saturday and could definitely be a key player in the future, but the 19-year-old is still yet to start a league game for the Redmen.<\/p>\n

James McConnell<\/strong> is another player who can be utilised in that number 6 role, and remains at Anfield following the collapse of his loan move to Preston<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

However, similarly to Nyoni, he lacks first team experience and the youth academy graduate is unlikely to be a big part of Liverpool’s plans this season.<\/p>\n

An improbable but potentially strong option could be new signing J\u00e9r\u00e9my<\/strong> Jacquet<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Jacquet has started at centre-back<\/a> in the first two Premier League games of the season, however the 21-year-old began his career playing in midfield and modelled his play style on fellow Frenchman Paul Pogba<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

His defensive capabilities and ball-playing ability could result in him strengthening the base of the midfield, and providing protection in front of the back four which is currently absent.<\/p>\n

It would definitely be a bold decision as Jacquet has been signed as the Konat<\/strong>\u00e9<\/strong> replacement, however the loan signing of Ronald <\/strong>Ara\u00fajo<\/strong> who can play at centre-back could allow for the former Rennes<\/strong> man to move up into the holding midfield role.<\/p>\n

The Verdict<\/strong><\/p>\n

New boss Andoni Iraola most definitely has a job on his hands with this midfield crisis.<\/p>\n

It will be interesting to see how he chooses to overcome the issue, as he has previously stated that he believes his midfield personnel is not the issue<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Will Iraola trust his current options to turn things around, or will the Spaniard finally make the move for the defensive midfielder they have been missing since the departure of Fabinho three years ago?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Watching Liverpool’s opening two games in the Premier League this season has led to a common consensus amongst…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1178200,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[8815],"tags":[14384,748,136480,393,90980,4884,179,178,2942,101,544,1058,16,15],"class_list":["post-1178199","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-liverpool","tag-andoni-iraola","tag-britain","tag-deadline-day","tag-england","tag-fabinho","tag-great-britain","tag-liverpool","tag-nottingham-forest","tag-paul-pogba","tag-premier-league","tag-real-madrid","tag-roma","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/117187585524612487","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1178199","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1178199"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1178199\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1178200"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1178199"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1178199"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1178199"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}