Graeme Souness has slammed Naby Keita, claiming that the Liverpool player has not done anything in terms of transforming Jurgen Klopp’s midfield at Anfield.
Keita, 24, arrived from RB Leipzig in the summer but has failed to convince many fans and pundits with some very average performances in a Liverpool shirt.
The Guinea international was an unused substitute in the 0-0 draw with Everton on Sunday, and Souness believes that a lack of bite in the midfield should have been something Klopp addressed in the summer because the ex-Leipzig ace has failed to add an attacking spark.
“When you look at Keita, Keita’s not done anything for them, different to what they have,” said Souness, as shown by Sky Sports Premier League’s official Twitter account on Sunday evening.
“I think he [Klopp] expected more in terms of creating things and finishing things.
“The one they tried to get from Lyon, [Nabil] Fekir, who is a goalscorer and more of an attacking type [of midfielder]. That tells you where Jurgen Klopp saw his weakness at the start of the season.”
"In terms of of Liverpool's midfield, they haven't got that type of player."
Graeme Souness says Liverpool's lack of a creative midfielder may cost them this season. Do you agree? pic.twitter.com/gAcp45ys1L
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) March 3, 2019
OPINION
Souness is spot on here. Keita is not much different from what Liverpool already had in their midfield and in the summer, they needed someone who replaced the creativity, the flair and the goalscoring threat of Philippe Coutinho. Xherdan Shaqiri was signed from Stoke, but the Swiss international is more of a wide player, who influences games when playing in the attack. Liverpool needed someone to sit behind the front-three, supply chances and ghost into the penalty area to get goals. Jordan Henderson, Gini Wijnaldum and Fabinho all started against Everton this week and while all three are very good players, none of them are very attack-minded. When Liverpool’s front-three don’t play that well, nothing seems to happen for the Reds. They can defend well basically all the time, but that’s as much as their midfield being so so deep as it is Virgil van Dijk being good. Fekir would have been a gamechanger in the summer and the Reds would probably be clear at the top of the Premier League table by now if they signed him.