Former Liverpool player turned pundit Steve Nicol has been discussing the club’s reported interest in Thiago Alcantara and whether or not, in his view, he’d be a better option for Jurgen Klopp than Georginio Wijnaldum on ESPN FC.
The Reds have been linked with a move for the Bayern Munich midfielder and with Wijnaldum yet to commit his future to the Merseyside club beyond the end of next season, there is understandably some speculation with regards to his future.
When discussing whether or not he’d be willing to see the Dutchman move on in order to get Thiago through the door at Anfield, here is what he had to say:
“If Wijnaldum is not desperate to leave, then I would keep Wijnaldum.
“I don’t understand why you would change it, because clearly it’s been successful. Right now, the middle of the park is strong, as far as physicality, as far as getting the ball back, as far as supplying your front three [is concerned], it’s one of the best in Europe.
“I think sometimes it’s a little dangerous to change things when clearly they’re working, I can’t disagree that Thiago Alcantara is a fantastic football player, but is it going to upset the apple cart? Why would you gamble?”
Would Thiago be an upgrade on Wijnaldum?
Yes
No
TIF Thoughts…
When comparing their average performance ratings last season in their respective domestic leagues, Thiago comes out on top with an impressive 7.47/10 in comparison to Wijnaldum’s 6.81/10.
Given the level of consistency with which the £43.2m-rated Spaniard has performed recently, it could be argued that by replacing the former Newcastle man with him, Liverpool would be upgrading their midfield and that is certainly our view.
However, it appears that Nicol would prefer to stick with the tried and tested midfield which includes the 29-year-old from Rotterdam.