Liverpool and Barcelona, who both sought out unconventional solutions this summer, may compete for a highly regarded “number six.” The Catalans have their own “Moisés Caicedo”
Early signs indicate Liverpool has successfully rebuilt its midfield this summer through transfers. But there’s still one problem.
Nobody is worried about Alexis Mac Allister or Dominik Szoboszlai since they both adjusted quickly and brilliantly. Particularly in defensive midfield, the issue is far less straightforward. No matter how successful he is, Wataru End won’t be a long-term answer because he was just picked as a temporary replacement after Moisés Caicedo chose Chelsea over Liverpool as we all wait to see how Ryan Gravenberch will be used by Jürgen Klopp.
Stefan Bajetti is another option in the “six” position, but he has just recently made a full recovery from a serious injury. The young Spaniard might also decide that the team’s future lay farther up the field, leaving the Reds still in need of a defensive midfielder.
According to Jordi Batalla of Mundo Deportivo, Klopp’s team is one of several clubs interested in signing Arthur Vermeeren from Royal Antwerp. Liverpool will reportedly continue to be associated with players for the position. the latest rumor brings us to Belgium.
He is most frequently associated with Barcelona, a team he will likely face in the Champions League next week. And given that Xavi dealt with his own Caicedo dilemma this summer, it’s not surprising that he’s looking for a long-term replacement for Sergio Busquets.
Martin Zubimendi was the one to make the snub in the instance of Barcelona. Contrary to Caicedo and Liverpool, no public bid was ever made, maybe as a result of the Real Sociedad player publicly declaring his preference to remain in his current position. Oriol Romeu, who was effectively cast in the character of the End, was consulted by Xavi as a result of his expertise.
Vermeeren won’t be mentioned in the same sentence as Busquets or even Caicedo for that matter for some time. However, given some of his season-old statistics, the 18-year-old would be worth keeping an eye on for both Liverpool and Barcelona.
The main strength of Vermeeren seems to be his tackling. He played 1,627 league minutes in his rookie season of senior football, winning 2.54 tackles on average every 90 minutes (according to FBref). His total of 46 completed tackles was enough to place him 10th in the Belgian Pro League despite only playing slightly more than half the time.
Vermeeren was playing at a relatively low level, thus his statistics should be interpreted with caution. Belgium is just the eighth-strongest league in UEFA’s coefficient, therefore his numbers should be taken with a grain of salt. In addition, no player played at least as many minutes while winning tackles as often in one of Europe’s top five leagues. It’s still incredible to accomplish that at the age of 18 in a top-8 league.
No Liverpool midfielder has been as successful while playing at least 50% of the minutes since James Milner did so in 2018/19. This helped Vermeeren to record an impressive 56% win rate in ground duels, the metric which covers dribbles, fouls, and tackles. Vermeeren’s dribbling helped here too, with him completing 16 out of 21 attempts and only being tackled three times in the process.
These abilities seem to have improved Royal Antwerp’s performance. When opposed to when he did not play, their projected goal difference per 90 was 0.83 greater, placing him second only to Alessio Castro-Montes at Gent in terms of influence. Additionally, Vermeeren’s presence increased his team’s real goal differential by an average of 1.05 per 90 minutes.
With a young player, it would be simple to presume that he may have improved on this statistic by participating in just simpler games or substituting in against drained opponents. Vermeeren, though, was in the starting XI for each of the following games after he made his maiden league start in November 2022. He made a total of 10 starts last year against the other three top teams in Belgium, including all six of the league title play-off games (for which the top four teams qualify).
At the end of this season, Vermeeren will have two years left on his current contract, thus he probably wouldn’t attract a high transfer fee. The level of interest from Liverpool will partly rely on how well its recently acquired midfielders play over the following eight months, but don’t be shocked if you hear the young Belgian’s name a lot in 2023–2024.
