Liverpool competed against Chelsea in several transfer battles this summer, but lost.
After a solid start to the season, Liverpool’s summer transfer business has received high plaudits, but what would have occurred if they had acquired their primary targets?
The Reds targeted a good defensive midfielder to take the position of the departing combo of Jordan Henderson and Fabinho, and as a result, they went after Moises Caicedo and Romeo Lavia.
Sadly, Chelsea’s wealth outclassed them both times, despite the fact that Liverpool had agreed to payments of £111 million for Caicedo and £60 million for Lavia.
Chelsea was the first choice for both players, and Liverpool had a very limited window of opportunity to go for alternative objectives.
In the end, they completed a deadline-day deal for the brilliant teenager Ryan Gravenberch before making the surprise acquisition of little-known Wataru Endo for just £16 million.
Even though the Caicedo deal was implausible, Lavia was connected to Liverpool the entire summer until he signed with Chelsea. The most recent information regarding his fitness may make Liverpool supporters feel even better about their club’s business.
Lavia, who cost Chelsea £58 million, is expected to miss at least another month of action after twisting his ankle during practice, according to writer Nizaar Kinsella.
Additionally, Chelsea is in 14th place with just one win, while Klopp’s team is tied for second place with Manchester City and has had excellent midfield play thanks to the midfield additions of Alexis MacAllister and Dominik Szoboszlai.
Given his age, his ability to play as a lone defensive midfielder, and the fact that he is already incredibly composed on the ball, Lavia would have been an excellent addition to Klopp’s team. He could have been the ideal foil to rotate with Endo or others and developed into their next great midfielder in that position.
But don’t overlook 18-year-old Stefan Bajcetic. The young player, who had a difficult time with an injury, is now back in Liverpool’s squad and demonstrated last season that, like Lavia, he is also a superb young defensive midfielder.
The sole distinction between the two is that Lavia spent the entire 2017–2018 season with Southampton, whereas Bajcetic only played in a handful of games. Liverpool may already have their long-term defensive midfield solution if he can maintain his progress.
Although Liverpool doesn’t currently have a player that can play in that position like Fabinho did, employing a combination of players in midfield like Mac Allister, Endo, and Ryan Gravenberch should provide them with enough defense.
On Thursday, LASK will be the team’s next opponent in the Europa League, which could give fans a chance to see some of their recent acquisitions, like Endo and Gravenberch, who have hardly appeared thus far.
It remains to be seen if missing out on Lavia will end up being a blessing in disguise, but so far, so good.
