IT'S difficult to improve on near-perfection.
Liverpool are the reigning European champions and on course for their first top-flight title in three decades, sitting top of the Premier League, 10 points clear of second-placed Leicester City, with 16 wins and one draw from their 17 fixtures to date.
Jurgen Klopp’s Reds are often spectacular, boasting arguably the most devastating front three in the game, and are robust at the back, thanks to the presence of, according to this year’s Ballon d’Or voting, the best defender and goalkeeper in the world in Virgil van Dijk and Alisson. And even when they aren’t firing on all cylinders, Liverpool have that champions’ knack of grinding out results.
It’s hard to imagine, then, in an era of inflated transfer fees and superstar signings, that the Reds could be improved by a £7.25m purchase from the Austrian Bundesliga. But the pre-arranged January arrival Takumi Minamino from Red Bull Salzburg already looks like an early contender for the most astute piece of mid-season business of 2019/20.
The 24-year-old Japanese international impressed against Liverpool earlier this season when the Reds beat Salzburg 4-3 in the Champions League, scoring and assisting at Anfield in October. And he again stood out, despite his side losing 2-0, when the two teams met again for the return fixture last week.
Teenage Norwegian striker Erling Braut Haaland, a reported target for Manchester United, RB Leipzig and Borussia Dortmund, might have been the headline act for Salzburg this term, having scored 28 goals in just 22 games, but Minamino has also been key to the Red Bull-owned club’s undefeated charge to the top of the Austrian Bundesliga.
What is most striking about Minamino, aside from his nine goals and 11 assists in 22 all-competitions outings this season, is his incredible versatility. Fielded predominantly on the right of a 4-4-2 or behind the strikers as a No.10 at the highest point of a midfield diamond, he can also play anywhere across the front three or even as a No.8.
Takumi Minamino stats for RB Salzburg in all competitions:
199 Games
64 Goals ⚽️
44 Assists ️ pic.twitter.com/ZNgFzL2D6M— LFC Views (@Mobyhaque1) December 12, 2019
“I think I played everywhere in attack in Japan; on the left-wing, on the right-wing and in the middle,” Minamino told Red Bull Salzburg’s official website upon joining the club in January 2015. “I definitely like that the most as I can have the most effect with my speed and assists.
“I think I can dribble really well, and I have a really decent shot. I can use my speed in one-on-one situations, but also in defending. I always try to support the defence while being ready to attack again as soon as we win the wall back.”
Minamino’s arrival, then, adds a greater wealth of options to an attack which already appears to have it all.
The 22-cap Japan midfielder is unlikely to supplant one of Sadio Mane, Mohamed Salah and Roberto Firmino in the short term, but he can comfortably deputise for any of the trio, as well as slotting into a No.10 role behind the trident to allow Klopp to utilise a 4-2-3-1 set-up when additional central creativity is required.
This versatility essentially makes Minamino an instant upgrade on Adam Lallana – whose contract, which expires at the end of the season, is unlikely to be renewed – and Xherdan Shaqiri. The Salzburg player is a more dynamic and athletic option than both current Liverpool utility men and, thanks to his five seasons with Salzburg, is used to the kind of intense out-of-possession work Klopp demands.
Liverpool might just have unearthed a hidden gem in Takumi Minamino#StatsInSport #Liverpool pic.twitter.com/6HWVMoac0c
— Stats In Sport (@statsinsport1) December 13, 2019
The addition of Minamino could also reveal what Klopp had in mind 18 months ago when the Reds came close to pulling off a move for French playmaker Nabil Fekir. It was reported that concerns over the condition of the then-Lyon captain’s knee was the reason the deal was scuppered, and Fekir instead moved to Real Betis this year.
Liverpool didn’t turn to an alternative target when the Fekir swoop was scrapped, so exactly how Klopp intended to integrate the gifted No.10 remains a mystery. But, with Minamino fitting a similar profile in terms of his creativity and preference for a central remit, whatever plans the German boss had for Fekir could be dusted off in January.
At the level Liverpool have reached over the last season and a half, wholesale changes to the squad would be ill-advised, and, particularly mid-campaign, any big-name arrivals who’d command a starting berth could upset their profitable chemistry.
With his eminently affordable fee and ability to slot into almost any midfield or forward role, Minamino could prove to be the ideal signing few realised Liverpool needed.
