Some Liverpool fans were suspicious about Jörg Schmadtke’s selection as manager. Despite his achievements at Wolfsburg, he was underappreciated and even mocked by some of the club’s followers. But, with Schmadtke producing an entertaining summer so far, those feelings about the German should be changing. Roméo Lavia, another bright talent, appears to be his most recent addition.
Liverpool is preparing a second bid for Lavia, according to The Athletic, and the negotiations for the player have been constructive, making it increasingly probable that the Belgian will finish up at Anfield by the end of the summer.
Lavia, 19, will arrive with an amazing pedigree, having won Southampton’s Player of the Year in his debut Premier League season and earning praise from the likes of Pep Guardiola, who gave him his senior debut at the age of 17 when playing for Manchester City.
But Schmadtke’s journey should not finish with the arrival of Lavia. There is still more than a month until the window closes, and the Liverpool sporting director has work to do.
Given that Jordan Henderson has officially confirmed his departure via social media, and that Fabinho may follow him to Saudi Arabia, Schmadtke should preferably bring in another midfielder. That player should ideally be a ball-winner capable of playing the number six position.
As skilled and exciting as Lavia is, it would be unjust for the club to rely solely on him to replace Fabinho. Someone with more expertise working beside him would be far preferable.
In terms of the ideal fit, Crystal Palace’s Player of the Year, Cheick Doucouré, appears to be a good choice. Manu Koné, in addition to him, could be a good fit. Despite his injury, he is worth a shot, especially since he is expected to return by the middle of August.
Elsewhere, away from the middle of the park, there is definitely a need for a left-sided center-back in the squad as well. Liverpool at the moment has no one who can cover behind Virgil van Dijk, and that needs to change.
In this position, undoubtedly the best fit would be Levi Colwill, but that move is looking too difficult for Liverpool to pull off. Schmadtke will have to search for alternatives and perhaps the best fit could be Slovakian international, Dávid Hancko.
If Lavia arrives and Schmadtke can sign one of Doucouré or Koné plus Hancko, then the German may quite possibly pull off a perfect transfer window for Liverpool.
The objective this summer was to strengthen the squad but also to rejuvenate it with younger personnel. With Hancko being the oldest at 25 years old among the aforementioned possible Liverpool signings and the completed ones, you would say Schmadtke’s objective would be successfully achieved.
