Liverpool could already have their Thiago Alcantara replacement at the club.
Thiago joined in a £25m move from Bayern Munich in the summer of 2020, and after a shaky start has truly established himself amongst the best midfielders in the Premier League.
He was already well thought of in world football though, having an incredible amount of success with Bayern.
The Spaniard won seven Bundesliga titles, four DFB Pokal’s, and one UEFA Champions League. He also won ‘big ears’ and four La Liga titles with FC Barcelona.
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He has two years left on his contract at Liverpool and on expiry will be 33, so it remains to be seen whether Liverpool will give him a new contract.
Liverpool will likely find it difficult to replace a player of the Spaniard’s calibre, so may look in-house at players they can develop around the man himself.
Fabio Carvalho’s arrival at Anfield may signal a change in formation at Liverpool, which may forecast the change of roles for several players - one of which is Curtis Jones.
Jones had a difficult and inconsistent campaign last year and many have disregarded his chances of ever becoming a regular under Jurgen Klopp.
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74 appearances in all competitions by the age of 21 is no mean feat, however, and it is clear the staff believe in his abilities.
A move to a slightly deeper role could allow Jones the time and space to roam as he has shown he has the ability to do.
When Liverpool defeated RB Leipzig 2-0 in the Champions League knockout stages in 2021, Jones showed that he embodied every element Klopp looks for in a midfielder.
It was a defensive side of his game that he displayed glowing improvements in.
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He has found a fix to a sometimes naive style of defending against the counter-attack.
Jones clearly has the ability to replace Thiago, and this season will tell whether he has the consistency.
Topics: Liverpool, Thiago Alcantara, Liverpool Transfer News & Rumours
Chris Stonadge