“At Least Having A Discussion…” – Paul Gorst On Revived Liverpool Interest In La Liga Star | OneFootball

The wins keep coming for Arne Slot, who guided a much-changed Liverpool to a 3-2 victory over Brighton in the EFL Cup earlier this week. The Reds welcome the same opponents to Anfield on Saturday and will be hoping to keep up the pressure on top-of-the-league Manchester City.

Slot was able to rest regular starters such as Trent Alexander-Arnold, Virgil van Dijk and Ryan Gravenberch, with opportunities afforded to the likes of Wataru Endo and Tyler Morton. Gravenberch has been a revelation so far this season after his conversion to a deeper-lying midfield role. He was nominated for September’s Premier League Player of the Month award and has begun to catch the eye of the national football media.

The same cannot be said for a previous candidate for LFC’s ‘number six’ role, Aurélien Tchouaméni. Reports from Spanish football website Relevo indicate that the Frenchman is ‘running out of support’ at Real Madrid and is now second fiddle in the pecking order to fellow countryman Eduardo Camavinga. As previous admirers of the player, should FSG’s transfer committee be doing all they can to prize him away from the Spanish capital?

On the latest episode of our Journo Insight show, we asked the Liverpool Echo’s LFC correspondent Paul Gorst for his thoughts on the Tchouaméni story.

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Paul said:

“I wouldn’t totally write it off. I think with Liverpool, like you say, when they like a player, they like a player.

“That’s because they are very diligent with their homework and their assessment of a player in terms of their character and ability from a data point of view [and] from a more traditional scouting point of view.

“If you’re getting into the nuances of what Klopp wants to do in midfield and what Slot now wants, we know there are different types, aren’t there?

“We know Zubimendi is a bit more controlled, poised, balanced in midfield as a number six, whereas Tchouaméni perhaps is a little bit different. I think if you asked Arne Slot about Aurélien Tchouaméni, I’m sure he’d wax lyrical about how good the player he is.

“If he’s available, I don’t think Liverpool would totally dismiss it out of hand as ‘Oh, he’s old news.’

“I just can’t see that interest going away, whereas maybe with Zubimendi, perhaps it has – in terms of being a little bit burned by the U-turn, by the change of heart.

“I think Real Madrid paid 85 million or something. I couldn’t see Liverpool doing that necessarily. If he is for transfer, I’d imagine Liverpool would at least be having a discussion about it internally.”

REDMEN REACTS

So much of the discussion around Liverpool’s failure to replace Fabinho in the number six role has centred around a lack of available options of sufficient quality. Arne Slot has repeatedly said that a player will not be brought in unless his addition improves the squad. As a Champions League winner and starter in the 2022 World Cup Final, Aurélien Tchouaméni would certainly fit into this category. Perhaps the story is an overreaction to a humbling Clásico defeat by Barcelona, but if – as the proverb states – there is no smoke without fire, Liverpool should at least be making enquiries as to his availability. Ryan Gravenberch has started the season superbly but has the skill set to play anywhere across the middle of the park. Adding Tchouaméni to an already talented midfield roster could be the additional sprinkling of stardust needed to place the Reds amongst the world’s best.