Liverpool are at a crossroads, and though FSG like to play the prudent game, the noise around Arne Slot and his capacity to lead this struggling side back into the ascendancy is intensifying.
Some might view the imminent departure of Mohamed Salah as a good thing. Salah turns 34 in June, and there’s no question that he has plummeted from his usual standards this season. But Liverpool’s issues run far deeper than the poor form of this Premier League all-timer.
Though the Anfield side should finish in the top four five this season, so much has gone wrong; so much needs fixing.
Left winger. Centre-forward. Right winger. Just three separate positions that FSG need to consider over the coming months. It goes without saying that this is going to be a delicate transfer window for the Reds to navigate.
£34m target tells agent he wants Liverpool
With top sources such as The Athletic’s David Ornstein confirming that Slot is indeed set to stay, Liverpool need to ensure total precision in the summer transfer window.
The thing is, it’s not just one or two impactful additions required, but several – and across different departments at that. With numerous forwards needed, Liverpool may have sounded out a potentially shrewd purchase to replace Salah while leaving the door ajar for further incomings.
That’s according to Sports Boom, who believe that Liverpool are in among the interested parties in Roma winger Matias Soule, albeit with Aston Villa currently leading the race. That said, he has had a number of meetings with his agents to push for Liverpool and Arsenal to ramp up their interest.
Soule, 23, is one of the biggest talents in Serie A, and given that he would cost a sharp transfer fee of €40m (equating to £34m), this could be one that would see Liverpool replace Salah without losing the capacity to strengthen elsewhere.
Soule has further suitors in the Premier League and abroad, so while this is an affordable deal, it’s also one which could attract significant interest over the coming weeks, so Liverpool must be quick if they are to land their next Luis Diaz.
Why Soule could be Liverpool’s new Diaz
When Soule broke onto the Serie A scene in 2023/24, it was reported that only Napoli’s Khvicha Kvaratskhelia trumped his dribbling and progressive metrics. In this, he set the tone for his electric style.
He is more of a wide playmaker than an out-and-out touchline winger, indeed playing across a range of roles as he has developed over the past few years. Snappy and dynamic, he has been praised for his “special” talent on the ball by journalist Zach Lowy.
|
Matias Soule’s Career Stats by Position |
||
|---|---|---|
|
Position |
Apps |
Goals + Assists |
|
Right winger |
92 |
15 + 8 |
|
Centre-forward |
50 |
10 + 8 |
|
Attacking midfield |
47 |
10 + 11 |
|
Right-back |
2 |
1 + 1 |
This positional fluidity and natural physicality on the ball certainly gives an echo of Diaz when playing for Liverpool. There is a balance to what Soule does, a sort of equilibrium between strength and skill and style.
The Colombian’s presence has been missed at Liverpool this season, Cody Gakpo unable to compensate out on the left wing. Whether Soule would copy Diaz’s impact on the right remains to be seen, but he certainly has the roundedness to restore that quality at Anfield.
Indeed, in Serie A this season, the Roma forward has six goals (only missing two big chances), and supplied five assists, creating five big chances. He is crisp on the ball and an underrated long passer, spraying balls forward with accuracy.
His crosses are crisp, and although he’s not an unrelenting runner, he picks and chooses his moments to spark his explosiveness, another parallel with Diaz.
Though this doesn’t fill the left-sided hole Diaz left last summer when flying out to Munich, Slot could deepen a Liverpool attack that has bordered on threadbare this year, dynamising a right-hand side that it reliant on Jeremie Frimpong’s pace this season – and how has that gone?
Aston Villa might be considered frontrunners at the moment, but it won’t take much for the narrative to change, should Liverpool decide to bump Soule up their summer shortlist.
As previously noted, the Argentinian is comparatively cheap, and thus could be a shrewd buy to replace Salah with an electric-paced winger, leaving the door open for further investment.
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