Why Liverpool signing £100m midfielder would be bad news for Nyoni

With a number of elite players in Liverpool‘s first-team squad, there is a quiet kind of hope that Andoni Iraola will emulate Arne Slot and challenge for the Premier League title in his first year in charge. A quiet hope he will win it.

But hope will give way to realism if FSG fail to make substantial progress in the summer transfer window, which now has less than one month of tape to run. Liverpool are merely weeks away from the 2026/27 Premier League campaign, and they have not strengthened since hijacking Newcastle United’s move for Victor Munoz.

Though the absentees have been many over the past few weeks in the United States, Iraola has still painted a picture. He wants fast and front-footed football, and he has learned much from the (largely fringe) players available.

Nyoni among Liverpool’s biggest winners from pre-season

Curtis Jones might have suffered throughout pre-season, with his proposed transfer to Inter Milan looking more likely by the day, but the absence of several superstars allowed some wider members of the Liverpool squad to shine through.

The young Trey Nyoni has excelled throughout. Iraola showed with Alex Scott at Bournemouth that he knows how to develop an up-and-coming star in midfield, and the 19-year-old, who is skilled in possession and composed across every phase of play, has excelled during a pre-season audition.

Iraola will also have been pleased with Federico Chiesa. The Italian forward looks set to stay now Slot has been dismissed. Under the Dutchman, Chiesa’s opportunities were few and far between, but he could be an invaluable utility option for a team shorn of attacking depth right now.

Dominik Szoboszlai, who did not play at the World Cup, has also been involved from the get-go, one of the few players of true seniority to test themselves under Iraola’s wing so far. He has passed with flying colours.

Florian Wirtz and Alexander Isak showed promise against Leeds United during a 4-2 defeat to round things off, but it’s clear Liverpool need more depth across numerous areas, with midfield being one of them.

Liverpool already held talks to sign Premier League midfielder

You could centre on almost any area of the pitch and make a case for Liverpool placing emphasis on reinforcing that position. Midfield does feel weak, though, and with Jones and Alexis Mac Allister both facing uncertain futures on Merseyside, FSG need to do something sharpish.

Well, according to BBC Sport, Liverpool have already held talks to sign Crystal Palace midfielder Adam Wharton this year – but are not alone in their admiration, with Chelsea also sniffing around.

The midfield market has gone into overdrive this summer, and if Liverpool want to get their hands on Wharton, 22, they will need to break the bank, with Palace hoping to bank £100m.

Some middle ground will need to be found, but Wharton does have the perfect profile for an Iraola system, and even though his presence could affect Nyoni in his hunt for minutes after an impressive pre-season campaign, Liverpool need to take action ahead of the new Premier League season.

After all, Jones and Alexis Mac Allister face uncertain futures on Merseyside, and Wharton is indeed a prototypical Iraola midfielder, progressive and intelligent on the ball. He’s also no pushover from a defensive standpoint, having recovered 4.9 balls and won 2.1 tackles on average each league game last year.

For Nyoni to assume a talismanic position off the bat at Liverpool over the coming year will be risky, to say the least. It took two seasons of bedding-in for Bournemouth’s Scott to become a linchpin under Iraola’s management. Last year, Nyoni, 19, made six Premier League appearances, none of which came from the starting whistle.

Wharton is a maestro, hailed by analyst Ben Mattinson for being a “cheat code” on the ball. He could be the making of this incipient Liverpool project, and if that means Nyoni may have to take a backseat and serve as one of the supporting cast, so be it.

There’s a sense that Wharton’s stock has fallen somewhat over the course of the summer. This is likely a by-product of Thomas Tuchel’s decision to omit him from his England squad for the World Cup. It was a decision that caused a stir online.

However, take nothing away from the Eagles star’s quality, and how he would lift a Liverpool side who lack depth and nuance across the centre of the park.

Sure, Wharton’s arrival may impact Nyoni’s playing time over the next year or two. But at least it would ease the pressure on the teenage prospect.

It’s a difficult one to navigate, but Liverpool need signings, and FSG must ensure that the pathway remains open for their talented young maestro to shine through under Iraola’s wing.