As if the recently concluded season was not bad enough for Liverpool, but now they have also lost their midfield engine in, Georgini Wijnaldum, to Paris Saint-Germain after the 30-year old decided to leave Anfield for free when his contract expired this summer.
The Dutch midfielder has become a mainstay in the Liverpool midfield with Jordan Henderson since joining Newcastle in 2016 for 25 million pounds.
The departure of the Netherland’s vice-captain is sure to leave a hole not only in the Red’s midfield but also in their team. Gini was not only a player but also was a senior member of the squad, who took the armband from time to time.
Potential Wijnaldum Successors
PSG Hijack Wijnaldum From Barcelona in Last Minute Steal
Youri Tielemans
Starting off with a player who has been heavily linked with a move to Liverpool for some time now. Youri Tielemans joined Leicester for 40 million pounds in the summer of 2019, after impressing on loan the year prior.
The Belgian has been the mainstay in the Foxes’ midfield as they secured European football and won the FA cup this season.
Though the 24-year-old does not have as good a pass completion rate as Wjinaldum, 81.7 compared to the Dutch’s 93.6%, he does cover more ground per 90 compared to him, 1039 yards compared to the Wjinaldum’s 857.7.
Tielemans also creates more shot-creating actions per 90 and has a higher number of tackles per 90.
The Belgian will however not come cheap. An estimate upward of 60 million pounds is to be expected. With time on his side, Tielemans can be the perfect replacement for Wijnaldum.
Marcel Sabtizer
The Austrian midfielder known for his versatility is another option for Liverpool. At twenty-seven years old, Sabtizer may not have as much time as Tielemans, but Liverpool can get a midfielder at his prime to replace Wijnaldum.
Sabtizer is also reportedly available for only 15 million pounds this summer, so he can be a steal for Liverpool.
Though the twenty-seven year old is more attacking minded compared to Wijnaldum, his passing and distance covered per game are quite similar to that of the Dutch.
The Austrian is also a dead ball specialist, which adds to his already impressive game.
With Liverpool’s great relations with the Red Bull Clubs, this deal may happen far easier than some might expect it to.
Florian Neuhaus
The last player on this list is someone a lot of European clubs are looking at to bring to their club this season. This illustrious list includes big names like Manchester City, Bayern Munich and Juventus.
Florain Neuhaus currently piles his trade with Borussia Mochengladbach in the German Bundesliga. The twenty-four-year-old is very highly rated by players and managers around the world.
The German midfielder, like Marcel Sabitzer, is more attacking minded than Gini Wijnaldum. He takes around 1.65 shots per 90 compared to Wijnaldum’s 0.95. 0.58 of these shots are also on target as compared to Dutch’s 0.28.
The 24-year old is also more of a creator than Wijnaldum, averaging 2.16 shot-creating actions per 90 and 0.31 goal creating actions per 90. Neuhaus also runs more than Wijnaldum in a game, covering 997 yards per 90 on an average compared to the Dutch’s 857.
With major competition for the German, a bid under forty million pounds will not be taken seriously.
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