Liverpool should ‘trade’ three midfielders for Jude Bellingham transfer as credentials proven
Liverpool might need multiple midfielders this summer, but Jude Bellingham is making a transfer case to suggest he’s the ultimate one-man engine room.
Liverpool’s midfield department has been virtually non-existent this season, with Jürgen Klopp’s engine room becoming tired, worn and old in comparison to past campaigns. A whole host of players who have dominated the middle for the Reds in previous years have struggled to uphold the same intense demands this term.
James Milner, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Naby Keïta have contracts which are due to expire in six months, and they will have to be replaced. Moreover, Fabinho has looked far from his usual self, and the likes of Curtis Jones, Harvey Elliott and Fábio Carvalho don’t quite seem ready to perform to a consistent standard every three days.
Overall, Klopp has quite the renovation to undergo in the coming months. For that reason, it is somewhat understandable why some supporters believe that Liverpool will need far more than Jude Bellingham — the club’s top target — to fix their problems on the pitch.
The Borussia Dortmund starlet looks destined to break records if he does indeed move to Merseyside, with Liverpool dedicating the large majority of their transfer budget towards acquiring his coveted signature.
Bellingham looks like a generational talent, but is he worth signing instead of two or three players who are each worth a reasonable amount? It is certainly a debate worth having but upon inspection of the season so far, the BVB wonderkid looks like a one-man midfield to such an extent that his presence alone would surely do a lot for the Reds in the middle of the park.
Most of Liverpool’s problems of late have stemmed from their issues against the ball. On the defensive side of the game, they have been wide open and too easy to cut through, with Klopp recently stating that his players ‘didn’t win enough challenges’ in their disappointing FA Cup draw against Wolves.
Bellingham looks capable of solving many of those concerns single-handedly. So far this season, he places second in the whole of the Bundesliga for tackles and interceptions, and he also ranks third for recoveries, which captures his ability to sweep up loose balls.
The Englishman has completed more tackles than any other player in the final third, meaning he’s suited to Klopp’s high-pressing game, and he’s tackled 20 of the 25 players who have attempted to dribble past him, which suggests he’s solid when engaging in duels with opponents.
Bellingham is a real presence in a defensive sense, and he’s just as valuable on the attacking side of the game. In fact, no Dortmund player has scored as many goals in all competitions as him this season, which is quite something considering he’s a central midfielder who is responsible for other things.
On top of his scoring, Bellingham is a tricky customer for opponents to manage. Just five players in the German top-flight have completed more dribbles than him, and he also places at the summit of the whole division for fouls drawn, with the opposition often forced to bring him down in order to stop him.
The Liverpool target ranks second in the Bundesliga for progressive passes behind only Joshua Kimmich of Bayern Munich, and that captures his value as a passer, with Bellingham demonstrating his innate capacity to effectively do it all over the past year.
In addition to all of his numerical perks, he’s also captain of the team at the age of 19, he’s physical standing 1.86m tall, and he possesses homegrown status, which is a definite positive considering Milner and Oxlade-Chamberlain are both almost certain to depart Anfield this summer.
Bellingham is the ultimate midfielder, and acquiring his services to fix the centre wouldn’t be too dissimilar to Virgil van Dijk arriving to fix Klopp’s defence back in 2018. Liverpool will need bodies in the coming months but overall, Bellingham could almost be regarded as three players in one.
