Most Liverpool fans would like to see Gini Wijnaldum sign a new deal to extend his stay at Anfield beyond the end of this season, but as it stands that will not be happening.
There remains a possibility that Wijnaldum could extend his stay at Liverpool, but the more time that passes by with no news on that front, the less likely that becomes.
Should Liverpool choose to let Wijnaldum leave, a replacement will certainly need to be acquired, given the number of minutes that the Dutchman has played this season.
Curtis Jones is one whose game has developed to a point where he could help fill the void, while Thiago Alcantara is still to play more than a game and a half since signing from Bayern Munich.
But if Liverpool are to make a signing similar to when they purchased Wijnaldum from Newcastle United in 2016, then there could be an option who comes up against them this weekend when they travel to Fulham.
On the Analysing Anfield podcast, Josh Williams said: "One Fulham player who I do think could be a bit of kryptonite to the way that Liverpool play is Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa.
"He sweeps up a lot and wins a lot of balls, like an N’Golo Kante type, but then on the ball, he is really press resistant.
"Against Man City, he was one of the few Fulham players who could stay cool on the ball and get out of tight spaces.
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"He has got a bit of Moussa Dembele or Tanguy Ndombele in him where he gets out of situations where you wouldn’t expect him to."
Fulham rejected a £22.5m bid for Anguissa from
Villarrealin August, after he has spent last season on loan at the La Liga side after the Cottagers were relegated to the Championship.
A box-to-box midfielder whose biggest strength lies in retaining and progressing the ball, Anguissa is not the first name that springs to mind as a possible midfield successor at Anfield, but the data points to him being an effective option.
According to a statistical model from Football Critic, Anguissa is currently performing, statistically speaking, of those players who play in a similar role, comparably to Emre Can, Ilkay Gundogan, and perhaps most interestingly, Barcelona’s Frenkie de Jong.
Stylistically, the Cameroonian appears, on paper, to fit into the way that Liverpool play perfectly, with strong output statistically in terms of both interceptions and tackles, as well as in possession.
Anguissa has normally played in a midfield two, so would have to adapt to a slightly different role at Liverpool as Fabinho did, but he has all the tools to be able to do so and perform to a consistently high level.
Like Mohamed Salah, he could be one that did not settle in the Premier League at the first opportunity, but could excel should he be handed a second chance.
Williams had previously picked him out as a possible transfer target, stating last April: "For me, he didn’t fail at Fulham, his club did. He was clearly a data signing.
"He’s good without the ball and skillful on it. He could be a steal."
Having just turned 25, Anguissa is the same age now as Wijnaldum was when he arrived at Anfield, and would likely cost a similar fee to the £25m that Liverpool put forward for the Dutchman.
He might be a left-field option, but Liverpool have gone down that route before, and this weekend will have the chance to experience his talent first-hand.
