Mutilple injury and COVID issues have shone a light on Liverpool’s midfield at various stages throughout this campaign so far.
And perhaps somewhat inevitably, it’s led to discussions about whether the club should have done more to keep the ever-dependable Gini Wijnaldum in the summer.
The Dutchman of course departed from Anfield at the end of last season as a free agent, despite Jurgen Klopp, as well as many Reds fans, seemingly wanting him to stay.
Wijnaldum wasn’t directly replaced in the market, although Harvey Elliott’s emergence as a key Liverpool player did soften the void he left behind, at least until the teenager suffered an unfortunate nasty ankle injury at Elland Road.
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Elliott’s firmly on the road to recovery and isn’t a million miles away from his Liverpool return, however, the need for reinforcements remains a hot topic. Particular given that key midfielders such as Fabinho, Jordan Henderson, James Milner and Thiago are all now in, or heading into, the twilight years of their careers.
And if Liverpool were to draw up a list of potential targets to bolster that group, you’d expect to see dominating midfielder Franck Kessie near the top.
The highly-rated AC Milan star would be worthy of such interest based on his abilities alone, yet there’s an added level to his appeal in that his current contract is due to expire in the summer, and as of yet, he’s nowhere close to agreeing on an extension.
This means he’s able to sign a pre-contract agreement with foreign clubs from this month on.
From a Liverpool standpoint, Kessie possesses a lot of the traits they’d be looking for. He’s quick, strong, mobile, press resistant but also good in possession.
He usually plays in a double pivot in Milan’s favoured 4-2-3-1 formation and boasts an impressive pass success rate of over 91% this season, despite playing a wide range of different short and penetrating balls into more valuable areas on the pitch.
Remarkably, Kessie netted a standout 14 league goals in the last campaign, not a return you’d expect from a player predominantly operating in deeper areas of the pitch. Yet it’s important to note that 11 came from penalties.
Sure enough, he’s netted just five times this season, with fewer penalties coming his side’s way.
Still though, Kessie is an aggressive protective presence in the middle, able to adequately press opponents, break up attacks and sweep up danger ahead of the defence, which would therefore make him a welcome addition to this Liverpool squad.
