Joshua Kimmich – The Empire of The Kop

Poker game set to start for 28-y/o UCL-winning CDM; Liverpool interested – report

Peter Kenny Jones — Fri, 01 Dec 2023 12:02:07 +0000

Liverpool fans will know that our side is primed to have a great chance in the title race this season but some tweaking of the squad could help get us over the line, particular with a new defensive midfielder.

Writing for Caught Offside, Christian Falk reported: ‘Jürgen Klopp also knows Kimmich’s strengths, which would suit Liverpool FC well. The poker for Kimmich could soon be open.’

It seems that we will be competing with the likes of Barcelona and Manchester City, should the midfielder come on the market, which will make it less than easy to negotiate.

Given the large investment in our midfield last summer, by signing Dominik Szoboszlai, Alexis Mac Allister and Ryan Gravenberch, our owners may not want to spend too much more money on the squad.

With two years remaining on his deal with Bayern Munich, Joshua Kimmich appears frustrated with the Bundesliga club and could move away.

Being 28-years-old may work against the Champions League winner though as, we’ve already added Wataru Endo as an experienced option in his position and this is above the usual age bracket we work in.

The question will be for Jurgen Klopp whether he thinks our current options, including Thiago Alcantara and Stefan Bacjectic, are good enough to carry us through for the rest of the season.

Let’s hope that we don’t look back in May and regret the decision to not fully replace Fabinho, instead realising that the answers were already in our squad of players and no further investment is needed – at this time.

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Journalist claims Liverpool-linked midfielder mightn’t extend current deal after ‘chaotic year’

Liam Togher — Thu, 02 Nov 2023 11:40:17 +0000

A journalist from Germany has claimed that one midfielder who was linked with Liverpool over the summer could potentially be open to leaving his current club at the end of his contract.

During the summer, it was reported that Jurgen Klopp has been an admirer of Joshua Kimmich (FourFourTwo), whose future at Bayern Munich has now been brought under the microscope as he approaches the final 18 months of his deal, which expires in June 2025 (Transfermarkt).

According to Kerry Hau, the 28-year-old is frustrated with life at the Allianz Arena after a ‘chaotic year’ with major changes in personnel at managerial and boardroom level, along with disagreement over Thomas Tuchel about his positional role with the Bundesliga champions.

The reporter told SPORT1: “The chaotic year of 2023 with all these personnel changes and all this unrest also left its mark on Kimmich. Continuity and trust are very important to him and I say that it will not be easy to extend this contract.”

Kimmich’s frustration at Bayern may well have been exacerbated by their shock DFB Pokal exit at the hands of third-tier Saarbrucken on Wednesday night, while the intense competition at the top of the Bundesliga could also see their 11-year monopoly on the domestic title ended this season.

According to Hau, the 28-year-old emphatically views himself as a defensive midfielder in the number 6 role, which could also play into Liverpool’s hands if their interest in him remains.

Alexis Mac Allister has played in that position for most of the campaign so far (Transfermarkt), although there’s a school of thought that he’s slightly wasted in the engine room and ought to be deployed further forward.

That could duly enable the Reds to give Kimmich his preferred role while also freeing up the Argentine to weave his magic higher up the pitch.

Whether Klopp is still pushing for the Germany international is unclear, though, and the Liverpool hierarchy might hold reservations about moving for a player who’ll turn 29 in February and already earns just over £325,000 per week, with only Mo Salah taking home more at Anfield (Capology).

Nonetheless, Hau’s comments could possibly pique the ears of those in the Anfield boardroom as the January transfer window ticks ever closer.

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Tuchel’s candid transfer window admission could offer hope to Liverpool over £600k-p/w duo

Liam Togher — Thu, 20 Jul 2023 06:47:57 +0000

Thomas Tuchel may have given Liverpool fans some hope of their club landing players from Bayern Munich this summer.

Leon Goretzka has been linked with the Reds this week, while Kicker reported (via FourFourTwo) that another midfielder in Joshua Kimmich could possibly be sold in order to free up funds for the marquee signing of Harry Kane.

It’s understood that Jurgen Klopp has been a long-time admirer of the 28-year-old, and he could sense an opportunity to try and pounce for him in the current transfer window amid LFC’s quest to replace Saudi Arabia-bound Fabinho and Jordan Henderson.

As per 90min, Tuchel has insisted that Bayern’s number six is central to his plans, although the manager’s comments suggested that he isn’t completely ruling out the possibility of selling.

The 49-year-old said: “It would be surprising. But a transfer window is a transfer window, I said in general that anything is possible. There’s absolutely no point in name-dropping and throwing in a different name every day.”

If the door truly opens up for Liverpool to sign either Goretzka or Kimmich this summer, they absolutely must to everything to try and pounce.

The former plays primarily as a central midfielder but can also be used as a number 6 or 10, while he ranks among the top 10% of positional peers in Europe’s five main leagues for attributes such as blocks, assists, shots taken and aerial duels won, marking him out as a very well-rounded player (FBref).

Meanwhile, the latter stands out as one of the best distributors of a ball in the business, ranking in the top 1% of midfielders in the continent for passes attempted (86.47) and progressive passes (9.87) per game (FBref).

The duo are paid more than £600,000 per week between them, which could put pressure on Liverpool’s wage bill, although the imminent departures of Fabinho and Henderson would free up £320,000 in wages each week (FBref).

Even if Klopp only manages to add one of Goretzka or Kimmich, it’d give the Reds’ midfield a huge added touch of class and be the perfect response to losing two stalwarts of the 56-year-old’s era at Anfield.

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Harry Kane may have saved Liverpool’s midfield search; Reds could get perfect experience in – report

Farrell Keeling — Wed, 19 Jul 2023 17:46:04 +0000

The departure of both Jordan Henderson and Fabinho to the Saudi top-flight will leave a void of considerable proportions in the Liverpool squad.

The dilemma now facing the Reds is whether they must recruit experience equal to that which has departed or start afresh with younger talent.

That choice could become easier for Jurgen Klopp and Co. with Kicker (via FourFourTwo) now reporting that Bayern’s Joshua Kimmich could be sold to help the club snap up mega-money signing Harry Kane.

Leon Goretzka and Sadio Mane have likewise been linked with exits, though it remains to be seen whether a genuinely world-class midfielder will be allowed to depart Bavaria this summer.

Whether we can afford him too is another question entirely, of course, and it’s entirely possible that landing the likes of a Manu Kone or a Romeo Lavia may prove more palatable when planning ahead for the future.

If Liverpool want an option in the squad capable of filing out as a No.6 and No.8 with bags of experience in the Champions League and top-tier league football, however, they need look no further than Kimmich.

If he is indeed available and for a price we’d be willing to contemplate.

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Pundit urges Liverpool to complete ‘amazing signing’ of Bundesliga star; ‘the kind of player’ Klopp needs

Max Rudd — Fri, 26 May 2023 07:10:06 +0000

Alan Hutton has claimed that Joshua Kimmich ‘would be an amazing signing for Liverpool’.

The Bayern Munich star has been linked with a move to Anfield recently with the Bundesliga outfit currently valuing him at £52.1m.

Jurgen Klopp is eager to strengthen his midfield options this summer and the German international would bring a huge amount of quality and experience to our squad as we seek to compete on all fronts again next term.

“Wow, I think it would be an amazing signing for Liverpool,” he told Football Insider.

“At 28 he has still got a lot of football left in him, he is an outstanding football player but I can’t see him leaving where he is if I am honest.

“I think it would be a really good signing for Liverpool and I think that is the kind of player they need to rebuild the midfield but I do not see it happening.“

The 28-year-old is under contract at the Allianz Arena until 2025 and has so far scored seven goals and registered 11 assists across all competitions this season.

With us missing out on a top four finish you could argue that it’s unlikely the former Stuttgart man will be willing to move to a club competing in the Europa League but the opportunity to ply his trade under our German tactician and get a taste of the Premier League may appeal to the Bayern No. 6.

His versatility is something that will no doubt appeal to Klopp and Co. with him able to operate as both a holding midfielder and a right back.

We’d be delighted to bring someone in with as much quality of Kimmich but don’t have too much hope of seeing him on Merseyside next term.

It appears that Alexis Mac Allister is edging closer to a move that would see him donning the famous red shirt next season and we can expect two or three others to follow him to Merseyside during the summer window.

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Liverpool interested in £331k-p/w metronome who Mourinho once dubbed ‘phenomenal’ – report

Liam Togher — Sun, 21 May 2023 14:59:49 +0000

Liverpool are taking an interest in a possible summer move for Joshua Kimmich, according to reports from Spain.

Marca claimed that the Reds – along with Arsenal and Barcelona – are interested in the Bayern Munich midfielder, who’s valued at €60m (£52.1m) by the Bundesliga champions.

One potential advantage for the Premier League duo is that signing the 28-year-old would cost €20m (£17.38m) with regards to amortisation, something which isn’t feasible for the LaLiga giants.

If somehow Liverpool could lure Kimmich to Anfield, they’d be getting one of the most accomplished midfielders in European football.

The £331k-per-week metronome (FBref) has won seven league titles in Germany, along with the Champions League in 2020, and has lined out nearly 350 times for Bayern, with 70 of those coming in Europe’s premier club competition (Transfermarkt).

He’s previously earned glowing praise from Jose Mourinho, who told DAZN (via GOAL): “I see him as a top right-back, left-back, centre-back, No.6, No.8, No.10. he has the qualities to be anything!… I think he’s phenomenal, an absolutely phenomenal player.”

Despite playing as a defensive midfielder, there are few better than Kimmich when it comes to getting the ball into dangerous positions – as per FBref, he averages 10.05 progressive passes per game, putting him among the top 1% of positional peers in Europe for that metric.

His CV is almost unrivalled, but whether he’d be willing to swap Champions League football with Bayern for a Europa League campaign with Liverpool is perhaps doubtful.

Reds fans may be hoping he follows Casemiro in that regard, with the Brazilian leaving Real Madrid for Manchester United in similar circumstances last year.

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Didi Hamann outlines shock area he feels LFC can hurt Bayern Munich

Matt Addison — Sun, 17 Feb 2019 12:23:03 +0000

Former Liverpool and Bayern Munich midfielder Didi Hamann says he can see the Reds causing the German side problems on Tuesday night – because he isn’t convinced about the defensive capabilities of full-back Joshua Kimmich.

The Germany international, still only 24, is a very highly rated player who is experienced at the top level. He was one of the first names in Joachim Low’s squad for the World Cup.

Hamann, though, explained that Kimmich is much better in an attacking sense than he is at the back – and that could be an area to exploit for the Reds.

He told the Liverpool Echo: “Kimmich is a midfielder by trade: [he] isn’t really a defensively minded player. His qualities are going forward and he sets up a lot of goals.

“Left-back David Alaba has been an outstanding player for Bayern for nearly 10 years. I think he might be able to deal with Salah but I think Mane v Kimmich will be one of the key battles.

“I really think Liverpool have a great chance to exploit that right-hand side of Bayern.”

The general feeling is that Bayern are susceptible at the back – shown when they conceded twice at Augsburg in the Bundesliga on Friday night – and however they do it, the Reds could strike real fear into them.

It’s all set up to be a really good tie – hopefully, we can take a lead into the second leg, which isn’t until the middle of March.

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Kimmich’s comments on LFC show how far Klopp has taken the Reds

Matt Addison — Sat, 19 Jan 2019 11:06:40 +0000

Bayern Munich’s Joshua Kimmich says his teammates are very aware of how good Liverpool are – proving just how far the club has come since Jurgen Klopp took over in 2015.

The 23-year-old Germany international will line up against the Reds in around a month’s time in the Champions League last-16, and even though the tie is a long way away, Kimmich has already been speaking about it.

Kimmich told Sport Bild: “We have a great team but Liverpool is one of the best teams in the world right now. They have everything: speed, technique; they are strong fighters. It will be tough.”

It seems Bayern are on the full charm offensive, with defender Mats Hummels tweeting just last week about Virgil van Dijk, but it’s clear that the German side are fearful of what the Reds can do to them.

The tie against Bayern will be a brilliant couple of matches and there should be a lot of excitement for neutrals – it just shows the levels that Klopp has taken the Reds to since he took charge.

Comments like this from Kimmich would not have been heard had this tie been taking place a couple of years ago – in fact, the tie would not have been taking place at all.

The Reds have every chance of progressing and knocking out one of the real elite teams in the Champions League over two matches. Klopp has done an incredible job.

That’s also backed up by the number of players at Liverpool who are signing new contracts, like Andy Robertson and Trent Alexander-Arnold just this week – everything is looking very rosy.

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