Robbie Savage has named the Premier League midfielder who he believes would be ‘a fantastic fit’ for Liverpool.
The man in question is someone in whom the Reds were actually interested during the summer, with a move for Joao Palhinha having been deemed a ‘possibility’ by the Liverpool Echo‘s Ian Doyle in July.
The 28-year-old was on the brink of signing for Bayern Munich on transfer deadline day, only for the move to fall through, and he remains at Fulham for the time being.
Speaking about the Portugal international on BBC Radio 5 Live Sport, Savage claimed: “He’s a very good player. He was going to Bayern and the move fell through. [He’s a] fantastic player.
“Liverpool have transitioned well in those areas. There is more dynamism in there. [Dominik] Szoboszlai and [Alexis] Mac Allister are good acquisitions, recruitment has been good and I think that has gone under the radar really, but I think Palhinha would be a fantastic fit for Liverpool.”
Despite signing Wataru Endo and Ryan Gravenberch in the final two weeks of the transfer window, Jurgen Klopp has prevailed with Mac Allister in a holding midfield role (Transfermarkt), which has perhaps prevented the Argentine from displaying his best traits.
Had Liverpool manage to get Palhinha prior to the deadline, the 2022 World Cup winner would be freed up to play further forward, knowing that he’d have a truly elite specialist number 6 behind him.
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The Fulham midfielder has won an astounding 4.7 tackles per game so far this season, the most of any Premier League player, while only nine men in the top flight can better his match average of 1.7 interceptions (WhoScored).
The 28-year-old would’ve been a shoo-in at the heart of the Reds’ midfield if he were at Anfield, and there’s a very strong chance that we go in for him again next year, or that Bayern will try their luck for him once more.
Just imagine a trio of Palhinha doing his Trojan work and offering a platform from which Mac Allister and Szoboszlai can thrive behind the front three. It’d be a tantalising prospect.
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