Which Belgium Players Could Fit Liverpool v2.0
International breaks and the usually pointless encounters within, are a detriment to elite club football, given the fatigue that will be experienced by so many top-level performers. I am of course in favour of summer World Cup’s and European Championships; however, the repetition of friendlies and one-sided qualifiers should make the endeavours of many nations avoidable, especially given that so many tournament squads have an opportunity to familiarise with one another, in the handful of warm up games before stated competitions.
Ultimately, FIFA will only ever increase the volume of international games, which makes acceptance of the ordeal a necessary measure. I have been looking for the positives, with this particular break in domestic and European football at least allowing some intriguing games for England, who will be facing both Brazil and Belgium in the next week or so. It is the latter national side that I will be looking at first, as the Three Lions prepare to take on their well-stocked opponents on Saturday evening.
Which Belgium Players Could Become Summer Anfield Targets?
I have limited my picks to those selected for this weekend’s game, as part of Domenico Tedesco’s squad.
Johan Bakayoko
Age – 20-years-old (DOB – 20/04/2003)
Club – PSV Eindhoven
Nationality – Belgium
International Caps / Goals – 9 / 1
Playing Positions – RW / RF
Contract Expiry – 30 June 2026
Transfermarkt Value – €40m
Potential Fee – €60m
Verdict – A tremendous young talent that has secured his own article, which can be found on the Anfield Index site.
Amadou Onana
Age – 22-years-old (DOB – 16/09/2001)
Club – Everton
Nationality – Belgium
International Caps / Goals – 9 / 0
Playing Positions – CDM / CM
Contract Expiry – 30 June 2027
Transfermarkt Value – €50m
Potential Fee – €60m
Verdict – The most controversial name on the list, given that Everton are his current employers. If the Toffees were to drop out of the Premier League, this is absolutely a deal that should be explored by the reds. The monstrous defensive midfielder is the perfect addition to the central area and is someone that should have been signed ahead of Liverpool’s Merseyside rivals.
Arthur Vermeeren
Age – 19-years-old (DOB – 07/02/2005)
Club – Atlético de Madrid
Nationality – Belgium
International Caps / Goals – 2 / 0
Playing Positions – CDM / CM
Contract Expiry – 30 June 2030
Transfermarkt Value – €30m
Potential Fee – €40m
Verdict – This product of Atlético de Madrid is very highly thought of and is someone that could be moulded into the perfect double pivot player, especially in Liverpool v2.0. It would be very hard to get the tenacious and gifted player away from Diego Simeone.
Arthur Theate
Age – 23-years-old (DOB – 25/05/2000)
Club – Stade Rennais
Nationality – Belgium
International Caps / Goals – 14 / 0
Playing Positions – LCB / LB / RCB
Contract Expiry – 30 June 2027
Transfermarkt Value – €20
Potential Fee – €30m
Verdict – This is a player that will be noted on a list somewhere in the Liverpool recruitment office, with a long list of all the positives he would bring to a 3-4-3 formation. The cost of the deal would not be too far beyond his projected value and his skillset may be the perfect addition to next season’s defensive group.
Any of those Belgium internationals listed above would complement the now and certainly add depth to the future. Given that the masterful Michael Edwards is now overseeing recruitment as the Sporting CEO, I believe strong and strategic recruitment will be ushered into the demands of his incoming Sporting Director, Richard Hughes. It is an exciting moment to support this historical football club, which may be about to get even more impressive.
Steven Smith
