Teun Koopmeiners: The Next Piece in Liverpool’s Midfield Conundrum
Atalanta midfielder, Teun Koopmeiners, is a player that may be familiar with a lot of Liverpool supporters, following numerous linked moves over recent years. The 26-year-old is now set to leave Atalanta and Liverpool are once again at the forefront of the transfer speculation.
The Reds were heavily active in the transfer market last year, when they signed four midfielders in the form of Alexis Mac Allister, Dominik Szoboszlai, Ryan Gravenberch and Wataru Endo. Recent reports suggest that they could be willing to further bolster that department, this summer.
Therefore, today we’re going to be exploring Koopmeiners’ linked move to Liverpool and whether it’s something you can expect to progress over the next few months.
Who is Teun Koopmeiners?
For those who may not know, Teun Koopmeiners is a 26-year-old central midfielder, currently playing for Atalanta in the Serie A. The Dutchman has 34 appearances to his name across all competitions for the Italian outfit, scoring 12 goals and assisting a further four.
His impressive club form over recent years has also earned him 20 caps for the Netherlands National Team, where he has linked up with the likes of Virgil Van Dijk, Cody Gakpo and Ryan Gravenberch on numerous occasions. Across those 20 appearances, Koopmeiners has managed two goals.
Koopmeiners is also a hugely versatile option, capable of playing in the advanced midfield role or even as a deep-lying playmaker, which he has done regularly for the Netherlands.
Crunching the Numbers…
On top of those impressive offensive numbers, Koopmeiners also boasts an impressive defensive ranking across midfielders in Europe. Most notably, his amount of clearances and aerials won per 90 minutes is largely impressive.
When looking at his passing stats, you can really see the type of creative player he is. In terms of passes attempted and progressive passes per 90, he ranks really highly. However, his mere 50% pass completion rate throws a spanner in the world. He’s either not efficient on the ball, or the passes he is trying to make are defence-splitting passes.
Despite his large amount of goals and assists from midfield, he still ranks pretty low in shot-creating actions and shots per 90. He’s definitely an intriguing player to analyse when it comes to his statistics.
Koopmeiners: An Edwards Acquisition?
The previous links between Liverpool and Koopmeiners had mostly come following Michael Edwards’ previous departure from Anfield. Koopmeiners doesn’t quite fit the usual age-profile of a Michael Edwards signing, but his style of play could be of interest to the potential next manager.
Koopmeiners himself has confirmed interest of English clubs in recent days, which could just be conveniently timed with Edwards’ return on Merseyside. Atalanta would likely demand a fee of £50-60million though, which I struggle to see Edwards approving such money on him.
It’s also important to note that Liverpool are set to clash with Atalanta in the Europa League Quarter-Finals next month and it could definitely be worth keeping an eye on Koopmeiners in those games.
