Liverpool’s Summer Targets: Surprise Name on the Shortlist
With every passing day there seems to be more transfer speculation growing around Liverpool, as they prepare for the arrival of Feyenood boss Arne Slot. That of course means the end of Jurgen Klopp’s illustrious Liverpool career is coming to a close, but the club can’t afford to stand still.
Despite the links to some of the world’s top players, there appears to be some surprise names on Liverpool’s shortlist which will definitely raise the eyebrows of a lot of supporters. That name on this occasion is Union SG’s forward Mohamed Amoura, which goes hand-in-hand with the recent reports of the Reds’ interest in the forward.
With that being said, why are Liverpool being linked with such an unknown quantity like Amoura?
Who is Mohamed Amoura?
As mentioned above, Mohamed Amoura is a 24-year-old forward for Union SG in the Belgian top flight, the Jupiler Pro League. The Algerian enjoyed a breakthrough season for the Belgian side, scoring 23 goals across all competitions so far this season.
The forward was particularly impressive in his league form, scoring 17 of those goals in 23 league appearances for Union SG. Amoura scored two goals and assisted another in his six appearances in the Europa League, too.
Amoura did lined up against Liverpool on both occasions in the Europa League, which has previously been used by the club when identifying their next transfer targets. The 24-year-old has also impressed on the international stage, racking up 22 senior appearances for Algeria, scoring six goals in the process.
Tactical Fit at Liverpool
Should Liverpool push on in their pursuit of the 24-year-old, his most obvious position would be as a number nine. However, Amoura has also featured as a number ten and even as a left-winger for Union SG.
That sort of versatility could be a really attractive prospect to Arne Slot and Liverpool, especially with Slot’s preffered 4-2-3-1 formation, which Amoura could play numerous roles in. Amoura could also fit into Liverpool’s intended fast-paced attack, coming in as a small and quick option.
Finances and Competition
Transfermarkt.com currently values Amoura at around £15million but any potential move for the Algerian would likely cost closer to £20-25million. Of course, that price is comfortably within the capabilities of Liverpool, but there’s also certainly an argument to be made that there’s much better options out there for that sort of price.
As it stands, no other elite clubs are interested in Amoura, which could be a worrying sign but there is another Premier League club interested in the forward. Brighton are that other club to hold interest in Amoura, but in fairness their recruitment has been largely impressive over recent years.
Amoura: Yes or No?
I personally think that this is a non-starter when it comes to Liverpool’s upcoming transfer business. Firstly, the Reds will surely have much bigger priorities in the market with positions like a left-back, defensive midfielder and a right-winger surely high up on their priorities.
If this was a move costing around £10million for a player to play the role that Takumi Minamino did in previous years, then it could be a discussion worth having. But for the rumoured price tag of £20million, I struggle to see this one happening.
The only reason LFC are interested is because they read Brighton are. A generally unknown detail is that we bid for Nunez while he was still at Almeria! LFC have now hired a talent spotter whose sole role is to read News Now and see what players Brighton are purportedly interested in. This will backfire of course as Tony Bloom will get the Press to put out stories that we are interested in any old rubbish.