27 June 2023 , 08:18
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Liverpool should've signed the "magical" Mateo Kovacic, according to David James, who felt the Croatian would've suited the Reds.
Manchester City look set to swoop in and capture the midfielder from Chelsea in a £30m deal. Pep Guardiola is looking for midfield recruits as he prepares for several exits in that position, but Liverpool too need to bolster their options in the middle of the park.
Several stalwarts have been allowed to leave Anfield with Alexis Mac Allister coming in from Brighton, but more new faces are expected to arrive. James has doubts over whether Kovacic will fit into City's system, but is adamant he'd have suited Jurgen Klopp's style.
He told King Casino Bonus : "Someone who plays like Mateo Kovacic does, I would have thought would be more suited to Liverpool than Manchester City. I’ve been buzzing off this guy for a few years now; the way he picks the ball up and goes through lines with ease, it looks like he is always at 100mph. There is something magical about the way he plays.
"There is a lot of speed, energy and pace in the way Liverpool have played ever since Jurgen Klopp took over and someone like Kovacic would be ideal for that. The way that Man City play is typically a lot slower and less reliant on running with the ball, just look at Kevin de Bruyne’s passing stats.
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"Pep Guardiola might be thinking of having a tactical re-think again, Kovacic isn’t the type of player I thought Man City would be going after. Then again, neither was Erling Haaland and that worked out alright! I think if a player like Kovacic went for Liverpool however, I think that would be a great fit."
Mateo Kovacic is on the brink of joining Manchester City (Getty Images)Chelsea have invested heavily over the past 12 months and need to move players on to balance their books, meaning they're set to make a loss on Kovacic, who they signed from Real Madrid. That is set to be to City's gain as they seek a replacement for Ilkay Gundogan whilst Bernardo Silva could yet depart.
Klopp's failure to add a major midfield name last summer came back to haunt him as Liverpool finished fifth. Their options in midfield are ageing with the likes of Fabinho, Jordan Henderson and Thiago all regulars alongside youngsters Curtis Jones and Harvey Elliott.
The Reds continue to be linked with several names, predominantly from abroad. Their recruitment for years was hailed as the benchmark around Europe, but they've not enjoyed the same success recently in the transfer market.