Teamwork makes the dream work

Edwards sends bid to signal Liverpool’s personal Vinicius Jr. in £205k-p/w star

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Liverpool supporters have been rocked by the latest revelations that Michael Edwards and co anticipate Bayer Leverkusen supervisor Xabi Alonso to remain put this summer time, although fears of catastrophe have been allayed by the membership’s anticipation of this, mapping out strong various plans.

The second-placed Premier League facet will see Jurgen Klopp step down from his duties on the finish of the marketing campaign, and whereas Michael Edwards has returned as FSG’s new CEO of Soccer and Richard Hughes has been appointed as Anfield’s sporting director, there’s a lot to kind out.

Mainly, key trio Virgil van Dijk, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Mohamed Salah are all out of contract on the finish of the 2024/25 marketing campaign, with the latter most likely the most certainly to depart.

Final summer time, Salah was on the centre of a £150m proposal from Saudi Arabian facet Al-Ittihad, rejected, and aged 31, he would possibly really feel that Klopp’s exit indicators the best time to attempt one thing new.

Liverpool’s summer time switch targets

Ought to Salah depart, an eventuality inconceivable in itself, Liverpool would wish to establish and safe a worthy successor, with Spanish sources – through Football365 – revealing that Actual Madrid ahead Rodrygo is on the record.

Truly, the versatile Brazilian has already been the topic of an unimaginable £68m bid from Liverpool, if the report is to be believed, having beforehand seen a £51m provide flat-out rejected.

This would possibly appear to be an unlikely transfer on the floor however all of the pointers counsel Los Blancos will lastly land Kylian Mbappe this summer time, with teenage prodigy Endrick additionally arriving.

Rodrygo, candidly, won’t discover a place within the venture.

Rodrygo’s season in numbers

Actual Madrid signed Rodrygo when he was simply 17 years outdated for €45m (£40m), the gifted teenager becoming a member of from Brazilian facet Santos, with legendary striker Cristiano Ronaldo leaving for Juventus in an £88m deal that very same window.

Real Madrid forward Rodrygo. 

Now aged 23, he is amassed 206 appearances for the La Liga table-toppers, scoring 50 targets and supplying 40 assists, along with his dynamic performances resulting in reward regarding his putting means, journalist Sam Tighe remarking earlier within the marketing campaign: “Rodrygo’s ending ranges are straight up terrifyingly good.”

He is actually taken nice strides in his growth because the years have passed by, now combining his pure fleet-footedness and athleticism with polished and sharpened high quality within the remaining third.

Rodrygo: Actual Madrid Stats by Season

Season

Apps

Begins

Objectives

Assists

23/24

41

34

13

8

22/23

57

41

19

11

21/22

49

25

9

10

20/21

33

13

2

8

19/20

26

16

7

3

Stats through Transfermarkt

Within the Spanish top-flight this season, as per Sofascore, Rodrygo has scored eight targets and added 5 assists throughout 24 beginning appearances, finishing 90% of his passes and averaging 1.3 key passes and 1.9 dribbles per recreation.

He might need suffered a slight regression in output from the dizzying heights of the 2022/23 time period, however there is not any query that Rodrygo has grown into his pores and skin splendidly and has every part he wants to reach the Premier League at an outfit like Liverpool.

Rodrygo’s fashion of play

Whereas Rodrygo has principally performed as a centre-forward for Actual Madrid this season, he has discovered success throughout each flanks all through his Spanish profession, specifically the best.

As per FBref, Rodrygo ranks among the many prime 15% of forwards throughout Europe’s prime 5 leagues over the previous yr for assists, the highest 7% for shot-creating actions, the highest 1% for move completion, the highest 11% for progressive passes, the highest 1% for progressive carries, the highest 3% for profitable take-ons and the highest 9% for interceptions per 90, along with his qualities drawing comparisons to some top-class skills.

Rodrygo: Related Gamers

#

Participant

Membership

1.

Gabriel Jesus

Arsenal

2.

Vinicius Jr.

Actual Madrid

3.

Cody Gakpo

Liverpool

4.

Kylian Mbappe

Paris Saint-Germain

5.

Heung-min Son

Tottenham Hotspur

Sourced through FBref

Veteran Actual duo Dani Carvajal and Nacho Fernandez heralded Vinicius Junior and Rodrygo because the membership’s “magical” duo, and given the likeness between the pair it is likely to be price Liverpool investing within the latter, with Vinicius Jr. thought of one of many world’s foremost forwards.

Liverpool have truly been linked with Vinicius Jr. on a number of events prior to now, with Spanish studies earlier this season suggesting that these aforementioned Salah and Mbappe switch aspects may have come into play, leaving Liverpool eager to swoop in for the Actual Madrid maverick.

It did not occur, in fact, and it is unlikely that Madrid’s quantity seven will likely be leaving the Santiago Bernabeu any time quickly regardless of the incessant racial discrimination he has battled in opposition to, taking the daring and admirable stance to sort out it head-on, and never give in.

From a footballing standpoint, the 23-year-old is a revelation, having plundered 63 targets and 49 targets for Actual Madrid for the reason that begin of the 2021/22 marketing campaign.

Equally versatile to Rodrygo, he ranks among the many prime 17% of forwards throughout Europe’s prime 5 leagues over the previous yr for targets, the highest 1% for assists, the highest 3% for shot-creating actions and the highest 1% for progressive carries and profitable take-ons per 90, praised as “the perfect participant on the earth” by his supervisor Carlo Ancelotti.

Whereas the £205k-per-week Rodrygo has by no means been thought of Actual’s predominant man, he’s undoubtedly a top-class ahead and could be a credit score to Liverpool’s assault, boasting tempo and a protean ability set that may make him the proper foil for various gamers.

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This rising star would possibly even show to be a much bigger expertise than Harvey Elliott.

After all, his arrival would doubtless imply a participant has to go away, but when, for instance, Salah has entered the ultimate few months of a sensational profession on Merseyside, Rodrygo would possibly simply be the proper participant to take the baton and spearhead a brand new period.