Liverpool FC have been linked to Red Bull Leipzeg’s German Striker Timo Werner for a long time now and multiple reports are again appearing today.
The reports today come from, among others, Sport Bild in Germany but these rumours have been picking up pace in Germany for a week or two now. Sport Bild is pretty good with these type of stories so we reckon there is definitely interest from the Reds but certainly doesn’t mean they are close.
Werner is a top class forward who can play all across the front line and we need back-up in that area. We need top quality to come in when one of Mane, Salah or Firmno are out. Although, with a striker of Werner’s class I doubt he would be sitting on the bench all that often. If Liverpool were to sign him I think it is more likely that he will be used to rotate around the front three positions and when rotation is not required it’s likely that Bobby Firmino would drop back into midfield with Werner playing somewhere in the front three, depending on how he does there, but most likely in the centre. Liverpool sometimes lack a bit of creativity from central areas and have at times had to rely on our fullbacks to create chances, I believe Klopp definately wants to change that in his next attempts to refine our attack.
So what do these rumours of Werner have going for them?
Werner is 23 and that is very close to the perfect age for this Liverpool team and is the sort of age that Klopp is usually in the market for, he’s young enough to be a long term, and intelligent, investment for the club and team, but also old enough that he is coming into his prime and has adequate experience to be able to start making an impact on the first team of a club like Liverpool
WERNER HAS A RELEASE CLAUSE of £50m. What a price for a player of his class and with his numbers (discussed below). That’s the sort of price that you would expect FSG and Liverpool to be all over, it represents real value for a player coming into his prime.
WERNER HAS THE NUMBERS. He has superb numbers, in fact, across all the competitions he has played in this season;
Bundesliga: 21 Games, 20 Goals and 6 Assists.
Champions League: Six Games, 3 Goals and 1 Assist.
German Cup: 3 Games, 2 Goals and 3 Assists.
AFRICAN CUP OF NATIONS. Both Sadio Mane and Mo Salah are likely to be off in January 2021 so Liverpool will most definitely need more attacking back-up going into next season, and they will almost certainly be on the hunt for it in the summer.
So, why might we doubt these rumours?
TAKUMI MINAMINO has just signed for Liverpool FC and plays a very similar sort of role, he can play across the front three positions, although he can also drop deeper into one of a midfield three. If Minamino comes good for Liverpool then it obviously reduces the need for another attacking player, and don’t be surprised if he does indeed come good given Klopp’s ability to both get the best out of and improve players.
TOO MANY LINKS SYNDROME. Any Liverpool fan will tell you that when we are linked to a particular player again and again over a long period of time then a deal is usually never made. Is Werner the new Reus or the new Fekir? Ricardo Quaresma anyone?
Overall, we like this player and we like these rumours, and we do believe they have some legs, everything points towards this being the sort of deal that would suit Liverpool, but Too Many Links Syndrome is the big worry here! Do it Liverpool! Please!
