Liverpool cannot allow Zubimendi blow to end No.6 pursuit

Liverpool are said to be happy with their options in midfield after failing to tempt Martin Zubimendi to the club.

Photo: IMAGO | Anfield Index

It would be entirely fair to suggest that, more than anything else, Liverpool were simply unfortunate to fail in their pursuit of Martin Zubimendi. 

Prior to this summer, sporting director Richard Hughes had been assured - unequivocally, sources say - by the midfielder’s representatives that this would be the year he finally moved on from Real Sociedad.

And, over the course of the last few weeks, the Reds were given little reason to suspect that Zubimendi’s previously stated desire to move to Anfield could be undermined by his boyhood club.

That La Real’s pleas ultimately changed the 25-year-old’s mind is a credit to his loyalty, and there is no shame in Liverpool joining the likes of Bayern Munich, Barcelona and Arsenal in failing to break that.

But where they cannot be absolved of blame is the suggestion that, after failing to land Zubimendi, no alternative holding midfielder will be sought in the coming weeks.

Senior Anfield figures claim that the Spain international was exactly the sort of ‘opportunistic’ signing Hughes had hinted might be made during his unveiling in early July.

That is because, while his profile clearly marked him out as an ideal fit as a long-term solution in the No.6 position, his availability had come about somewhat unexpectedly.

However, with that route now closed off, the feeling that the holding midfield market is not awash with top-class options is said to persist.

Instead, the Reds insist they are happy to go with what they have, pointing to Ryan Gravenberch and Curtis Jones as capable partners to Alexis Mac Allister in deeper roles.

But you have to ask whether attempts to sign Zubimendi were not founded on the belief that neither man represents a good long-term fit for that position.

Like Jurgen Klopp before him, Arne Slot quickly identified the need for an elite-level holder to be added and, much like his predecessor, he has been let down in securing one.

And it is the fact that Liverpool have now missed out on numerous targets in this position that makes their refusal to seek a replacement all the more baffling.

You can understand Aurelien Tchouameni opting for Real Madrid, or the Reds refusing to go too high on Romeo Lavia given the extent of his subsequent contributions to Chelsea. 

There has been little regret over missing out on Moises Caicedo to the Stamford Bridge club, either. 

But surely a post-Zubimendi contingency should have been sketched out when this area of the pitch has consistently been flagged as in need of an upgrade in recent years.

Liverpool’s strong reputation in recruitment was largely built on their ability to pivot to secondary targets, with Anfield icons Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane both only signed because Julian Brandt and Mario Gotze had rejected moves.

Yet they are seemingly incapable of identifying multiple holding midfielders in each window, which tends to be problematic when your attempts to actually acquire one prove cursed.

Of course, hysterical predictions that this latest disappointment has Liverpool primed for a disastrous season should be ignored given the quality Slot has inherited and the many encouraging signs from pre-season.

But it is also hard to imagine this team improving on last season’s third-placed Premier League finish without a significant acquisition capable of moving the dial.

Although they remain active possibilities, replacing Luis Diaz with Anthony Gordon or signing Giorgi Mamardashvili to loan him out for the coming campaign do not feel like they would be consequential enough.

And so Hughes and co should surely reconsider their stance to ensure that Liverpool’s pursuit of a holding midfielder does not run into a third consecutive summer.