Jamie Carragher believes Liverpool will not be able to finish in the top four without signing the midfielder in January, and that they “need to achieve great results in the summer.”
Carragher was sharp and precise in his assessment of Liverpool’s 3-1 defeat by Brentford on Monday when he analyzed the situation on Sky Sports.
The former Reds defender claimed that “Jurgen Klopp’s team is not on the field now,” suggesting that the influence of Pepein Leinders caused the transition from physical abilities to technical capabilities.
For Carragher and most fans, the big problem lies in the midfield, where, as he points out, only one significant signing has taken place since 2018.
It was Thiago who actually took Gini Wijnaldum’s place as a left midfielder, but struggled to make up for it when it comes to the Dutchman’s work without the ball.
🗣️ "Liverpool need to spend about £200 million"
Jamie Carragher believes Liverpool need to spend a LOT of money in the transfer window 💰 pic.twitter.com/4WOUdEGyYl
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) January 2, 2023
“People keep talking about Bellingham — and rightly so, he will become one of the best young players in world football,” he said.
“But for me, perhaps as important as Bellingham’s type, if you can get him, will be Wijnaldum’s type.
“The type of player who, together with Fabinho, can just protect his four defenders and stop the players running to that defense.”
Carragher added: “No matter how good you are as a defender, if you don’t have a defence in front of you, it’s very, very difficult.
“I’m going back to the best central defender I’ve ever seen in my life, it’s Franco Baresi, but he had an incredible midfield in front of him, in terms of Ancelotti, Rijkaard, those people who did the work in front of him.
“No matter how good you are as a central defender, you need protection. If you don’t have protection, you don’t have a chance.”
It’s not as easy as signing one midfielder in January or summer, as Carragher believes Liverpool need to bring in three more players worth £200 million.
“Liverpool will need to be a big summer,” he said.
“You think about how much Chelsea and Manchester United spent in the summer, and they are still not close to winning the title.
“So it shows you what kind of funds you need to compete at the top of the league.
Liverpool sold someone year after year, bought someone, but I think Liverpool should spend 200 million pounds now.
“And I’m not saying that in terms of this the secret of success, because there were a lot of teams that spent a lot of money, and it didn’t necessarily work.
“But I would say Liverpool need to sign three midfielders.
“It’s not necessary for everyone to play, but Keita, Oxlade-Chamberlain have no contracts, as does James Milner [and given] the age of Thiago, who is injured quite often, Henderson, Fabinho, I think Liverpool need three midfielders. .
“When you talk about real quality, you are looking for at least 40-50 million pounds for such players.”
Shortly before the start of the match at Brentford, it became known that Liverpool were considering the possibility of acquiring Wolves midfielder Mateus Nunez, whose value is estimated at about 44 million pounds.
This deal, as reported by the Telegraph, will be planned for the summer, but Carragher believes that another midfielder should come now if Liverpool have ambitions to reach the Champions League.
“How could this happen, and the fact that Liverpool didn’t sign a midfielder in the summer?” he asked.
Liverpool signed Gakpo. If Liverpool think they can get into the top four without signing a midfielder in this window, they have absolutely no chance.”
