Liverpool Newsnow: It makes sense for management to acquire players from markets they are familiar with. Gerard Houllier often looks to France for players for Liverpool, and Rafa Benitez made use of his expertise in La Liga. Roy Hodgson acquired older players whom nobody else wanted.
The Reds have changed their strategy in recent seasons. While in England, Jürgen Klopp has not actively sought out players from his native Germany. Nonetheless, he has acquired a few from German players. [ Liverpool Newsnow ]
Everyone associated with Liverpool is anticipating the summer transfer window in the hopes that they will get a dynamic young midfielder from Borussia Dortmund. Jude Bellingham’s future in the famed red jersey is uncertain as rumours and counter-rumours circulate. In any case, they should think about a very comparable player from a market Klopp has seldom used.
The French First Division, or Ligue 1. While Klopp also had great times with former Lille attacker Divock Origi, Fabinho is the only French player signed in the previous seven years. Liverpool should scout Lorient’s 23-year-old midfielder Enzo Le Fee for the next 2023/24 season. [ Liverpool Newsnow ]
Liverpool Newsnow: What’s the matter?
According to FBRef, the French under-21 international is the most comparable player to Bellingham in Europe’s top five leagues. He would fetch a significantly smaller transfer cost with just one year left on his contract. It’s worth noting that Harvey Elliott ranks well among the Dortmund player’s statistics matches.
Surprisingly, the numbers indicate that Le Fee might perhaps compete with, if not surpass, Bellingham. The Lorient player is in the top 10 percent of all midfielders in the major leagues according to 27 different criteria, whereas his German counterpart ranks in the top 10 percent according to just 19 such indicators. They both have many of the same abilities, so it’s hard to say who would be better for Liverpool. [ Liverpool Newsnow ]
One of the most prominent ones is a penchant towards dribbling. At 4.13 take-on attempts per 90 minutes, Le Fee is in the top one percent of his positional peers. He is still 0.14 behind Bellingham, the continent’s best midfield dribbler.
What’s next for the Reds?
Most importantly, Le Fee is effective with the ball at his feet over a distance of at least five meters. Opta Analyst reports that 23 times this season, he has set up a scoring opportunity after a dribble. This would make him tied for first in the Premier League with Bukayo Saka and make him second in France after Lionel Messi. [ Liverpool Newsnow ]
Both Bellingham and Le Fee are in the top 10 percent of major league midfielders in one additional category that is crucial for Liverpool’s manager: tackles in the attacking third. While Lorient has scored six fewer goals in the league than Liverpool (from two more games), they have scored four times after gaining possession in the last 40 meters of the field, while Liverpool has scored just once after doing so. Le Fee is second on his team in terms of regaining possession in the final third, suggesting he has helped facilitate Klopp’s preferred tactic, the counter-press.
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