Pundit Micah Richards has questioned the choice of Liverpool to not sign James Ward-Prowse as Jordan Henderson replacement this summer.
The Anfield giants suffered a blow with senior players like Jordan Henderson and Fabinho leaving the club to join the Saudi Pro League. And the long-due midfield rebuild had to be hurried to fill the gap in the middle of the park.
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And that decision has paid off so far as most of the new signings have fitted quite well in the team. These signings have made a positive impact that helped Klopp and Co. bounce back into great form.
They currently stand 2nd, heading into the weekend clash with Manchester City. But there are still doubts from pundits if the club has done it right.
Liverpool should have signed James Ward-Prowse
Speaking on The Rest Is Football podcast, pundit Micah Richards questioned why Liverpool didn’t go for former Southampton star James Ward-Prowse instead of Dominik Szoboszlai. Co-host Alan Shearer responded with,
Pundit says £20m Liverpool player is just too slow and could leave
“He is one of the signings of the season as well, Ward-Prowse. What did they pay for him, £30 million? What a bargain!
What a season he’s having. The assists. We did a piece on Match of the Day about him and those set pieces and where he puts the ball time after time, week after week, it’s just phenomenal what a dead ball player he is.”
Gary Lineker posed a question on whether any of the Premier League’s ‘so-called bigger clubs’ now regret not picking the 29-year-old up from Southampton. Richards replied with,
“100%, Liverpool should have bought him. He was destined for Liverpool. Replace Henderson, he does exactly what Henderson can do and he has delivery as well.
I’m thinking why has that not happened?”
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Although the argument is quite strong, there are several layers to the story. No doubt the English international is a certified PL midfielder, but he has not been quite effective at West Ham.
Even though he is better on paper with 2 goals and 10 assists in 17 games across all competition, compared to Szoboszlai who scored 2 goals and assisted 2; the Hungarian has been more effective on-field with his overall performance (stats via Transfermarkt)
So it is safe to say that Ward-Prowse could not have transformed Liverpool‘s game the same way Szoboszlai has done.
An ardent football fan and a proud Red. I take immense pleasure in analyzing the intricacies of the game.
