OPINION
On the face of it, there’s not an awful lot wrong with this Liverpool side.
Nine games in, just two points dropped – not to tempt fate or anything, but they look every inch champions elect.
And yet, there’s a hunger for new faces on Merseyside.
Whether it has been born out of a summer of transfer inactivity or an awareness that standing still is usually akin to going backwards in the mad, bad world of the Premier League, many fans seem keen for the Reds to pull their finger out and start splashing the cash.
And one name that has cropped up again and again is that of James Maddison.
Most recently, a report from The Athletic suggests that the Reds could be tempted to make a move for Leicester City’s James Maddison.
The 22-year-old is also being linked with a potential swoop from Manchester United and Tottenham, but if Liverpool have any ambition of asserting themselves as the most dominant side in England, they must make him theirs.
For one thing, he has been superb this season.
Averaging 3.3 shots, 1,6 key passes, and 2.9 successful dribbles per game, plus a Whoscored rating of 7.31, it is clear that he has blossomed into a top tier talent who is ready for the rigours of European football.
Moroever, Maddison would provide a much more obvious and effective link between the midfield and the Reds forward line than Jordan Henderson and Gini Wijnaldum currently do.
That’s no slight on either player, but in matches that require a greater modicum of creativity, Maddison could be the ideal man to provide it.
