Following reports of Liverpool’s apparent interest in Kylian Mbappe (Le10 Sport) and Victor Osimhen (Le10 Sport), the Reds have been linked with another prolific striker from French Ligue 1.
L’Equipe reported [via Daily Mail] that the Anfield club are among several Premier League sides with an interest in signing Monaco centre-forward Wissam Ben Yedder, who is also reportedly on the radar of Manchester City, Manchester United, Tottenham and Arsenal.
According to L’Equipe [via Daily Mail] , the 29-year-old France international is valued at around £40m by his current club.
Why might Liverpool be interested in Wissam Ben Yedder?
Many Liverpool fans will already be acutely aware of the threat that Ben Yedder poses up front, with the striker netting three times against the Reds as a Sevilla player in the 2017/18 Champions League. He reached the 70-goal mark for both them and Toulouse and has an impressive return of 19 goals in 31 games for Monaco since joining them last summer.
Among Liverpool’s squad, only Mohamed Salah has a higher goals tally this season and his 20 goals have been scored in 3,423 minutes, a return of one every 171.15 minutes. Ben Yedder’s 19 goals have come in just 2,455 minutes of game-time, an average of one per 129.21 minutes, and he has higher scoring tallies than Reds attackers Sadio Mane (18 goals in 3,049 minutes, one every 169.39 minutes), Roberto Firmino (11 goals in 3,339 minutes, one every 303.55 minutes) and Divock Origi (five goals in 1,239 minutes, one every 247.8 minutes).
Aside from being a potent goal-scorer, the Monaco striker is also proficient at setting up goals for his team-mates. He has laid claim to nine assists this season, the same tally as Salah and only three fewer than Mane and Firmino. His match averages of 2.5 shots and 1.7 key passes serve to further highlight his eye for goal as well as his creative ability.
Furthermore, the 29-year-old often thrives on the European stage – he scored 20 goals in 24 matches in continental tournaments in his final two seasons with Sevilla (as per TransferMarkt).
Ben Yedder could be a cost-effective alternative to Mbappe for Liverpool
Ben Yedder’s goal return isn’t quite as good as that of Mbappe, who has struck 30 times in 33 games for Paris Saint-Germain this season. However, some Liverpool fans on Twitter have voiced concerns about his attitude – he was decidedly vocal in his complaints to manager Thomas Tuchel upon being taken off against Montpellier in February, not the first time he has aired grievances with the coach (as per AS). Also, according to Le10 Sport, the 21-year-old could cost the Reds an eye-watering fee of €200m (£174m), more than twice the amount paid for their record signing Virgil van Dijk.
Ben Yedder should be available for roughly a quarter of the fee quoted for Mbappe and would likely be a less disruptive influence, judging by the PSG star’s tiffs with Tuchel. There could be a concern that, at 29, the Monaco man would likely have little resale value once he leaves Liverpool, and that might ultimately deter the Reds from purchasing him. However, if Jurgen Klopp is looking for a proven, potent goal-scorer who wouldn’t cost a seismic transfer fee, Ben Yedder would be well worth consideration.
Liverpool fans, do you think Ben Yedder would be a good addition at Anfield or would his age be a concern? Join in the discussion by commenting below!
