Jürgen Klopp can finally get new İlkay Gündoğan but Liverpool might believe it already has one

Jürgen Klopp and İlkay Gündoğan had a good link-up before the midfielder strengthened Pep Guardiola instead, but Liverpool might finally be able to get a new version.

It is often said that Jürgen Klopp wants an İlkay Gündoğan figure. It’s one of the transfer narratives that followed him to Liverpool, along with the apparent long-standing desire to sign a new Mario Götze — with the man himself even considered at one stage.

But while Klopp’s great Borussia Dortmund side is certainly recognizable in the Liverpool team that has won it all, the truth is that the boss has not simply lifted his Bundesliga template and stamped it into place at Anfield. The latest iteration is perhaps the most radically different yet, with Trent Alexander-Arnold’s new role unlike anything he has experimented with in the past.
If anything, the modern Liverpool draws more from Pep Guardiola and Manchester City. But of course, Gündoğan has spent his post-Dortmund years thriving in that very system, so perhaps this is one transfer ambition Klopp still harbors.

In truth, most managers would probably be grateful for someone like Gündoğan. Certainly, any possession-based team would be lucky to have him: his on-the-ball actions are genuinely elite, with the German posing a major goal and assist threat, a progressive avenue through both passes and carries, and a safe and assured presence when it comes to limiting turnovers. It’s little wonder that Xavi’s Barcelona has snapped him up on a free transfer.

Ironically, until recently, Klopp might have been one of the few big-club managers to have a few reservations on Gündoğan. While Liverpool does see a lot of the ball, the central unit has typically been an industrious affair, with defensive output high up the agenda. That’s the one thing the former Borussia Dortmund man does not really offer, with his work against the ball looking fairly underwhelming in the numbers.
diligence from the twin number eights, who look almost like number 10s at times.

So the moment is ripe for Klopp to finally get his Gündoğan figure. And with El Nacional claiming Liverpool has readied a $99m (£77m/€90m) bid for Federico Valverde of Real Madrid, one potential solution is there.

According to FBref, Gündoğan sits top of the pile when it comes to similar players to Valverde. Also a colossus on the ball, the Uruguayan’s defensive numbers are perhaps surprisingly low, considering his reputation as a tireless terrier. But once again, context is critical, with the midfielder spending almost as much time on the right wing as in the center for Real Madrid this season.

Naturally, this also means the attacking data is somewhat skewed, with his 95th percentile expected non-penalty goals and assists tally a little misleading. Liverpool would not be getting quite such an output monster. But looking back at 2020/21 (just seven games spent on the right, two of them as a full-back, per Transfermarkt), Valverde still made it into the 91st percentile in this metric, while also posting above-average numbers for tackles, interceptions and blocks.

This is the version of Valverde that Klopp has supposedly fallen in love with, and the one who would be perfect for one of Liverpool’s number eight roles. There are definite shades of Gündoğan at Borussia Dortmund, with on-the-ball quality the main trait, but doggish determination off it also a given.

A match made in heaven, then? Perhaps, but Liverpool might very well feel it already has this kind of Gündoğan presence. After all, nestled away at ninth and 10th in Valverde’s player comparison chart are Alexis Mac Allister and Harvey Elliott. The former also features fifth on the list of similar players to Barcelona’s newest recruit.

Between them, they offer a huge degree of assurance on the ball, and have the capacity to get Liverpool up the pitch. Particularly with Elliott, the question marks are over defensive output, with absolutely no doubts over his quality in possession.

Even those worries are not really present with Mac Allister, who has spent some time as a number six. He is a true all-rounder. So perhaps the Gündoğan search has already been completed.

That’s not to say Valverde would be a bad signing. Proven at the very top, he would be an injection of star quality, and could perhaps even form a trio with Mac Allister and Elliott — following the Real Madrid template, and negating the need for an out-and-out defensive midfielder at all. But the idea that Klopp is still searching for his new Gündoğan might need to be laid to rest.

Liverpool’s latest signing, Dominik Szoboszlai, has said he is excited to be given the No. 8 jersey because he is a fan of England legend Steven Gerrard, who donned the shirt for the Reds.
The Hungarian midfielder joined Liverpool from German Bundesliga side RB Leipzig in a €60 million deal on Sunday.

Shortly after arriving at Anfield, it was revealed that Szoboszlai would wear the No. 8 jersey.
He said it was a great number because it was his idol, Steven Gerrard’s number, at Liverpool.

“I will be number 8 as I have a tattoo of Steven Gerrard. That was the reason. He was one of the biggest when I was a child,” Szoboszlai said shortly after penning a five-year deal with Liverpool.

The Hungary captain also relished his move to the Premier League.

I’m joining a historical, top club. I’m very happy. The last three or four days went really long; it was not that easy!” he said.

“I’m here finally, and I really want to tell Liverpool fans that I can’t wait to see them at Anfield. I can’t wait to get started.

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