Liverpool great Steve Nicol has advised Jurgen Klopp to sign Leicester City’s talented attacking midfielder James Maddison to replace the hard-working Georginio Wijnaldum in the summer transfer window.
The Reds enjoyed a fabulous campaign in the Premier League, the best one ever since the club was formed back in 1892 as they racked up a stunning 97 points in the process. However, that was still not able to guide them to the elusive Premier League title as Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City pipped them by just one solitary point.
But it was not all doom and gloom for Liverpool this season as they managed to get their hands on the Champions League trophy and bring the prestigious title back to Anfield for the sixth time in their illustrious history. However, Klopp is now keen on ending Liverpool’s 30-year long wait for a Premiership title by ending City’s dominance and dethroning Pep Guardiola’s team as champions of England.
One area that Klopp needs to reinforce is his midfield department as his players in the center of the pitch weren’t able to contribute much in the attacking third. The likes of Jordan Henderson, Gini Wijnaldum, James Milner, Naby Keita, and Fabinho weren’t able to actually provide that extra dynamism for the forwards to score goals or create chances against teams that defended deep in their own half.
However, ex- Liverpool defender Steve Nicol has urged Klopp to look into this matter and try to snap up James Maddison from Leicester City to replace one of his midfield workhorses. Maddison enjoyed a stellar season with the Foxes, scoring seven goals and notching up seven assists as well after making the move from Norwich City to the King Power Stadium in a £22 million deal. The English midfielder is extremely creative and gifted and is tipped to have a bright future ahead of him if he plays for a top club.
When asked which player should Liverpool potentially sign over the next few weeks the 57-year-old Scotsman said that Maddison would fit in perfectly under Klopp’s philosophy and get a starting berth over Dutchman Gini Wijnaldum, “Maybe a starter, for me [he would be] a starter, James Maddison. He’s a player who does, in my opinion, all the things that Klopp wants his middle three to do right now. You put him in the middle. I’d suggest because Jordan Henderson’s the captain right now it’d have to be ahead of Gini Wijnaldum. I think Wijnaldum starts right now because he has a goal or two in him but for me, Maddison would take over that because he has a goal or two in him [as well]. He’s a guy that gets around, does the hard work, can get from box to box and has an eye for a pass. You’ve got a player coming in [in Maddison] who makes the starting eleven better already.”
