Liverpool make move to sign “complete” £50m Thiago successor -

Now that the summer’s international tournaments have wrapped up, focus on the transfer window will be accentuated, though, much to the frustration of the fanbase, all remains quiet at Liverpool.

Arne Slot is assessing his newly inherited squad and still awaits the returns of multiple first-team stars following international commitments, with sporting director Richard Hughes revealing that business is more likely to be conducted later down the line.

However, FSG are always willing to move for a shrewd deal, and there’s one such market opportunity that might just prove to be too good to turn down.

Liverpool transfer news

According to Calcio Mercato, Juventus are struggling to meet Atalanta’s demands in the pursuit of centre-midfielder Teun Koopmeiners, which could see Liverpool steal ahead.

The Merseysiders are long-time admirers of the Netherlands international, who played under Slot at AZ Alkmaar, and while Juventus are hoping to seal the deal, finances are proving to be a sticking point.

Liverpool are understood to hold the funds to complete a deal, however, and given that Atalanta are holding for €60m (£50m), the Reds may yet find themselves in the driving seat, having already moved ahead to learn conditions of a possible transfer.

What Teun Koopmeiners would bring to Liverpool

A multi-functioning midfielder, Koopmeiners is creative in possession and crisp and combative out of it, with a wide range of technical strengths that could see him excel in the Premier League.

The 26-year-old was forced to watch his nation’s Euro 2024 campaign from the sidelines after picking up an injury on the cusp of the tournament, though there’s no question that he earned his stripes last season, instrumental in Atalanta’s Europa League triumph – ending Bayer Leverkusen’s record unbeaten streak to lift the trophy and defeating Liverpool on the way to the final.

He was described as “very versatile” by his Serie A manager, Piero Gian Gasperini, though he spent much of the 2023/24 campaign in a forward-driving midfield position, scoring 15 goals across 51 appearances and adding seven assists.

Teun Koopmeiners: 2023/24 Statistics
Statistics	Serie A	Europa League
Matches played	34	12
Matches started	29	10
Goals	12	0
Assists	5	2
Pass completion	82%	79%
Big chances created	9	4
Touches per game	54.0	55.5
Key passes per game	1.8	1.1
Ball recoveries per game	4.4	4.0
Dribbles per game	0.6	0.8
Tackles per game	1.1	1.8
Duels won per game	3.2	3.8
Stats via Sofascore

Marvelling at the player’s ability, his former coach Pascal Jansen has said: “His stamina is amazing. His pressing and chasing abilities when out of possession, I would almost say they are inhuman.”

It’s almost like he’s tailor-made for Slot’s high-octane, control-focused system, even ranking among the top 6% of attacking midfielders and wingers in the Italian top flight last term for passes attempted and the top 2% for progressive passes per 90, as per FBref.

Why Liverpool need Teun Koopmeiners

Liverpool are well-stocked in the centre of the park, though if Slot and Co opt against signing a specialist No. 6 it is highly likely that Alexis Mac Allister will operate in a deeper-lying role, as he did on many occasions under Jurgen Klopp last year. Wataru Endo enjoyed a solid campaign last term too but the 31-year-old has his limitations.

Liverpool players Wataru Endo and Alexis Mac Allister

Despite the wealth of talent at Slot’s disposal in the middle of the field, Koopmeiners could make a marked impact on the squad, not least because he embodies many of Thiago Alcantara’s standout attributes.

Thiago has recently retired from Football after his Liverpool contract expired last month. The 33-year-old is one of the game’s superlative technicians, distinguished across the globe, though his final professional term was wrecked by injuries that limited him to just five minutes of action, coming in a defeat against Arsenal in February.

Still, while his Liverpool career didn’t reach the heights dreamily envisaged, Thiago still excelled across his 98 appearances, with talkSPORT host Tony Cascarino even remarking that he’s “up there with the very best“.

Statistical data from the 2023/24 campaign is negligible, but the previous term illustrates quite clearly how good the maestro was, despite suffering significant injury issues again. He ranked among the top 2% of Premier League midfielders in 2022/23 for passes attempted and progressive passes, the top 11% for successful take-ons and the top 10% for tackles per 90, showcasing how he was one of the most complete midfielders around.

Atalanta central midfielder Teun Koopmeiners.

Once praised as the “complete” midfielder by Dutch legend Ruud Krol, Koopmeiners could prove to be a brilliant Thiago replacement, not quite stylistically identical but carrying some of the Spaniard’s principal ball-playing characteristics – and a sharp intelligence besides.

It would be unjust to say that the Anfield side need a Thiago replacement: he didn’t play last season. That said, one can only imagine the heights that could have been reached with the midfield magician pulling strings from the heart of the field, perhaps instilling the perfect chemistry and coherence through his passing prowess to have seen Liverpool swerve the late-season slump that unravelled Klopp’s swansong.

Slot is working hard to drill his philosophy into the Red Merseysiders, and while he’s lost one of the Premier League’s brightest midfield talents in Thiago, he could swiftly replace him with a player he knows well: Koopmeiners. The Dutchman is tenacious and supremely talented, willing to chip in defensively and boasting the motor requisite for success in the fast-paced Slot system.

Whether FSG decide to make such a move this summer remains to be seen, but there’s no doubting Koopmeiners’ quality, and there’s no question that he would be a credit to Slot’s outfit.