‘I hope soon’ – Stefan Bajcetic’s message after returning from five-month injury

Stefan Bajcetic is optimistic he will be back in action as soon as possible after sitting on the bench in the win over Bournemouth.

The Spaniard’s 2022/23 season has been cut short as he suffered a groin ‘stress reaction’ in March and is yet to fully return to the squad.

Bajcetic broke through before the setback, making 19 appearances in all competitions and becoming a fixture in Liverpool’s midfield.

After watching the Reds’ 3-1 win over Bournemouth from the bench, the teenager shared a positive message on Instagram while anticipating his imminent return to the pitch.

The midfielder wrote:“Felt so good to see you at home again! Hopefully soon on the pitch.”

Saturday marked the first time Bajcetic has been called up to a matchday squad in five months and was a big step towards his return hopefully in the coming weeks.

He did not travel with the team on their pre-season tour to Singapore as he continued his rehabilitation alongside compatriot Thiago.

Thiago himself has been out since April after undergoing hip surgery and hasn’t fully returned to the squad either.

The duo remained at the AXA training center while the team traveled to Southeast Asia for friendlies with Leicester and Bayern Munich.

Bajcetic was one of the standout players of the 2022/23 season before his injury and hopes to pick up where he left off when he makes a full comeback.

The Reds travel to Newcastle next weekend and the 18-year-old will no doubt be hoping to gain a few minutes to reintegrate among his team-mates.

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Dream next Liverpool transfers as “everything can happen” with Cheick Doucouré’s addition and the $27 million Klopp deal.

Wataru Endo has officially been acquired by Liverpool, but more deals are needed. Two areas still need to be addressed, as Jürgen Klopp has acknowledged.

In his press conference, Jürgen Klopp used a reasonable voice. Wataru Endo could actually play a significant role in the upcoming season, so the Liverpool manager didn’t want to downplay his acquisition, but he also didn’t want to rule out additional transfer activity.

While Klopp admitted he had already been surprised more than once this summer, he effectively dismissed the idea of additional outgoings and was very receptive to incoming business. In the final two weeks before the deadline, he said, “everything can happen,” with Liverpool continuing to “look.”.

That ought to be fairly obvious in many ways. After all, FSG had just recently proposed paying Moisés Caicedo $140 million (£110 million/€127 million). Although it was obviously a failure, there seemed to be an implied recognition of a critical area of need. It’s hard to imagine why that wasn’t the original plan if it could be adequately met for the better part of $120m less.

Liverpool hasn’t, however, ever just thrown money around for the sake of it. Endo is deserving of a great deal of respect, and Klopp seems genuinely willing to continue the season with the Japan captain at the position of starting number six. Any opportunity must be the right one.

But regardless of whether they fall short of the ideal standard, Liverpool must ultimately work to close the best deals possible during the remaining time in the window. There is obviously money available to spend, but more business is necessary to give Klopp a legitimate chance to compete.

Even though midfielders have been the only players transferred so far, that is still a position that needs improvement. In a perfect world, Liverpool would bring in an additional six players as partners as well as a rotational option for Endo.

Even though Liverpool undoubtedly took inspiration from the “inversions” at Manchester City and Arsenal, the strategy is actually quite different. Trent Alexander-Arnold is not Oleksandr Zinchenko or John Stones, so despite the fact that he might appear to form a double pivot with the number six on paper, in practice he is tucking into a role that is much more akin to the number eight or even number 10 in order to make use of his generational creative skills.

Playing two genuine defensive midfielders would be a viable option, especially if Liverpool’s defense continues to be a weakness in their game. Alexander-Arnold would have real freedom to play a role that was very loosely defined, drifting around in the spaces next to Dominik Szoboszlai or Alexis Mac Allister, with Endo playing alongside someone like Cheick Doucouré.

The Evening Standard identified Doucouré as Liverpool’s top target in the midfield, and he does appear to be the best option among the rest. He could be developed under Klopp as the long-term Fabinho replacement while sharing the load with Endo for at least the next couple of years. He is already at a high Premier League standard and has plenty of room to improve.

That would essentially organize the midfield for Liverpool. An additional number eight would be ideal if I were really greedy, but that seems unlikely at this point, especially since the search for a new center-back should take priority.

Having spent the majority of his career playing in the defense, Endo has once more possibly lessened the urgency of the search. However, Liverpool needs to find a left-sided specialist who can take Andy Robertson’s place in some games immediately and who also has the potential to replace Virgil van Dijk in the future.

That is a very difficult request. However, Arthur Theate, a name that has only recently gained notoriety (via L’Équipe), checks a lot of the right boxes. At 23, he is another who Liverpool could develop while immediately adding depth.

Football Transfers estimates Theate’s value at $27 million (£21 million/€25 million) using its proprietary “expected transfer value” tool. Liverpool might anticipate Rennes to demand more given the state of the market. But any deal in that area would be a wise business move.

It’s important to remember that adding Theate and Doucouré to the roster would push Liverpool over the limit in terms of foreign players, which is an issue that cannot be entirely avoided. However, there is always the option of not registering someone, for instance Adrián, if the ideal homegrown solution does not emerge.

Anything can happen, as Klopp points out. But those two transactions would cap off a wholly satisfying transfer window for Liverpool, positioning the team for the present and the future.