Liverpool
Liverpool’s move for a £9 million “destroyer” could result in another Endo brag.
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This winter, Jorg Schmadtke might add another clever addition to the Liverpool midfield.
One may argue that Liverpool’s 2022–2023 campaign was one to forget, but after years of success, Jurgen Klopp will want his team to remember the hardships.
With radical midfield changes made last summer, the renowned manager fixed the issues, and Liverpool is now vying for hardware once more. After 20 games, they lead the Premier League table and are deep into the Carabao Cup semi-finals and Europa League round of sixteen.
Liverpool has choices in every area of the field, but it would be stupid and blinkered to believe that adding more players wouldn’t help the team strive for a spectacular “rebuilding” campaign finale.
Although it appears like Klopp’s team is ahead of plan, it is imperative that the current transfer window be utilised to maintain this desirable position at the top of the pack.
Liverpool transfer news – Morten Frendrup
At the beginning of the month, Paul Gorst of the Liverpool Echo reported that Klopp was searching for a replacement No. 6 and had already identified Morten Frendrup, a midfielder for Genoa, for a transfer.
But Tutto Juve has subsequently revealed that West Ham United and Crystal Palace, two London teams reportedly drawn to the cheap €10 million (£9 million) price tag, may also be interested in signing him. For this reason, if a move to Merseyside is considered likely, this deal needs to be finalised quickly.
Ideally, scouts and Jorg Schmadtke, the club’s technical director, would keep an eye on the player’s progress until the summer, but given the low valuation and fierce competition, things might move more quickly in the upcoming weeks.
Morten Frendrup’s style of play
Talent evaluator Jacek Kulig called Frendrup a “superb talent” and described him as a “destroyer” of the midfield. He is known for his athleticism, passing, pace, positioning, persistence, and tackling.
After leading Genoa back into Serie A before the summer, he has made 70 appearances for the club since leaving his native country in 2021. He has been outstanding in recent months, starting all 18 league games in 2023–24 and dishing out four assists.
But Liverpool have shown themselves in the market once more with a clever acquisition, and Frendrup might duplicate the achievement after winning the team’s Player of the Month award for December.
Morten Frendrup has been a 𝗰𝗼𝗹𝗼𝘀𝘀𝘂𝘀 in midfield for Genoa this season 💪
Can he help the Grifone secure a result at high-flying Bologna tonight? 🇮🇹 #SerieA #BolognaGenoa pic.twitter.com/cu8NinJdV7
— Twenty3 (@Twenty3sport) January 5, 2024
Despite his lack of major league experience, the 22-year-old is clearly skilled and could be a wise addition to a team that already has choices for the No. 6 spot.
He is completely different from Alexis Mac Allister, a holding midfielder who, while not the cleanest defensive player, is technically excellent and has a range of passing that enables him to control the game from the centre of the field.
According to FBref, Frendrup’s combination of inventiveness and defensive prowess has placed him in the top 1% of midfielders in Europe’s top five leagues for tackles, the top 7% for assists, and the top 11% for blocks per 90.
It remains to be seen how such skill will translate to life in England, but even though his passing is not the best (he is in the bottom 27% of midfielders for pass completion), it may get better in the years to come.
Why Liverpool should sign Morten Frendrup
It was previously mentioned that one of Frendrup’s worse aspects of his game is his passing, but Endo’s performance last season could have been comparable.
Endo’s completion rate from defensive midfield in the Premier League this season is 87%, compared to just 80% last year in Germany; Frendrup may match this performance with the correct coaching and equipment.
Schmadtke pulled off a pretty amazing feat with this one, and despite being thirty years old, the Japan captain has grown and expanded his skill set under Klopp’s tutelage and amid a group of players vying for a spot at the top of European football.
Although Endo is a bit more straightforward in his craft than, say, Mac Allister or Joshua Kimmich of Bayern Munich (who has recently been linked with Liverpool), he has shown off his best qualities tremendously over the past few months. Klopp likes fluidity and demands that his players have a combination of skills to effectively contribute to the system.
In a world where lavish spending and well-known rumours drive the conversation throughout the transfer season, Liverpool has frequently taken the less-traveled route to acquire individuals who bolster Klopp’s team.
Why Liverpool should sign Morten Frendrup
Given Liverpool’s current alternatives in the deep-lying midfield with Mac Allister and 30-year-old summer acquisition Wataru Endo, it seems sense that another player is being pursued.
While Endo was a surprise summer purchase from German Bundesliga side Stuttgart for £16 million in August—following the Reds’ high-profile transfer war with Chelsea for Moises Caicedo and Romeo Lavia—which left Klopp furious and empty-handed—the former is inherently used in a more creative capacity.
But Liverpool have shown themselves in the market once more with a clever acquisition, and Frendrup might duplicate the achievement after winning the team’s Player of the Month award for December.
It was previously mentioned that one of Frendrup’s worse aspects of his game is his passing, but Endo’s performance last season could have been comparable.
Endo’s completion rate from defensive midfield in the Premier League this season is 87%, compared to just 80% last year in Germany; Frendrup may match this performance with the correct coaching and equipment.
This was a bit of a blinder from Schmadtke, and with Klopp leading the way and with a group of players fighting for a spot at the top of European football, the
Schmadtke pulled off a pretty amazing feat with this one, and despite being thirty years old, the Japan captain has grown and expanded his skill set under Klopp’s tutelage and amid a group of players vying for a spot at the top of European football.
Although Endo is a bit more straightforward in his craft than, say, Mac Allister or Joshua Kimmich of Bayern Munich (who has recently been linked with Liverpool), he has shown off his best qualities tremendously over the past few months. Klopp likes fluidity and demands that his players have a combination of skills to effectively contribute to the system.
In a world where lavish spending and well-known rumours drive the conversation throughout the transfer season, Liverpool has frequently taken the less-traveled route to acquire individuals who bolster Klopp’s team.
Although Endo was not the German manager’s first option, the former Stuttgart star has excelled because Caicedo has not lived up to the hype and Lavia has been devastated by injuries in west London.
Without a doubt, the Reds would benefit from having players like Kimmich. However, Frendrup has the potential to become a genuine world-beater, and the Anfield team would not be foolish to try again with a player who has the makings of a midfield machine.
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