It might seem bizarre to start an analysis of Liverpool by discussing a player at a rival club but hopefully it will make sense in a minute. Last season, Manchester City played four Premier League games without Rodri – and they lost three of those.
Of the 34 they played with their Spanish midfielder, they lost a big, fat zero. Based on the statistics, if he had missed one more game, Pep Guardiola’s men might have dropped the two points that separated them and Arsenal in the fight for supremacy.
To put it bluntly, a top-quality holding midfielder can be what separates a team from contenders to pretenders. Rodri is the ultimate example, but also note his predecessor Fernandinho or N’Golo Kante at Leicester and Chelsea. Fabinho was crucial when Liverpool won the title.
And that brings us nicely on to the Anfield club and whether Arne Slot’s charges can make a dent in City’s monopoly on the top flight this coming season. Will missing out on top target Martin Zubimendi be the difference between another third-place finish and winning the league?
A week is a long time in a transfer saga – especially in the social-media, update-every-hour era – but Monday brought news that the Spanish European Championship winner had opted to stay at Real Sociedad, days after Liverpool believed he had given a verbal agreement to join them.
Last season, Manchester City played four Premier League games without Rodri – and they lost three of those
Fabinho (right) was a similarly influential figure in Liverpool’s midfield before his departure last year
Martin Zubimendi looked set to join Liverpool before agreeing to stay at Real Sociedad
It is far too simplistic to suggest that the title race will come down to just that issue alone. Liverpool’s chief problem as they stuttered on the final straight of the title race last term was more down to a lack of clinicality in attack as they dropped points in six of the final 11 games.
But the Reds have now missed out on their top defensive midfield target for three straight summers, even when noting Aurelien Tchouameni, Romeo Lavia and Moises Caicedo are slightly different as they rejected Liverpool for what they perceived as better offers elsewhere.
When news of Zubimendi’s U-turn became known on Monday evening, the Liverpool community on social media entered a spiral of negativity. This reporters’ phone overheated with charged texts from fans and sources reacting to the fact they had missed out on another top target.
What should be said in this case is that any fingers pointed at the owners, Fenway Sports Group, or new sporting director Richard Hughes are missing the point. Zubimendi had given his word and reneged on that regardless of finances. The club were willing and able to do the deal.
It is also worth noting that if pundits are to criticise Chelsea, for example, for signing 11 players this summer in a gung-ho style, it would be wrong to stick the knife into Liverpool for operating with a measured, quality-over-quantity approach.
An agreement for Zubimendi to join Liverpool as Arne Slot’s (right) first signing had been agreed
Zubimendi U-turned on the decision to join Liverpool after being convinced to stay in Spain
It is now unlikely that Liverpool move on to alternative targets in the holding midfield department. They are being opportunistic in the market and only signing players that will definitely improve the team.
Ultimately, they lost out to a convincing charm offensive led by Real Sociedad manager Imanol Alguacil. Mail Sport was told the boss had multiple meetings with Zubimendi that tugged on his heartstrings and centred around the quality of his life in San Sebastian.
Zubimendi, a keen hiker, was told about his perfect life in the shadows of the Ulia Mountain range and how he would miss Basque eateries. He was also reminded of an interview he gave to Spanish TV after the Euros where he promised to stay at La Real.
The recruitment method has been lauded in recent years and a book by former transfer guru Ian Graham is to be released this week packed with secrets about why that was so successful. It is sensible when it works but when it does not, like this summer, fans have called it reckless.
Curtis Jones and Ryan Gravenberch – who are fighting to play alongside Alexis Mac Allister in the heart of midfield – have shown promise and could thrive under Slot’s coaching. But they are not at the same level as Rodri or Declan Rice at the competitors.
Hughes is not to blame for Zubimendi’s decision but the former Bournemouth man is not fully exempt from criticism. Slot has a big enough task in preventing any post-Jurgen Klopp drop-off. With zero new faces this summer, does the new boss have the tools to reach the club’s goals?
