All is quiet at Anfield. The 2023/24 season has concluded. Jurgen Klopp has packed his bags and already metamorphosed into a Borussia Dortmund supporter. Arne Slot has started his Liverpool duties as helmsman with little surrounding noise.
Reds supporters want signings to mollify their concerns, but FSG's newly-crafted infrastructure, headed in a footballing sense by Michael Edwards, speaks of control and judiciousness and exciting deals to materialise in the weeks and months to come.
Slot, it has been made known, is assessing his squad, working out the intricacies, familiarising himself with every nook and every cranny of Klopp's legacy to ensure maximum chance of success.
But prudence is key. Virgil van Dijk, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Mohamed Salah are all out of contract in 12 months and all are yet to enter negotiations for new deals. This is the prime concern facing Edwards and Liverpool sporting director Richard Hughes.
Salah and Van Dijk have already suggested they will be plying their trade on Merseyside for – at least – the forthcoming year but the Reds' homegrown vice-captain continues to be linked with all-conquering Real Madrid.
He will surely be eager to see how things transpire at Anfield over the summer, but if reports are to be believed, Liverpool are biding their time ahead of accelerating interest for a tremendous young talent.
Liverpool preparing deal for Salah successor
Salah, a true stalwart, has established himself as one of Europe's elite forwards over the seven years he's spent at Liverpool, scoring 211 goals and providing 89 assists from 349 appearances, winning it all.
He may pen fresh terms, but the Egyptian king is weeks away from his 32nd birthday and Liverpool have a paucity of genuine alternatives at right wing. Enter Johan Bakakyoko, who has enjoyed a hot-streaking start to life in the Dutch Eredivisie.
Dominantly winning the league with PSV Eindhoven – claiming the title from Slot's Feyenoord – Bakayoko has been valued at €50m (£43m) as suitors such as Liverpool circle.
Now, according to Football Insider, a new winger could be 'in the building soon' as Liverpool seek a long-term solution to their right flank problem, with Bakayoko mooted as the potential target.
Slot obviously knows Bakayoko's qualities well and the 20-year-old Belgian is a long-term target for FSG, having enquired about his availability in August 2023.
Why Liverpool are pushing to sign Bakayoko
Rivals might think that Liverpool's synergy will be rent in two by Klopp's departure but the framework is firmly intact to perpetuate a position competing and challenging for the Champions League – both qualification and the title itself.
But depth is sorely needed. Slot will welcome a new centre-back to the fold this summer but the arrival of a tasty wide forward is equally imperative. Luis Diaz is indefatigable but not the most prolific of players and linked with a move away; Diogo Jota is a goal machine but worryingly injury-prone. Cody Gakpo will hope for an advanced role under Slot but in which position? Will Gakpo's countryman deploy him across the frontline, as has been the way of his predecessor?
Salah starts. In form or not he is invariably deadly but indeed Bakayoko would be a brilliant addition to the right flank to offer another option.
Only breaking into the PSV first team during the 2022/23 campaign, the Belgium international lifted his game to another level this year, scoring 14 goals and adding 14 assists in all competitions. Lightning-fast and leaving opponents munching dust when wheeling away and vanishing down the wing, Bakayoko has been hailed for his "insane" quality by analyst Ben Mattinson.
His prolific return has been excellent but the underlying numbers form the basis of Liverpool's interest, averaging 2.1 key passes per game in the Eredivisie and creating 12 big chances, as per Sofascore, also demonstrating a combative side that speaks of Premier League suitability with 4.7 successful duels per outing.
But of course, his fleet-footed movements are what allows him to find such great levels of success, his other skills playing off this core quality. It's for this reason that he could be such a brilliant tool ahead of Alexander-Arnold.
How Bakayoko could work with Alexander-Arnold
Alexander-Arnold is being courted by Madrid but he is a dyed-in-the-wool Liverpool supporter and will surely dream of the captaincy down the line. But his ambitions will need to be matched by the club.
The thought of losing Salah is daunting but it is still an actuality, and Bakayoko's skill set could not only be perfect in succeeding the Premier League icon but actually convincing Alexander-Arnold to stay put, for here is the perfect player to bond with his passing prowess.
Alexander-Arnold treated Three Lions supporters to a surgical, slicing pass that Liverpool fans enjoy multiple times a match, 40 or 50-odd days a year.
But it's still a colourful depiction of the £180k-per-week star's unique ability, simply capable of finding teammates with distribution beyond the scope of the majority.
Goals
Top 5%
Assists
Top 9%
Assists
Top 5%
Goals
Top 6%
Shot-creating actions
Top 1%
Touches in attacking box
Top 6%
Passes attempted
Top 1%
Shot-creating actions
Top 11%
Progressive passes
Top 2%
Progressive carries
Top 1%
Whether Alexander-Arnold's future lies by the sideline or enclosed in a more circular central zone, such artistry will be an almighty weapon for Slot, and with Bakayoko tearing through defences to latch onto such balls, one can only imagine the partnership that could be forged.
Bakayoko, for example, averaged 2.8 dribbles per game in the Dutch top flight this season, succeeding with 57%. Salah, conversely, has drifted away from one-time speedster roots and averaged merely 0.8 dribbles per game, coming out on top 38% of the time.
To continue the exploration of this theme, Diaz, accepted as one of the Premier League's most electric ball-carriers, averaged 1.8 dribbles per Premier League outing, at a success rate of 54%.
What does this tell us? Well, it certainly highlights the unfettered joy that Bakayoko emits through his breezy playing style, hungry to make headway with the ball at his feet and strike on goal or apply pressure by dragging defenders away or finding teammates with crisp passes.
Let's assume that Salah remains at Liverpool for the forthcoming year. Bakayoko would find a world-class master to learn from, in turn easing the Egypt phenomenon's workload and opening up new roads of opportunity for a team in transition.
Alexander-Arnold, like the rest of Liverpool, would lick his lips at the prospect of playing with such a talented player.
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ByAngus Sinclair
