Arne Slot could be contemplating a second attempt at signing a player that he’d previously tried to bring to Feyenoord.
The Liverpool head coach mentioned in his press conference on Tuesday morning that he’s maintaining a daily dialogue with sporting director Richard Hughes regarding possible transfer activity in January, leaving the door open for potential recruitment next month.
Slot could go back in for Feyenoord winger
According to Algerian outlet La Gazette du Fennec, the Reds boss is targeting Anis Hadj-Moussa, who’s now playing with the 46-year-old’s former club in Rotterdam.
Slot had actually tried to sign the player for Feyenoord before, but it wasn’t until after he took the reins at Anfield that the forward arrived at De Kuip.
The Algeria winger cost the Eredivisie giants a paltry €1.8m (£1.5m) from Belgian side Patro Eisden in 2023, and while his valuation has surely soared in the meantime, Liverpool might still be able to acquire him for a relatively low fee.
Will Slot land Hadj-Moussa this time?
Liverpool and Hadj-Moussa have one thing in common already – they’ve both recently been a thorn in Manchester City’s side.
The 22-year-old played against Pep Guardiola’s team in the Champions League last week and scored the goal which instigated a remarkable comeback from 3-0 down with just over 15 minutes remaining to salvage a 3-3 draw.
The Algerian is highly proficient at taking on opponents one-on-one. As per FBref, he ranks in the top 1% of positional peers outside of Europe’s five main leagues over the past year for progressive carries per game (6.77), along with the top 4% for successful take-ons per 90 minutes (3.25).
Having been unable to bring him to Feyenoord before leaving for Merseyside, Slot might now fancy a second crack at securing Hadj-Moussa’s signature, although he’d have a certain Mo Salah ahead of him in the pecking order if the Egyptian signs a contract extension at Anfield.
With Federico Chiesa and the on-loan Ben Doak also on Liverpool’s books, some might feel that there are other parts of the squad which are in greater need of addressing.
It should nonetheless be interesting to keep an eye on Hadj-Moussa’s progress in Rotterdam this season, particularly if the Reds boss fancies him as a player.
