The terrific form of Ryan Gravenberch in the No.6 position means most Liverpool fans will hardly be yearning for past links to Martin Zubimendi.
The Dutchman was hardly expected to make the position his own from the outset but he’s been an impeccably consistent performer under new boss Arne Slot this term.
It seems both the Reds and the linked Spanish international are content with maintaining the status quo for the time being, judging by one update from Fabrizio Romano.
“No, it’s completely over in this moment. There’s nothing ongoing right now. I don’t think there will be anything ongoing in the next days and weeks or before the January transfer window, also because the reality is that if Zubimendi wanted to go to Liverpool, he had the opportunity to do so, as Liverpool were prepared to pay the release clause in the summer,” the CaughtOffside columnist told The Debrief podcast.
“They also considered to include players in the deal to reach an agreement with Real Sociedad. So they were prepared to do everything on [the] club and player side, but the player wanted to continue there.
“At this moment, they don’t have any indication at Liverpool that he’s going to change his mind or that he’s going to discuss with Real Sociedad to change the story in January.
“So at the moment, the situation is completely quiet. Liverpool’s appreciation for Zubimendi remains. I keep repeating that the player is highly rated at Liverpool but at the moment it doesn’t mean they will reactivate this deal for January. In the summer, we will see.”
This follows recent reports from Spain (Estadio Deportivo) claiming that the No.4 regrets staying put in San Sebastian and has requested that Liverpool make another move for him.
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Evidently, it seems both outfits involved are quite far off from agreeing any kind of deal that would see Zubimendi depart for the riches of the Premier League.
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Do Liverpool still want to sign a holding midfielder?
If one report from Football Insider is to be taken as gospel, sporting director Richard Hughes is still committed to landing Liverpool a new holding midfielder in the coming transfer window.
Whether we’ll see the club bolster the midfield department, however, remains far from clear.
We wouldn’t necessarily be opposed to seeing further cover added to our ranks in January – especially given the lack of viable reinforcements. Tyler Morton, who ended up staying put despite interest from Bayer Leverkusen, has the skillset to do a job for Arne Slot but concerns over Wataru Endo are well-founded judging by his pre-season displays.
Meanwhile, bright spark Stefan Bajectic has been sent to Austria to continue his footballing education under Jurgen Klopp’s former assistant, Pep Lijnders.
If we appropriately manage the load of Ryan Gravenberch, this may not be an issue in need of addressing. Though, as Rodri’s unfortunate injury for Manchester City (CaughtOffside) goes to show, it’s not always advisable to expect an easy ride.
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