Liverpool could take a huge stride in their midfield rebuild this summer, with rumours of Jurgen Klopp’s interest in Benfica’s Florentino Luis persisting.
Who are Liverpool signing this summer?
Last season, Liverpool fell by the wayside and failed to qualify for the Champions League after fighting for a historic quadruple the campaign prior; the midfield was chastened for its ropy performances, and James Milner, Naby Keita and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain departed at the end of their contracts in June.
Long-serving captain Jordan Henderson and veteran holding midfielder Fabinho are also headed for Saudi Arabia, whilst astute purchases for Alexis Mac Allister and Dominick Szoboszlai have been sealed to revitalise the Reds’ core.
And now, according to a report from The Athletic, Luis is on Klopp’s shortlist ahead of the 2023/24 campaign, with Portugal international – who is believed to hold a €120m (£103m) release clause – deemed a “like-for-like” replacement for his Anfield-based confrère.
Is Florentino Luis a defensive midfielder?
Having been praised as a “top player” by Ruben Dias, Luis was integral to Benfica’s exploits across a tremendous 22/23 campaign, making a mammoth 54 appearances and winning the Primeira Liga, also performing admirably in the Champions League and reaching the quarter-finals, avoiding defeat across two fixtures to both Paris Saint-Germain and Juventus.
As per Sofascore, the 23-year-old machine played 33 times in the Portuguese top-flight and recorded an average rating of 7.10, completing 90% of his passes, averaging 2.5 tackles and 1.9 interceptions per game and succeeding with 60% of his duels and 72% of his dribble attempts.
This, statistically, puts him in the top stratosphere of defensive midfielders in the business, certainly capable of transporting his skills to stand as one of the Premier League’s undisputed stars; as per FBref, he ranks among the top 4% of midfielders across Men’s Next 8 divisions (below the top European five) for pass completion, the top 14% for progressive passes, the top 1% for interceptions and the top 4% for tackles per 90.
He is indeed the perfect fit if Klopp opts to deploy a new No. 6 of the same mould as Fabinho, who similarly keeps things simple and recycles possession for his team before pushing the ball through the thirds, whereas the Merseyside outfit’s pursuit of the prodigious Romeo Lavia would provide a different slant to the system, with The Athletic describing the Belgian as a “ball carrier” who is the “opposite of Fabinho”.
And while Lavia, aged 19, may well end up at Anfield over the coming weeks, if Luis joined too he would offer an invaluable dimension, a state of defensive duality, an unwavering pillar amid a maelstrom of change, filling Fabinho’s boots and providing the tenacious and industrious cog to allow the forward-thinking teammates to flourish.
Given that he plays for the Eagles, Luis could emulate Liverpool’s deal to sign Darwin Núñez last summer, who joined from the Portuguese giants in a club-record £85m deal.
Nunez suffered an indifferent first season on English shores but exuded quality in abundance that simply awaits channelling.
Described as an “agent of chaos” by Liverpool Echo’s Theo Squires, the Uruguayan is an electric forward who ranks among the top 12% of forwards across Europe’s top five leagues over the past year for non-penalty goals and the top 6% for progressive carries per 90, via FBref, though he missed 20 big chances in the league and clearly needs to work on his striking precision.