Former Liverpool star Didi Hamann has sent a warning to his old club over their transfer business – and suggested a possible new signing.
The Reds were quick to act in the transfer market this summer, bringing in three new players. Darwin Nunez, Calvin Ramsay and Fabio Carvalho have all been added to Jurgen Klopp’s ranks for the upcoming campaign.
In the other direction, Liverpool sanctioned the departure of Sadio Mane in a £35million deal with Bayern Munich. Takumi Minamino and Divock Origi have also been allowed to leave the club this summer, signing for AS Monaco and AC Milan respectively.
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Much of the talk this summer has been dominated by whether or not Liverpool will move to sign a new midfielder. Hamann has questioned the Reds’ decision not to bring in a player of that ilk, and has cast doubt over the reasoning behind selling Mane to Bayern.
“The biggest issue with Liverpool is the lack of an attacking midfielder,” Hamann told Genting Casino .
“They need to find a few goals from midfield but the way they're set up now I can't see them doing that.
“Fans shouldn't be worried about Liverpool's pre-season form. RB Salzburg have already started their season so in terms of fitness they're two or three weeks ahead of Liverpool and Jurgen Klopp made a lot of changes so I wouldn't read too much into that result.
“It remains to be seen how the dynamics of the team change because Darwin Nunez is a different player to Roberto Firmino who made the centre-forward position his own for the last few years.
“And then in Sadio Mane, Liverpool lost a player who averaged over 20 goals and ten or 15 assists per season and we need to see if Luis Diaz can do that.
“He had a good start to his Liverpool career but whether he can do it year in, year out remains to be seen.”
Another player whose future has been the subject of speculation is Roberto Firmino. Tentative links with Juventus have emerged in recent weeks, but those have been brushed off by both the player and Klopp himself.
Hamann reckons the signing of Nunez and the option of Diogo Jota means Liverpool do not need to go and sign a ‘replacement’ for Firmino, whose deal runs out next summer. The former Red went on to suggest Real Madrid playmaker Marco Asensio as a suitable target for his old club.
“Liverpool don't need to replace Roberto Firmino because they've got Diogo Jota and Darwin Nunez,” Hamann added.
“Marco Asensio is familiar to Firmino and is a very capable player and in a team like Liverpool, he could easily rejuvenate his career.”
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