John Barnes believes Liverpool should prioritise signing a midfielder who can replicate Georginio Wijnaldum's box-to-box role - naming West Ham's Declan Rice as the 'ideal' target
Wijnaldum left the Reds come the end of his contract in 2021, ending a decorated five-season spell on Merseyside in which the Dutchman racked up over 200 appearances across all competitions, winning the Champions League in 2019 and the Premier League the following year. The dynamic midfielder endured a relatively unsuccessful spell Paris Saint-Germain before joining Roma on loan in the summer - he will miss the majority of this season, however, after fracturing his tibia just days after signing.
Since his departure in 2021, Liverpool and Jurgen Klopp have been unable to sign a successor that fits the box-to-box profile of their Dutch star. Harvey Elliott and Fabio Carvalho have both been deployed in midfield, but currently lack the defensive experience needed to cover Trent Alexander-Arnold down the right, while loan signing Arthur Melo has struggled with fitness and injury since arriving from Juventus, picking up just 13 senior minutes before a muscle issue that required surgery.
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The Reds' midfield issues look to have made that role a priority in January, and former Reds star Barnes - who was appointed as a club ambassador yesterday - has urged the side he now works for to finally sign their successor to Wijnaldum, adding that West Ham talisman Rice would fit the bill.
“Jude Bellingham or Declan Rice!” Barnes told BonusCodeBets when asked who Liverpool could target. “We need our profile of a Georginio Wijnaldum, a strong, hard-working midfield player which will then defend which will allow Trent Alexander-Arnold to get forward.
“When you’ve got Harvey Elliott and Thiago who are very good on the ball but defensively they may not be that strong alongside Carvalho, obviously when we attack and teams get the ball, they can get into our back four.
“Therefore I think the midfield players we’re looking for are Gini Wijnaldum type of players. Of course, Bellingham can do both, Bellingham can get forward but defensively, Declan Rice would be the ideal person.
“So I think that’s the kind of profile they’ll be looking for.”
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