There’s a lot of nonsense written about FSG and Moneyball (and some more likely follows in the next 600 words) but when Liverpool’s transfer process has been at its best the club have used data to its advantage in the market. If you saw the Reds were linked with an attacking midfielder who only had three goals and two assists in the Premier League this season, it wouldn’t set your pulse racing.
But how about someone who hit double figures for both metrics in 2021/22? It’s a relatively rare feat, with it only occuring 57 times in Europe’s big five leagues in the last six seasons (and only 51 if we ignore penalties).
While taking a previous high performer who is struggling and reinvigorating them feels like a Moneyball move, it isn’t. If Liverpool can do this with Mason Mount, the player with the aforementioned statistics, they could be onto something though.
READ MORE: Liverpool notebook: Diaz stuns at training ground, search for defender expands
READ MORE: Liverpool's dream summer window with £170m midfield plan and FOUR free transfers
The links to the Chelsea midfielder seem to have split the fan base (though most transfer stories do). Some people feel he’d be a fine addition, well suited to Jurgen Klopp’s style of play, while others need much more convincing. It’s fair to assume Liverpool’s manager might get more out of Mount than the Londoners currently are, at least.
This is if for no other reason than the fact the England international thrived under Thomas Tuchel, Klopp’s successor at both Mainz and Dortmund. Mount delivered 0.54 goals and assists per 90 minutes under the German, compared to 0.38 under other Chelsea managers.
As he scored a winner at Anfield before assisting the only goal of the 2021 Champions League final for Tuchel, the new Bayern Munich boss oversaw some of his career highlights to date. It's no wonder rumours suggest Tuchel could be looking to take Mount to Germany.
A look across the 24-year-old’s career shows how he has done well in different areas at different times, suggesting some consistency – which he’d experience at Liverpool with Klopp contracted for another three years – would help. For instance, Mount was in the Premier League’s top 10 players for goal creating actions for 2019/20 and 2021/22 but dipped in the campaign in-between and again this season (per FBRef).
But then in 2020/21, he was among the leading lights for progressive passes and carries, as well as expected assists. While the latter held firm the following year, the others fell away a little, though some inconsistency is inevitable for a young player.
The skills are certainly there, even if it’s telling that Mount does not feature in the top 10 for any metric this season. Even then, he has still contributed 13 chance creating carries in 2022/23, more than any Liverpool player aside from Mohamed Salah and Darwin Nunez. He could still add a new dimension to the Reds’ midfield, while a fresh start and playing for a single manager for more than about 18 months might be what he needs as he approaches the peak years of his career.
It would be foolish to assume Liverpool will definitely sign Jude Bellingham, but let’s pretend for the sake of argument. He has started World Cup games alongside Mount in midfield, while Paul Merson recently claimed signing the pair would make the Reds title contenders once more.
Look back to the last European Championships and you’ll find the Chelsea man assisted Jordan Henderson’s first goal for his country, while Trent Alexander-Arnold set up Mount against Norway when both were with England’s under-19 side. The seeds of potential relationships may lie everywhere at Anfield, and the fact the reported Liverpool target would be a homegrown player only strengthens his case. Moneyball or not, the Reds and Mount might easily improve each other.
READ NEXT
- Liverpool's dream summer window with £170m midfield plan and FOUR free transfers
- Thiago situation may be about to change at Liverpool after 'difficult conversation'
- Liverpool notebook: Diaz stuns at training ground, search for defender expands
- Liverpool may have just found solution that allows them to spend big in summer
- Liverpool have just unlocked the perfect partnership for Trent Alexander-Arnold
